Shine a Light (Billy Bragg and Joe Henry album) explained

Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad
Type:live
Artist:Billy Bragg and Joe Henry
Cover:Billy Bragg & Joe Henry - Shine A Light Field Recordings from the American Railroad.png
Released:23 September 2016
Recorded:Various railway stations between Chicago and Los Angeles March 2016
Genre:Folk
Length:42:58
Label:Cooking Vinyl
Producer:Billy Bragg, Joe Henry
Chronology:Billy Bragg
Prev Title:Tooth & Nail
Prev Year:2013
Next Title:Bridges Not Walls
Next Year:2017

Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad is a 2016 album of field recordings made by British singer Billy Bragg and American musician Joe Henry as they performed in waiting rooms and trackside at railway stations on a journey between Chicago and Los Angeles in March 2016. The project was conceived after Henry produced Bragg's thirteenth studio album Tooth & Nail at his home studio in South Pasadena. It was released on the Cooking Vinyl label on 23 September 2016. The project is named after a lyric in the traditional folk song "Midnight Special" (mistakenly credited to Lead Belly after a 1934 recording he made).[1]

Recording

In March 2016, English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and fellow troubadour and producer Joe Henry set off from Chicago's Union Station with the intention of "reconnect[ing] with the culture of American railroad travel and the music it inspired." They undertook a 2,700-mile, 65-hour train ride recording songs that ""reflect the railroad’s impact on the nation’s social and cultural life."[2] Goebel Reeves's Hobo's Lullaby (well known from Woody Guthrie performances) was captured at an Amtrak station in Alpine, Texas; the folk ballad Railroad Bill at St Louis Gateway station, Lonesome Whistle by Hank Williams in a sleeping berth near Whistle Junction, Missouri.[3]

A short documentary Shine a Light by director Ray Foley was made of the trip and streamed for free on the official website.

Track listing

All songs performed by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry; music composers are listed below.

  1. "Rock Island Line" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 2:55
  2. "The L&N Don't Stop Here Any More" (Jean Ritchie) – 4:29
  3. "Midnight Special" (Huddie Ledbetter) – 3:34
  4. "Railroad Bill" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 2:49
  5. "Lonesome Whistle" (Hank Williams; Jimmie Davis) – 2:53
  6. "KC Moan" (Tewee Blackman) – 2:40
  7. "Waiting for a Train" (Jimmie Rodgers) – 2:46
  8. "In the Pines" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 3:31
  9. "Gentle on My Mind" (John Hartford) – 3:39
  10. "Hobo's Lullaby" (Goebel Reeves) – 3:57
  11. "Railroading on the Great Divide" (Sara Carter) – 3:08
  12. "John Henry" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 2:42
  13. "Early Morning Rain" (Gordon Lightfoot) – 4:13

Personnel

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shine A Light. Official Shine A Light website. 2017-05-22.
  2. Web site: Billy Bragg and Joe Henry review – just the ticket. The Guardian. 2017-05-22.
  3. Web site: Laying down tracks: Billy Bragg and Joe Henry take a railroad trip to the blues. The Guardian. 2017-05-22.

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