''Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad'' is a 2016

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

of field recordings made by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

singer Billy Bragg and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

musician

Joe Henry Joseph Lee Henry (born December 2, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He has released 15 studio albums and produced multiple recordings for other artists, including three Grammy Award-winning albums. Early life H ...

as they performed in waiting rooms and trackside at railway stations on a journey between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

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).

Recording

In March 2016, English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and fellow troubadour and producer Joe Henry set off from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's Union Station with the intention of "reconnect ngwith 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."

Goebel Reeves Goebel Leon Reeves (October 9, 1899 – January 26, 1959) was an American folk singer. His most famous song is "Hobo's Lullaby", which has been covered by various singers, especially Woody Guthrie. Among other artists who later performed the song w ...

's ''Hobo's Lullaby'' (well known from

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

performances) was captured at an

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

station in

Alpine, Texas Alpine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,905 at the 2010 census. The town has an elevation of , and the surrounding mountain peaks are over above sea level. The university, hosp ...

; the folk ballad ''Railroad Bill'' at

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Gateway station, ''Lonesome Whistle'' by Hank Williams in a sleeping berth near Whistle Junction,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. 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. # "

Rock Island Line "Rock Island Line" is an American folk song. Ostensibly about the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it appeared as a folk song as early as 1929. The first recorded performance of "Rock Island Line" was by inmates of the Arkansas Cummins ...

" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 2:55 # "The L&N Don't Stop Here Any More" (Jean Ritchie) – 4:29 # " Midnight Special" (

Huddie Ledbetter Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, Virtuoso, virtuosity on the twelve-string guita ...

) – 3:34 # "Railroad Bill" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 2:49 # " Lonesome Whistle" (Hank Williams; Jimmie Davis) – 2:53 # "KC Moan" (Tewee Blackman) – 2:40 # "Waiting for a Train" (

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

) – 2:46 # "

In the Pines "In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back ...

" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 3:31 # "

Gentle on My Mind "Gentle on My Mind" is a song that was written and originally recorded by John Hartford, and released on his second studio album, '' Earthwords & Music'' (1967). Hartford composed the song after watching ''Doctor Zhivago'' in 1966, as he was i ...

" (John Hartford) – 3:39 # "Hobo's Lullaby" (

) – 3:57 # "Railroading on the Great Divide" (

Sara Carter Sara Elizabeth Carter (née Dougherty, later Bayes; July 21, 1898 – January 8, 1979) was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on ...

) – 3:08 # " John Henry" (traditional, arranged by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry) – 2:42 # "

Early Morning Rain "Early Morning Rain," sometimes styled as "Early Mornin' Rain," is a song written, composed, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song appears on his 1966 debut album ''Lightfoot!'' and, in a re-recorded version, on t ...

" (

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

) – 4:13

Personnel

* Billy Bragg – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals *

– acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, vocals *

Ryan Freeland Ryan Freeland is an American record producer, songwriter, engineer, and mixer based in Los Angeles. Freeland is a five-time Grammy Award winner and is best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt, Ray LaMontagne, Aimee Mann, Joe Henry, Grant-Lee ...

- engineer, mixing

References

External links

Official Shine A Light mini-site

Billy Bragg

Joe Henry official
{{Authority control 2017 albums Billy Bragg albums Joe Henry albums Folk albums by American artists Folk albums by English artists Americana albums Cooking Vinyl albums