This is Railroad Bill, the third single from the upcoming CD NARROW AND STEEP by San Franscisco based singer-songwriter Denny Brown. 

Every 2-3 weeks a new single will be released in a RANDOM ORDER, each with its own unique cover, leading up to a full digital release later in the year. In addition, we will be releasing a few short films, both unplugged performances as well as music videos.

"I am interested in timelesss music. Not nostalgia but a sound that defies to be part of a certain period. Music that is hard to pin down when it was first recorded. When a sound, a song structure, a melody feels both of the past and present, and when they melt into one another, it can be forever."
Denny Brown San Francisco 2015

Single #3 Railroad Bill

This song is a perspective and somewhat of a recount of the legend of Railroad Bill, an African-American outlaw who rode the boxcars of the L & N (Louisville and Nashville) train line in the 1890’s. His real name was Morris Slate and he was implicated in the murder of a railroad employee and a law enforcement agent in 1895. For over a year he was able to escape capture even though the manhunt extended from Florida to Alabama. After his death in 1896 the legend began and Railroad Bill joined the ranks of  "American Outlaw" folklore.  For some, he was an inspiration for his retaliation in response to police brutality and oppression. For others, he was perceived as a Robin Hood. Certainly, in the Jim Crow South of a century ago, surviving and escaping police capture was a rare event. Unfortunately, recent events in poor neighborhoods like Ferguson, Baltimore, etc., demonstrate that not too much has changed. It is difficult to think of this story only as an old folk tale.  For the most part, history keeps repeating itself. Confrontation with police and our overworked judicial system still allow for potentially oppressive systems. It is appropriate that we remind ourselves of the struggle and conflict of the 1890's South and hope some changes may result.  

I grew up with this song, specifically, the versions by Elizabeth Cotton and Mississippi John Hurt. They became inspirational as they were my vehicle to learn how to fingerpick on the acoustic guitar. These early versions of the song were limited to just a couple of verses without enough details of the whole story. I have added some significant additional verses in this arrangement mostly reflecting on Railroad Bill’s pursuit and shoot out. The many versions of the song from the sixties folk revival didn’t reveal how murderous he was and how he was able to escape capture. I love the lyrics ‘eating crackers, eating cheese, along come the cops, chipper as they please’ and ‘lighting cigars with a five dollar bill’ which speak more specifically about the hunt for Railroad Bill the way that I hear them.

Even though the story of Railroad Bill is a sad and tragic one, I wanted the song to have an upbeat feel flowing through it without changing the legend. In my version, the Railroad Bill tale is celebrated with all its imperfections, with all the murders, robberies and escapes.

 “Ride on, ride on Railroad Bill, never gonna work, never will”.