Friday Five: Reno
The “Biggest Little City in the World” is known today more for casinos. Country music knows it still for being a key piece to the wild frontier. Perhaps that’s partially because the Reno Brother Gang (no relation to the city) pulled off the first train robbery. Even today, the history of red light districts, brothels, shoot-outs, ghost towns, silver strikes and cowboy/Indian conflicts all help define the city. Here are just a few of our favorite songs that mention Reno.
5. Jason Eady – “Promises In Pieces”
This great story-song tells the sad tale of the protagonist getting away with the shooting of a Wells Fargo bank teller, and then having his friend take the fall for it.
4. Doug Supernaw – “Reno”
Off of Red and Rio Grande, this 1993 single made it up to #4 on the charts.
3. Waylon Jennings – “Reno and Me”
Jennings had this little-heard gem on his 1990 album, The Eagle. It’s co-written by Kevin Welch.
2. Dottie West – “Reno”
This 1968 single was a Top 20 hit for the beautiful Dottie West.
1. Johnny Cash – “Folsom Prison Blues”
“I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” There could be no bigger lyric in all of country music.
Tagged In This Article
Dottie West // Doug Supernaw // Jason Eady // Johnny Cash // Waylon Jennings
Current Discussion
- Daniel Mullins: Some other must-haves include Tony Rice's jazzy "Sweetheart Like You" (one of his performances on Me & My Guitar) http://www.amazon.com/Sweetheart-Like-You/dp/B005T4R5R8/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1369406119&s=dmusic&sr=1-19 Jerry Lee Lewis' ...
- Jack Williams: Buddy Miller - With God On Our Side
- Kelly D.: Love the Mount Moriah stuff and its time more people know about David Ramirez...
- Daniel Mullins: Haha. I see it in the playlist now.
- Daniel Mullins: How about The Seldom Scene's "Boots of Spanish Leather"? That one is mighty hard to beat. One of my favorite ...
- Juli Thanki: D'oh, in my undercaffeinated state, I forgot another one of my favorites, from Darrell Scott's Modern Hymns: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Believe-Acts-Like-Never/dp/B001DAFOBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369401978&sr=8-1&keywords=darrell+scott+i+don%27t+believe+you
- Jon: Good call on "Ring Them Bells," though.
- Jon: Now, I'll tell you what, you missed one of the very best, which is the Country Gentlemen's version of "Walking ...
- Arlene: There are so many terrific ones to choose from but with the classics by The Band and Hendrix already mentioned, ...
- Jonathan Pappalardo: I've always liked Dixie Chicks version of "Mississippi," which they released on their live album.
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November 2, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Also good: “Reno, Nevada,” as done by early Fairport Convention (you can see that on You Tube) or in its original version by the guy who wrote it, Richard Farina, as heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiYTDqoO3TQ
November 2, 2012 at 3:29 pm
I *love* that Jason Eady song.
November 2, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Really? No “Reno Bound?” No “Philadelphia Lawyer?”
November 2, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Ok; good point! Here’s the Maddox Bros & Rose with Woody Guthrie’s Reno-based “Philadelphia Lawyer”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNK66cgkcIc
November 2, 2012 at 10:55 pm
“ ‘I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.’ There could be no bigger lyric in all of country music.”
And why Johnny Cash is sitting in a California State Prison in for shooting a man in Nevada is one of those great mysteries of life!
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