What is about Tulsa that makes so many songwriters pen great songs about the little hamlet in northeast Oklahoma? Just off the top of my head, songs that have Tulsa in the title include, Take Me Back to Tulsa, The Day She Left Tulsa (in a Chevy), Tulsa Time, Almost to Tulsa, Passing through Tulsa, 24 Hours From Tulsa, Tulsa’s on Fire and of course our very own Van Marsalis wrote Tulsa Rain. That’s a short list and doesn’t even count songs that don’t have Tulsa in the title, but do talk about Tulsa, songs like Five-Dollar Shower from a band called Rainville. And no doubt, more songs are being written about the city on the banks of the Arkansas River. The latest installment of Tulsa songs is the title track to Wayne “The Train” Hancock’s recent CD.
If you miss the good old days of country, back when the music was real, the lyrics weren’t settled on by a sub-committee, and they had the old timey feel, complete with a little western swing here and there, well then look no further than a song by Hancock. This man plays Country music the way Jimmy Rodgers and Hank Williams meant for it to be played. The first song out of the box is the aforementioned Tulsa.
T – there’s a lot of pretty women
U – and I’ll be there
L – listen for it brother
S – ‘cause swing is in the air
A – and all I’m sayin’ Tulsa is the town for me
Besides the great lyrics, some of what makes this CD so darn good is all the musicians that play the upright bass, steel guitars and even a trombone from time to time. This variety allows him to go from a swing to a blues song to pure country with the greatest of ease. All of this is evident on Tulsa. But maybe the best song that will take you back to a long forgotten era of music, an era that Nashville wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole full of Kenny Chesney CD’s, is Highway Bound. It’s a great song about being out on the highway. Another favorite of mine is I Don’t Care Anymore.
You told me we were through
But what else could I do?
I cried ‘til, both my eyes were sore
You ran off with my pal
Now he thinks you’re his gal
But I don’t care anymore
Fans of old country and swing music, don’t despair, there’s still music being played for people like you and me. It’s being but out by a guy whose nickname is The Train. Another great thing about this CD, it has a map of the greater Tulsa area on the inside of the jacket, so if you ever get lost in that neck of the woods, you can find your way.
So what have we learned today?
- Tulsa has had lots of great songs written about it
- Wayne Hancock is putting out great music for us old fashioned types
- And if you’ll never get lost in NE Oklahoma as long as you have this CD with ya.
I’ll give this CD 4 out of 5 maps.