Wreck On The Highway, Dorsey Dixon, I Didnt Hear Nobody, (Anyone), Pray

[evensteve284]

"Whiskey and blood mixed together".......Is this one of the first songs written against drinking and driving? That's what it sounds like to me.

[ringbolt9]

great post im glad i heard it and read about this singer

[dillhole17]

@hotboyz234 wats ur name i have a buddy whose greatgranddaddy was dorcey  dixon

[danversdon]

dixon bros. fans;

country turtle 6000 lp is is best by far dixon collection. good luck in finding a copy.

beyond black smoke is a train song.

[danversdon]

someone should post beyond black smoke, a very rare record. only on monkey ward and no more than a handfull of copies knoown.

[greanteawoman]

@danversdon Thank you so much Dan!! I've never heard of this song. Is Beyond Black Smoke just a song or is it an LP full of songs? I found a reference to it in a Tom Morrison's LP collection by Googling it - but no way to hear or buy it and no way to contact Tom. I am thinking this could be a song Dorsey wrote to elaborate more about the school house fire in South Carolina? Any info. would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!

[greanteawoman]

@danversdon I found a clip of the song! I recorded it, but the quality is poor. The song is about another one of Dorsey's memories. Dorsey was probably inspired to write Beyond Black Smoke, (If he wrote it, I am not certain?), by the same train wreck which inspired Dorsey to record his version of Wreck of the Old 97. Dorsey played Beyond Black Smoke to the tune of Danville Girl - which is one of my favorite Dorsey Dixon songs -- so, this is wonderfully exciting to me! Thank you Danversdon.

[SigP229R]

I had always thought thid was a Roy Acuff original. W-O-W!! I never heard of tdhis man but he is really good.

[greanteawoman]

@SigP229R Please check out Babies In The Mill and Intoxicated Rat. Those two are Dorsey Dixon classics, as well. Thanks so much for your comment Sig!

[pro3tlb]

In the Robert Mitchum film "Thunder Road" there is a tragic wreck. That film was loosely based on true events. The wreck supposedly happened west of Knoxville Tn. The main character portrayed by Mitchum was based on a person from Maynardville Tn.; Acuff's home town. I have heard some people say that Roy Acuff's version was based on that person and that wreck; it was not. This is I believe is the original version and was recorded at least 18 to 20 years before the wreck near Knoxville happened.

[hotboyz234]

that my greatgrandpap

[greanteawoman]

@hotboyz234 You should be very proud of your Greatgrandpa! He was a fine man, I knew him. Thanks for dropping by. I always love it when one of the Dixon family posts. :-)

[discjockeyOk]

What a fantastic mans and songs , Thanks a lot for post and information.

[Moonbird82]

Nothin like some blood and guts bluegrass to stir the soul.

[kakip64]

I grew up in Rockingham NC. My dad grew up there too. He told me that the Dorsey brothers wrote this song after witnessing a bad, fatal wreck at the intersection of Highway 1 south and Mill road in East Rockingham NC. The Dorsey brothers are from Rockingham NC. too. Most of the songs they wrote were from Rockingham influences.

[gbryananderson]

Unfortunately this song applies to all of the drunk driving crashes up here in Wisconsin....It would be so nice if this song didn't apply anymore...r.i.p. to all of those beautiful people

[gent30x]

Thanks for posting this. I just discovered this recently. I so do love it. Very interesting reading in info and throughtout the video.

Thank You Very Much. Greetings From the Europe Pool.

[amazingrick]

Thank you for posting...especially the bio.

[joadiss]

I heard a couple sing this song at a New Year's Country jam session - it was the only song that haunted me. Thank you.

[xxlboxers]

I remember this song from when I was a wee lad and always wanted to hear it again. Thanks for posting. It still brings tears to my eyes.

[rbseaver]

This is wonderful, and I thank you for sharing the story. I'm certainly glad I stumbled on this video, and only wish I had come across it sooner. The story resonates with me somewhat. The story on my wife's side of the family goes that a well-known country artist stole a song from my wife's grandfather, who never made it big in country music.

