In 1960, John D. Loudermilk wrote and recorded a semi-autobiographical blues song called “Tobacco Road.” It went nowhere.
Loudermilk’s song caught the attention of other musicians, though, and over the years it was covered by artists such as Jefferson Airplane, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Lou Rawls, and David Lee Roth, to name a few.
But it was The Nashville Teens who broke through with it in 1964, reaching #14 in the US and #6 in the UK.
On January 20, 1991, Bruce took a swing at it, too, joining Max Weinberg, Tim McLoone, and other local musicians at a benefit show at McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright.
Bruce would cover it once more a few years later, but this 1991 performance is the only one that was recorded. Take a listen below.
Tobacco Road
First performed: January 20, 1991 (Sea Bright, NJ)
Last performed: June 27, 1994 (West Hollywood, CA)
Hey, I’ve got this very same cd, the metal case edition. You could upload this track to youtube, it’s not there!
I did–that’s where the video is pulling from. 🙂