Inspired by the raging storm here this fine morn' ,I decided to record this. This song is certainly among the first I ever heard before being born. My Dad was a great lover of the Hobo and was an amatuer historian as well as performer of this music. I'm including here an exerpt from an interview of him by an online trucker mag with a pretty cool story about me. Hobo's Stories Fran Delorenzo, aka Great Grand Hobo Duke of Cyber Space, has been many things in his long life; hobo, minstrel, town Selectman (councilman), construction worker, and trucker. At 75, Mr. Delorenzo is a charming man who is always willing to share his memories, stories and is involved in his hobo website, with his wife and family, posing for local art students, charity work and entertaining with his music. I found Mr. Delorenzo on the internet when I contacted him on his website to find the origins of the word ’hobo’. In the course of our correspondence, he has related interesting stories of his time as a trucker in the ’good ol’ days.” Mr. Delorenzo tells of taking his son with him on a run, “Fran Jr. was one week old and my wife was feeling good so she thought she'd go on a run with me. We didn't even have seat belts back then so we just bundled the baby up and lay him on the seat of the F-800 between us. I hated the seats because that was when they came out with the zig zag springs and they bounced me so bad I had to make a pit stop every fifty miles. (In the International, I would only have to stop once.) They sure did rock the baby though and he slept right through the whole trip.” This would have been in February 1956. Thanks for the listen!
A great performance, Frank, and a lovely personal anecdote about little Fran the week-old baby! Your voice has echoes of Willie Nelson and Hank Locklin and even maybe Jimmy Rogers when you yodel! The mandolin break is beautiful.
Well done. Easily one of the most relaxed versions of this great tune which really allows the listener to concentrate on the story of the song. Thanks!
Lost for words. But Frank, you carry on like this and we’re going get Sam Bush, Chris Thile, Sierra Hull and the others all wanting to join MandolinCafe Song A Week! -it’s going to be embarrassing to tell them no.
With the pictures of rather slow trains and a slow song tempo you set the mood for your great voice and picking.
And Frank is certainly making the Song-A-Week live up to its title - three songs now with actual words rather than just tunes! Who are those folk you mention, Simon? Can't be very good players or they'd already be posting here, surely?
Just about everything there but the kitchen sink and I enjoyed all of it. I'm wondering, though, should we be calling you Fran instead of Frank?
That story of yours gives me a hint about your age, Frank (I was born in Jan 56), and I hope I will still be as young at heart as you are when I reach that. My hat is off to you
Thank you all ! Sherry; I was born Francis Jr. and I've been called, Jr., Francis, Fran, Franny, Frank, Frankie,Francis Paul always and only by my maternal side, and Hippie in high school ,the only nick name I've ever had. Bertram; I too was born January 1956, I'm the baby. Thanks again!
Thanks Frank! Among my punk rock tapes, I had a Jimmy Rodgers cassette (remember cassettes?) with me in a remote Australian mining camp in 1977 with this song on it, complete with train noises, so it's stuck in my memory, but your version is special.
Oh sorry Frank, this quote of a quote just left me confused - I must be getting old...
Love it. Your voice reminds me of Jimmy Dale Gilmore, for instance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtnCDW0zQCQ Sorry, no mando content, just a great song.