[jayrbee60]

Thanks for the history lesson... and what you say is the way I know (and knew) it also.

[ringbolt9]

cool to hear both versions. good music trivia

[Lairor]

So obviously Roy Acuff didn't write this song but it still bears a lot of similarity to "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" which was record by the Fisk Jubilee Singers c. 1910

[greanteawoman]

No doubt in my mind Dorsey heard this song and it became a catalyst for a part of the origination of Wreck on The Highway. Dorsey put his spin on this chorus, added the wreck - he was an eyewittness. Do you know where the FJS song origniated? Was it a traditional song in their time? Dorsey's mama sang. Even though I still insist Dorsey is credited with WOTH, he had a cowriter! Dorsey was known for taking popular & traditional songs and rewrite the lyrics. This style was a part of his charm. TU!

[catherineyronwode]

Thanks for posting so much information alongside this interesting rendition of the song. I had only heard the 1938 version bfore -- this was nice and informal.

[greanteawoman]

Catherine - thank you for your kind words. I also appreciate you backing me up about the writing credit for this song being Dorsey's.

[johngotting]

A sad and beautiful story. Thankyou for introducing me.

[vtgabert]

i think that this song is awsome no matter if roy or dorsey sang it. but it does right to give credit to who rightfully owns this song!

[highnrising]

I think Roy Acuff owns this one.

[greanteawoman]

No, Roy Acuff stole it - but thankfully Fred Rose did the right thing and gave the legal songwriting credit back to Dorsey. Nothing worse than someone who will rip off a songwriter and claim to be the writer of one of their songs. Shame on Roy Acuff for ripping off Dorsey Dixon!

[zyruemusic]

@greanteawoman PREACH the truth sister...Preach the TRUTH!!! U have a very sweet heart 2 recognize this fact....PEACE!!

[catherineyronwode]

Roy Acuff stole this song from Dorsey Dixon, and that's just the flat truth. In addition to "I Didn't Hear Nobody Pray" / "Wreck on the Highway," the Dixon Brothers wrote a long list of topical songs, and were one of country music's finest singing duos as well. Thanks, Greanteawoman, for uploading this, with all the proper credits!

[skeetabix36]

This is fantastic

[YeshuaKingsKid]

Great to see the original! I'm familiar with

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's version.

Thanks for posting this greanteawoman!

[5peterbilt5]

thanks for posting this i love this song and the story it tells. also i like your discription of.

[amandalee7747]

LOVE IT! SUPER and faved! Thanks Marcus.

Mandy

[broncose1]

This is a great old song. Thank you ,J.T. for sending me this video.I have not heard this in a long time,also thanks to greanteawoman

for sharing. 5*****'s Shirley

[jtls8]

Thank you for the info and the recording*****`S

[timeshavechanged]

is this about charlie poole s  accidnent

[greanteawoman]

I have never known the names of the people involved in the accident and the name Charlie Poole does not ring a bell. It happened in the Zion Community of Richmond County, NC - but my father never knew who the people were, killed in the accident. To my understanding, Dorsey was somewhat secretive about the people. Dorsey's granddaughter responded below your post ... maybe she could shed some light. I've sent her a message but have not heard back. Thanks for the comment.

[Content2B]

Thank you. My mom used to listen to this song. Brings back memories of sitting on my back porch in WV/.

[waalaa]

I'm having a hard time commenting on this video for some reason, but hopefully this will post. Dorsey Dixon was my grandfather; his youngest son Roger is my dad. Thank you so much for posting these videos of my granddaddy. Our family loves his music, and I remember fondly my dad singing his songs to me as a child. It is so wonderful that you are able to share the music we love with others. Thank you!

Leesa Dixon Axley

[greanteawoman]

Leesa, it means the world to me that you took the time to drop by and leave a comment. Please check your inbox here, I have sent you a message.

