New Music from OCMS

The newest members of the Grand Ole Opry, Old Crow Medicine Show will be releasing a new album this summer. Acoustic music fans everywhere will be anticipating Remedy, due July 1st.

Old Crow Medicine Show has one of the most diverse fan bases in all of American music. Appealing to fans of bluegrass, folk, rock, and Americana, you’re just as likely to find an OCMS fan at a Mumford & Sons show as you are at Bean Blossom. The band’s signature song, Wagon Wheel, is known across the country. It had been a cult classic for years, sung at every campfire, bar, and tailgating party in SEC country. The song reached another level of success when it was recorded by country star, Darius Rucker, who took it to number one on the country charts. Rucker’s version even won a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. OCMS’ version of Wagon Wheel was certified platinum last spring.

The legend of Wagon Wheel is known far and wide. Critter Fuqua brought some Bob Dylan bootleg tapes to Ketch Secor following a trip to London. The tapes were from the Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid sessions, and only included a melody and chorus of the song which would eventually become Wagon Wheel. Ketch added verses and the rest is history.

Well, after going platinum and winning a Grammy, Bob Dylan finally decided to reach out to OCMS about doing another co-write. Dylan sent along another unfinished song from the Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid sessions to the band, hoping to recapture the magic of one of the biggest songs of the 21st century. The result is the band’s latest single, Sweet Amarillo.

Ketch Secor sheds some light on this new collaboration with Dylan.

“When Bob Dylan sent us the outtake Sweet Amarillo to finish, I didn’t have to think hard about what to write about. After 15 years of touring back and forth on I-40, Amarillo has become a familiar landmark to the Old Crows. I wrote the verses and retooled Bob’s chorus with my pen leaning towards the Panhandle – Lllano Estacado, Redova, Appaloosa are all words in the song.”

Sweet Amarillo has a decidedly more country-flavor than Wagon Wheel, but its every bit as memorable as its predecessor. The heavy doses of fiddle and accordion give the song a Cajun feel which is refreshing.

Sweet Amarillo is available for download as a single on iTunes. The rest of the album will be released on July 1st.

The band has provided a teaser video for Remedy…

The complete track listing for Old Crow Medicine Show’s Remedy is as follows.