​RICHARD CUMMINS

The Quirkiness of Indie, Progressive Acoustic 'LOOPER', Catchy Melodies and Lyrics of Pop,

and the Angst Ridden Riff's of Country Rock.

LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE

Download Track at Link Below!

Whodathunk that underneath that mid 60’s Bubble Gum Band 'The Monkees' would have been singing about a young, scared person being sent off to Vietnam, who makes one last desperate phone call to see their lover just one more time because – “I don’t know if I’m ever coming home”. Jerry Reed knew this song was Country Music at it’s core, while being a subversive protest song, and released his own version in that same decade.
And right now, just like the 1960’s - war is in the air yet again. Damn it.

Richard Cummins, coming off the heels of his last 2 self penned singles ‘Carry On Canada’ (an ‘anthem’ song cheerleading Canada and saluting 1st responders during the pandemic) and ‘Water Comes Down’ (learning to enjoy a rainy West Coast afternoon), chose a different path for his next single. Knowing a great song is a great song no matter who writes it, a cover song didn’t seem so scary a thought to Richard, or take anything away from his own artistry or ‘singer/songwriter’ status. Even The Beatles big breakthrough wasn’t firstly from the genius of Lennon and McCartney – it was a raucous cover of the Isley Brothers ‘Twist and Shout’. Sometimes someone has already said it best, and just like seasons - words and themes can become timely once again.

‘Last Train To Clarksville’ is just that. Richard Cummins take brings out a surprising ‘Whiskey Throated’ classic Travis Tritt style vocal performance, while the Gretsch Guitars and his Fender Pink Paisley Telecaster not only pay homage to the jangle of session great Louie Shelton who played on the original recording – but contemporizes the song with a Keith Urban/Brad Paisley style approach using lush multi tracked guitars to make a ‘Rockabilly Orchestra’ as the song progresses. When Top Canadian Fiddle player Mike Sanyshyn (Aaron Pritchett, Chad Brownlee, Randy Bachman)  came on board, it was a game changer! Bristling with Angst, you feel the urgency of this lyrical ‘Phone Call’ through his playing. Then comes the outro – the ‘Train Ride’ itself. Much like Garth’s ‘Ain’t Goin’ Down’ and Brad Paisley songs – there is a Rip Roaring mix of Chicken Pickin’ and Rock Guitar with a ‘must be heard to be believed’ TWO Fiddle Jam from Mike Sanyshyn! As we’ve seen in music history, some - in the vein of ‘Sultans of Swing’ or ‘Hotel California’ – simply faded out those epic endings, while some stations played them out for music and melody lovers, and people rocking out at a party.. The outro is here in it’s entirety for that reason, and if I may – it is well worth it.

As heard on FM Country Radio Stations across Canada, 2021's Spring Single:
WATER COMES DOWN