"Ol' Red" is a song written by James "Bo" Bohon, Don Goodman, and Mark Sherrill. The song was originally recorded by George Jones on his 1990 album You Oughta Be Here with Me and covered by Kenny Rogers on his 1993 album If Only My Heart Had a Voice. Rogers' version was released as a single in August 1993. It was later recorded by Blake Shelton, and his version of the song was released in March 2002 as the third and final single from his self-titled debut album. Shelton’s rendition also a Top 20hit on the US BillboardHot Country Songs chart, having peaked at number 14.
Content
The narrator is a prisoner serving a 99-year sentence on a prison farm in southern Georgia for committing a crime of domestic violence after catching his wife in an affair with another man, presumably killing one or both. Two years into his incarceration, and with some good behavior and a charm offensive, the warden tasks the prisoner with caring for Ol' Red, the prison's bloodhound. The warden has used Ol' Red for years to track down runaways, which the dog has always been successful in doing. The prisoner concocts a scheme by mail with a cousin in Tennessee, who brings down a Bluetick Coonhound and parks her in the Okefenokee Swamp. When the prisoner takes Ol' Red for his daily rounds, he passes by the swamp, hoping Ol' Red and the Bluetick will mate. Once they start doing so consistently, the prisoner keeps the dogs apart for a half-week then resumes the normal pattern, so that Ol' Red is so eager to mate that he completely ignores the prisoner making his break: he heads for Tennessee and Ol' Red is headed for Florida. In the end, with the prisoner free and Ol' Red siring a litter of "red-haired blueticks," the narrator delivers the upshot: "Love got me in here, and love got me out." Although it did not reach the Top 10 on the US country charts, "Ol' Red" is one of Shelton's most commonly requested songs in concert. As a direct result, he considers it his signature song. Shelton's rendition of the song includes a backing vocal from Rachel Proctor.
Music video
The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil. It features a cameo by NASCAR driver Elliott Sadler, Bobby Braddock, who produced Shelton's version, J.K. Simmons, and Kirsti Manna (who co-wrote Blake's previous hit "Austin" as Blake's bailiff. It was filmed at the Tennessee State Prison. Many of the cameos would later have a part in Blake's 2004 "Some Beach" video, also directed by Zavadil.
