Chuck Wagon Gang rides still
From my earliest memories of music emanating from our mahogany cabinet phonograph, there was always an album or two from one of gospel music’s longest running acts – the Chuck Wagon Gang. Their sound and history were unique; growing in much the same way other acts did from the Depression era, radio stations, churches, schoolhouses, county fairs and everything in between. The group originally made up of members of the Texas Carter family, not the Appalachian one that went by that name, although Dad Carter was from Kentucky.
The group has seen many personnel changes over the years — its sound and devotion to old-fashioned gospel has remained much the same. I was privileged as I came up in gospel music to appear with members of the original group as well as subsequent configurations. It was always a joy to share the stage with them, no matter when, where or who.
Their greatest significance is that the band provides an important link between country music and traditional sacred songs of the South. This music has moved Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Charlie Daniels, and generations of gospel singers and open-eared listeners. For more than 80 years, the Chuck Wagon Gang has offered hope and harmony, faith and family and is now in its third generation.
Their latest release Come Go with Me is all new for Mountain Home Music Company and it features a variety of both old and new songs all bearing the signature sound that has sustained the group for an unprecedented career that’s now lasted nearly 90 years.
Produced by Jeremy Stephens, leader of the popular bluegrass revivalist band, High Fidelity, and a former member of the Chuck Wagon Gang himself, Come Go With Me makes a compelling case for the timelessness of the group’s sound.
“I have loved the Chuck Wagon Gang since my early teens when I raided my grandparents’ LPs and found several CWG records,” Stephen said. “I was so blessed to play guitar and sing with them for 6 years prior to beginning to tour with my own group, High Fidelity, and working for Jesse McReynolds, but the biggest honor was being asked to produce their latest album. It was so special to be able to take the direction that the group wanted to go with the album while still remaining true to the original stylings that the Chuck Wagon Gang is so well known for. “
Indeed, at a time when the listening audience’s appetite for the down-to-earth resonance of acoustic sounds, the sturdy simplicity of traditional styles and the abiding warmth of sincere gospel sentiments has never been larger, the elemental approach embodied in this down-to-earth yet well-crafted collection has never been more appealing.
With Stephens on board not only as producer, but also as instrumentalist alongside studio wizard David Johnson and award-winning bassist Mike Bub, they serve up a set that embraces continuity through a seamless blend of material that, whether old or new, sounds tailor-made for their old-school approach.
Bookended by new songs — the closing “Our Sins Are Washed Away” even comes straight from the pen of the group’s leader, Shaye Smith — the Chuck Wagon Gang visit classics like “I Dreamed About Heaven Last Night” and Dottie Rambo’s thoughtful “For What Earthly Reason” and recent arrivals like “The Mighty Word of God” and the bluegrass-flavored “I Will Not Cry Today,” presenting each in an arrangement that faithfully reflects the essence of the sound first brought to the world three generations ago, yet infuses it with new energy.
“We have an interesting variety of selections on Come Go With Me,” Smith said. “Maybe for the first time ever, there are as many brand new songs as recognizable favorites. But even these old favorites are new for the gang. I believe there is something for everyone within this album and we’ve been anticipating its release with great excitement!”
Learn more about the Chuck Wagon Gang by visiting https://thechuckwagongang.net/
