Dead Confederates, A Civil War Era Blog

Recently I happened across my old Smithsonian Folkways CD, A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly. Listening to it afresh after a few years away, I remember now why it was a favorite of mine. Re-interpreting and re-inventing folk music from a different era is always interesting, but in the hands of artists like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Little Richard, Sweet Honey in the Rock, or Bob Dylan, well — that’s when magic really happens.

This song, “East Texas Red,” sung by Arlo Guthrie, is a dark and violent tale of riding the rails during the Great Depression. It’s specific in a lot of detail, and I’d love to know if it’s based on an actual incident.

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