Racin’ & ‘Shine’ Music

What about those great racing/moonshine songs over the years? Anybody remember pop/folk singer, Jim Croce (“Bad-Bad LeeRoy Brown” and other classics)? Come to find out, Jim, who liked to write about life, as he had experienced it, musta done some racin’ research, consider this:In the early ’70’s on one of Croce’s few albumns, was the tune…….”Rapid Roy, That Stock-Car Boy” the song was based on the life and times of Georgia stock car/moonshine tripper “Rapid Roy Hall”. Ol’ Jim Croce would have had to dig pretty deep, or either “know somebody” to have such info, but it’s a cool song:Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy, he too much too believeYou know he always got an extra pack of cigarettes rolled up in his T-shirt sleeveHe got a tattoo on his arm that say “Baby”, he got another one that just say “Hey”But every Sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon in a ’57 ChevroletOh Rapid Roy that stock car boy, he’s the best driver in the landHe say that he learned to race a stock car by runnin’ shine outa Alabam’Oh the Demolition Derby and the Figure Eight is easy money in the bankCompared to runnin’ from the man in Oklahoma City with a 500 gallon tankYeah Roy so cool, that racin’ fool he don’t know what fear’s aboutHe do a hundred thirty mile an hour smilin’ at the camera with a toothpick in his mouthHe got a girl back home name of Dixie Dawn, but he got honeys all along the wayAnd you oughta hear ’em screamin’ for that dirt track demon in a ’57 ChevroletAnd what about the Steve Earl’s haunting “Copper Head Road”?Well, my name’s Conley PettimoreSame as my daddy, and his daddy beforeYa hardly ever saw gran-daddy down hereHe only come-a-town ’bout twice a-yearBuy a hundred pound o’ yeast and sum copper lineEver-body knew that he made moon shine…….Now the revenoor man, wanted grand-daddy badRun him up the holler with ever-thing he hadBefore my time, but I’ve been toldYou never come back from Copper Head Road!Gran-Daddy hauled whiskey in a big block DodgeBought it in an auction at the Mason’s Lodge”Johnson County Sherriff” painted on the side….We just shot a coat of primer and looked insideWell him and my uncle tore that engine down….I still remember that rumbling soundNow the sherriff came around in the middle of the nightHeard momma crying, knew something weren’t rightHe was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly loadyou could smell the whiskey burnin’ down Copper Head Road!I volunteered for the Army on my birthDAY….They draft the White Trash first ’round here anyWAYI dun two tours of duty in VietNAMI come home with a brand new plan…..I take seed from Columbia and MexicoSpread it up the hollar on Copper Head RoadNow the DEA’s got a chopper in the airI wake up screamin’ like I’m back over there…..I learned a thing or two from ‘Charlie’ don’t ya knowya better stay away from Copper Head Road!!And there’s the classic Robert Mitchum “Thunder Road” theme song, too.Pretty cool stuff, back in the day, and on the radio, AND part of our heritage!

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