LISA DENTON: Barry, we need to take a drive south this weekend for the Georgia String Band Festival at the Harris Arts Center in Calhoun. Friday night’s guest is John McEuen, a founding and now former member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. McEuen and company are responsible for one of my favorite songs, “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream).”
I know we’ve quoted a lot of Merle Haggard in this space before, but there are lines in “Long Hard Road” (written by Rodney Crowell, by the way) that are just as lovely: “But Mama kept the Bible read, and Daddy kept our family fed / And somewhere in between I must have grown.” Beautiful lyrics, beautiful harmony. You should hear me sing along. It sounds really good. In my car. By myself.
Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
BARRY COURTER: I have no doubt that the music you hear in your head inside your car is amazing. It is in my car as well.
McEuen is terrific, as is that song. A simple line that tells a whole family story. It’s just one of the many good shows in town this week. Grateful Dead fans are no doubt aware that Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros are at the Tivoli on Friday. This is a pretty rare opportunity to see Weir.
Steep Canyon Rangers are at the Walker Theatre the same night. Jackson Browne has a sold-out show on Sunday at the Tivoli, the same night that Paul Thorn and Reckless Kelly are at Songbirds. Jason D. Williams is at Songbirds on Friday. And virtuoso guitarist Buckethead is at The Signal on Friday.