[waalaa]

Thank you so much for posting these wonderful videos of my late grandfather's music. Dorsey Dixon was my grandfather - his youngest son Roger is my dad. It is so great that even today, so many years after they were written, that people still enjoy the inspirational music my family and I treasure. Thanks again!

Leesa Dixon Axley

[mickeyd64]

What ever happened to traditional mountian music like this? You don't hear simple music like that anymore.

[waalaa]

This is a beautiful tribute to my late grandfather and his music. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. My father is Dorsey Dixon's youngest son, Roger. It is wonderful to know that others enjoy his music as much as we do.

[2wheelsturnin]

Thanks for bringing this song and story to light. Looks like the music business hasn't changed much, has it?

[identitytraveler]

This has become one of my favorite tunes. I recorded my own version but this original is just incredible to me. Thanks for the post!

[identitytraveler]

Wow! - I have to tell you - I recorded this song earlier today. I have never heard it before, only read the lyrics. I was looking for lyrics to a song of the same name by Springsteen & was taken by this song. Your video is awesome! Thanks for posting it! -very cool!

[agingstoner]

A great, great, song. Beautiful, yet eerie and dark at the same time.

[greanteawoman]

Thank you stoner. As the years have marched on, I've followed the Grammy Awards. Since 1993 or '94 or so, a bluegrass band would cut 'Wreck On The Highway' and win a Grammy. These awards were not broadcast, they were considered "lesser awards", I guess & not worthy of being on TV. Before my father died, I would tell him each time, Wreck On The Highway/Dorsey Dixon - won a Grammy & he would cry. Daddy missed Dorsey & it made him sad that Dixon was not alive to see his song win multiple Grammys.

[identitytraveler]

thanks for the history greanteawoman - I'm definitely a new Dixon fan

[zyruemusic]

This song has very great,meaningful lyrics...I thought Roy Acuff wrote this song...My neighbor Wanda Rose turned me on to this song with RoyAcuff and a lady vocalist...It made me cry when I first heard it...I am goin to Pray!!! GOD BLESS YOU for posting

[greanteawoman]

zyruemusic, thank you so much for leaving a comment. Yes, it's a myth that Roy Acuff wrote Dorsey Dixon's, Wreck On The Highway. Please tell everyone you know that Acuff did not write this song. Wreck On The Highway is a historically significant folk song and part of my mission on YouTube is putting out the word that it's Dorsey's song.

I've started checking out your videos and must say they are wonderful!

[zyruemusic]

WOW!!! I am very pleased and humbled by you for diggin my work because it's obvious you have GREAT taste in music and a Great ear for good music...GOD BLESS YOU!!! and I have told Wanda Rose and she said Thanks for update on who wrote this song...She had never heard this original version of the song but she liked it at first spin.Where could I buy this??? Wanda Rose would love to have a copy....Thanks Again !!!! HOLLA JUDAH

[KeathGraham]

I'm blown away by the power of the song and the singer. Thanks for posting this. The video and the description do not deserve to be lost in time.

[greanteawoman]

Thank you so much Keath. I agree the song is very powerful, especially sung from the heart of the source of the song - the songwriter, Dorsey Dixon. Every cut & performance of this song was made possible by the foundation that Dorsey Dixon laid when he wrote and recorded this classic bluegrass / country standard in 1938. I am positive Dorsey would've appreciated your heartfelt comment. Thank you again for dropping by!

[rmstudio]

Another great video created... Of great american pride and history.... I love this old timey music.... Nothing like a porch and some good old picking.... Oh yes and a pitcher of some Sweet tea..

[greanteawoman]

Isn't that the truth rm, guitars, banjo's and mandolin's picking and some sweet tea! :-) Thanks for dropping by and posting a comment.

[bulbheadmyass]

Wow, what an wonderful vid and great images! Thanks also for the fascinating description too, I learned a lot about this song and more. Your story about Dixon hanging at your house and jamming with your dad is precious, you are very fortunate to have those memories.

[greanteawoman]

Thanks BH! If I only knew then what I know now. :-)

[taddyd1]

Wonderful!

[greanteawoman]

Thanks taddyd1!