Songs Used In Black Earth Music

Here's a listing of the music used in the program, in chronological order:

Big Tele, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Little Laura, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Country Life, Poker Flatts
Little Jody, Morning Morning
Kenny's Bow, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Drinkin' & Dreamin', Howlin' At The Moon
Vampire Blues, Poker Flatts
Lake Of Fire, Poker Flatts
So Good, Poker Flatts
Redneck Daughter, Poker Flatts
Out Of The Fire, Poker Flatts
Get Drunk On Sunday, The Ozone Ramblers
The Voice, Bill Studzinski
Fox On The Run, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Hillbilly Magic, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Old Joe Clark, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Orange Blossom Special, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Truckin' To The Promised Land, Ken Carlyle & The Cadillac Cowboys
I Can't Stop Lovin' You, Ken Carlyle &The Cadillac Cowboys
Hummingbird Hill, Ken Carlyle
Evangeline, Ken Carlyle
Battle Cry Of Freedom, Chris Vallillo
Lincoln's Funeral Train, Chris Vallillo
Sunday Drivin' On A Monday Afternoon, Chris Vallillo

Sunday, April 11th, 6p!! WIUM 91.3 Or Stream at the below site:

http://www.tristatesradio.com/blackearth.html

From Patrick Stout at the McDonough Voice:

http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/opinions/x863091195/WIUM-offers-a-look-at-music-history

The Story Of The Rainbow Riders, Pt 1.

The first post for the Macomb Country Rock page comes courtesy of Craig Stahl. Mr. Stahl ran sound for several Macomb area bands. He gives us some insights into the formation of the Rainbow Riders, and also theorizes why the scene died out. For more information on the site, please scroll down to the "Welcome" section. Here's Craig:

Lived in Forgotonia in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Mixed sound for Rainbow Riders, Ken Carlylsle, Shady Grove, Pork and the Havana Ducks. Lived in the fabulous “Hobo Arms” hotel an old abandoned boxcar turned into a house at 1210 E. Wheeler. Rainbow Riders lived there and our landlord was Kenny Carlysle. I also think other guys from the band are still in or around Macomb. Mark “Duke” Lane, drums for Rainbow Riders and Cadillac Cowboys, Ed Bourell, fiddle and guitar Riders and Cowboys. Brian Davenport Harmonica for Shady Grove and Rainbow Riders, and Tommy Parker, drummer for Gin Ridge and Rainbow Riders. I moved to Nashville in 1984 and have worked for many rock and country acts on the road. Left the road last year after 28 great years and now sell real estate in Franklin, TN. I am still in touch with the founders of the Rainbow Riders, Lonnie Ratliff and Ron Kimbro. I also see Brian “ Bongo Bob” O’Hanlon from Shady Grove and the Cadillac Cowboys. Brian owns a house painting company that is pretty big, Kimbro owns Kimbro’s Café and Pickin’ Parlor in Franklin, TN and Lonnie produces records for country music singers, both guys still write songs. Macomb clubs we played included TC’s on University Av owned by former mayor Tom Carper and The Rainbow Riders Saloon on the square owned by Kimbro and TC. We had a lot of great times with a lot of great people. The music scene in Macomb back then was awesome. Lots of great bands with a wide variety of styles. The Rainbow Riders started as a joke. A benefit was held for a friend at the Highway Tavern in Plymouth, Il, better known then as the Bloody Bucket. Original lineup was Kimbro on bass, Lonnie on electric guitar, Mike Hoff on rhythm guitar, Jack Brown on fiddle, and Chuck Dixon on drums. They were freakin horrible….but they had a great time and so did the fans. The band went through many incarnations but Lonnie and Ronnie were in all of them. By the time the band busted up they were really good and had a large following around central Illinois. We would play 200+ shows a year. When the drinking age changed to 21 from 19 it hurt the music clubs, and when they tightened up on the DUI laws it sunk the small clubs and taverns out in the country, so a band like the Rainbow Riders who could gig on the weekends in the larger towns like Springfield, Peoria, Quad Cities etc. lost all their weeknight gigs in the small towns like Havana, Vermont, Carthage etc. We used to pack those places on the off nights and the DUI laws really hurt business. I’m not saying it was bad to enforce it…it just hurt business. I finally had to leave Macomb in 1984 because I couldn’t work up there. The recession at the time was such that I couldn’t make a living up there. Nashville was a new frontier and I could find a job! I have been here since and love it here. I have worked for bands from Guns & Roses to the Grand Old Opry, but I have never had as much fun in the music business as I did when I lived in Macomb. Here are some websites from some of the guys.

http://ohanlonpainting.com/

http://www.nashvillecdstore.com/

http://www.myspace.com/kimbroscafe

Welcome!

This page is dedicated to the bands who helped make Macomb, IL and the Western Illinois area a mecca for country-rock in the 1970's-early 1980's. Some of the bands we will be featuring include:

Poker Flatts
Ken Carlysle & The Cadillac Cowboys
Shady Grove Band
Whiskey Dreams
Gin Ridge Band
Killin' Floor
Rainbow Riders
Ozone Ramblers
Windfall
Morning Morning

I am currently looking for any and all items & information related to the above bands, and any other area bands in this period & genre in order to create a "cyber-archive". Please feel free to contact me at bharroun@gmail.com.

While I was personally not around to experience the music first hand, I have heard a lot of the self-produced albums. Some of these records I heard & played on the air while working as a country DJ in Aledo, IL during the early 1990's. The talent in these groups was phenomenal. Several of the players involved are making a living in music to this day.

Any and all comments , show reviews, memories are welcome! The goal is for the story to be told by the people who were there. A public radio documentary is planning to be produced in mid-late 2009.