Welcome to the article about the iconic song, ‘Tobacco Road.’ It was first written and recorded by John D. Loudermilk, born and raised in the old tobacco warehouse city of Durham, North Carolina. The song is somewhat autobiographical about the city. Loudermilk was a prolific composer of many styles. Many artists have covered his songs, including ‘Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,’ ‘Big Daddy,’ ‘Paper Tiger,’ ‘Break My Mind,’ and ‘Indian Reservation.’
The Nashville Teens recorded ‘Tobacco Road’ four years after Loudermilk’s original recording. Interestingly, the band was not from Nashville, but they gave themselves an American name so that it would be less obvious that they were from England. The song became a hit, peaking at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Loudermilk got the idea for writing this song from a road in his town called Tobacco Road. It was where they rolled the hogsheads full of tobacco down to the river to be loaded onto barges. Along that road were a lot of adamant, seedy-type people, and folks would have just died if they thought someone went down there.
In 1969, Johnny Winter’s younger brother, Edgar Winter, sang ‘Tobacco Road’ when Johnny showcased him in his band. They performed the song at Woodstock. Later, Edgar included the song on his first solo album in 1970 and released it as a single.
Michael Dunford, a member of The Nashville Teens, became a guitarist and primary songwriter for the classic rock band Renaissance. Dunford died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 2012 at the age of 68.
As I watched this video, I was impressed with the high-quality audio and picture. The song mixing was done well, and the video had a fantastic vintage look. Seeing how far technology has come in the past few decades is incredible.
Some YouTube comments described this song as a ‘blues rock masterpiece’ and a ‘masterpiece.’ Some thanked the poster for sharing the song, and others commented that the video was old-school cool. One commenter wrote that they were born the same year the song was released but heard it for the first time today and thought it kicked ass.
It’s interesting to note that some of the Nashville Teens’ members went on to work in other bands, and several artists have covered the song over the years. However, ‘Tobacco Road’ is a classic that has stood the test of time and continues to be enjoyed by music lovers today.
If you’re a fan of classic rock or just looking for something new to listen to, I highly recommend checking out ‘Tobacco Road.’ The song has a catchy tune and a powerful message that still resonates with audiences today. Share this video with your friends and family so they can experience this iconic song’s magic.
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