Notes and Quotes: "Tobacco Road"
photo: "Tobacco Road" (cover)
The following is a live performance (with synch problems) by the Nashville Teens from a television program. YouTube
"Tobacco Road," while not John Loudermilk's only song, is probably his best known composition.
From the first clash between the bending guitar strings and the piano's immovable keys this recording signals that something radically different from Merseybeat is happening. Once the text begins, we are definitely sure that we are no longer in happy popdom. Nevertheless, the strong bass and drum line mark this as under the influence of beat music, if only more direct and less focused on sophistication. The vocals by Sharp and Phillips clearly reflect the sound of the Everly Brothers and leave one wondering how Don and Phil could have ended up in such an unhappy place. On top of this, Hawkens puts in a solid piano solo. While the sound of the production is a bit ragged (some of the instruments sound like they are playing out in the hall), the roughness seems appropriate to the subject of the song.
The band's contract gave them 7/8 of a cent for each disk. They sold about 200,000 copies in the UK and 600,000 in the US so that the band of six earned £2,912 for the recording. Divided six ways, each member earned around £486.
Schedule
20 February, 2012