I've probably heard Gary Burr sing "A Thousand Wild Horses" about a half dozen times at the Bluebird Cafe and every time wished that I had the song in my i-Tunes library. Before singing it at his show the night before last, he mentioned that it's going to be on the Blue Sky Riders cd. For those who don't know, Blue Sky Riders is a group consisting of Gary, Georgia Middleman and Kenny Loggins. They did some touring last year and will be on the road again soon. Gary said that he and Georgia were flying out to L.A. the day after the show to do some more work on the debut Blue Sky Riders album. Hopefully, the cd will be released shortly. My guess is that "A Thousand Wild Horses" will not be the group's debut single, if it ever is a single. Kenny Loggins is obviously the best known member of the group so I think the first single will feature KL.
The song was written by Gary with Sam & Annie Tate, a husband and wife songwriting team. It's about a man starting a new relationship and worrying about the wild horses or demons of his past. He knows his old issues aren't going away. He'll have to deal with them in this new relationship and he's not optimistic about being successful. "One drink too many, one kiss too deep, and I feel that old shake in the ground, that's a thousand wild horses, thundering behind me, hell bent on running me down." After the bridge, he warns his prospective lover "so if you're thinking you're the one who can save me, baby this ain't no merry-go-round, it's a thousand wild horses ..."
"A Thousand Wild Horses" can be heard on You-Tube. There's a May 4, 2011 version by the Blue Sky Riders from the Rutledge, one of Nashville's live music venues. Gary sings lead. There's another from a March 18, 2011 show at the Bluebird Cafe with Gary singing solo. (My wife and I were at that Bluebird show which featured Gary and Don Schlitz.) The latter You-Tube is better because of the Bluebird's SHHH! policy so there's less talking in the background.
Tuesday night's show was on the small Bluebird stage rather than their usual "in the round" format. Gary was backed by Randy Hart on piano and Duncan Mullins on base with backing vocals - and two solos - provided by Gary's fiancee and fellow Blue Sky Rider, Georgia Middleman. I got to hear quite a few of my favorite Burr songs, like "Time Machine", "What Mattered Most", "One Night a Day", "She Can't Be Really Gone", etc. Great night!
Related past posts:
8/9/10 Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before ...
2/9/11 Country Songwriting Team Tate
4/19/11 Burr-Schlitz
7/20/11 Blue Sky Riders, Headliner Opening for Himself?
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