Born out of a love of rock music and for the virtuosity of bluegrass musicians, CMH Records’ Pickin’ On Series features the best in bluegrass, paying tribute to the biggest and brightest artists in rock and pop. After revisiting some past recordings in the label’s back catalogue, it was clear the heartfelt and innovative take on Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son”, originally released on the 2007 album The Bluegrass Tribute to Classic Rock: Edition One, deserved a little extra attention. Performed by Alabama-based quartet Iron Horse, with this new video the music can be appreciated in a whole new way.
Watch the video for Iron Horse’s take on Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” below.
On this dynamic bluegrass tribute, perennial FM radio classic rock favorites were given the bluegrass treatment. Tracks such as Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” and Styx’s “Come Sail Away,” performed by Cornbread Red, and Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” and Journey’s “Open Arms”, from Iron Horse, among others iconic hits, were faithfully rendered in traditional bluegrass style to create a whole new set of classics for your road trips.
“When you first hear Iron Horse’s cover of the classic ‘Carry On Wayward Son,’ you’ll assume it’s just an uncommonly catchy bluegrass tune,” wrote American Songwriter’s Savannah Dantona of this recording. “It’s not until a few bars in that you ask, ‘Wait, is this…Kansas?’ The classic rock song lends itself incredibly well to this rambunctious adaptation, as especially exemplified when the backing guitar and banjo come in. Iron Horse covered this track for the compilation album The Bluegrass Tribute to Classic Rock, and it’s absolutely a standout on the track list.”
“I remember first hearing this song as a teenager in the mid-70s and at that moment I knew it was going to be a hit,” Iron Horse’s Vance Henry shares. “The thing about good songs is they stand on their own and don’t need to be propped up or acclimated to with repeated listenings over time to fully appreciate. Even though I have listened to it many times since, it hasn’t grown old, and after all the years it was a joy to record such a great Kansas song in our bluegrass style.”
Though Pickin’ On started modestly in 1993 with the release of Pickin’ On The Movies, tributes to The Beatles and Eagles soon followed, and by 1997 the Pickin’ On Series was on fire. It continues to thrive with one hand in traditional bluegrass and the other in popular music, ready for the next chance to create innovative bluegrass music. Now over 30 years in and over 300 albums deep, the Pickin’ On Series is one of the most beloved traditions at CMH.
Recent Pickin’ On releases, Pickin’ On The Doors, Pickin’ On Pearl Jam and Pickin’ On Nirvana, were well-received. Pickin’ On Modest Mouse and Fade To Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica both charted on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart.
The series currently has 180,000 monthly listeners and more than 90,000 followers on Spotify. Songs from Pickin’ On have been featured in the television series Revolution and HBO’s True Blood. Other artists that have been given the Pickin’ On treatment include Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers Band, Coldplay, The Black Keys, Jack White, The Killers and many more.