Shine a Light (Billy Bragg and Joe Henry album)


Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad is a 2016 album of field recordings made by British singer Billy Bragg and American musician Joe Henry in waiting rooms and trackside at railway stations on a journey between Chicago and Los Angeles in March 2016. The project was conceived after Henry produced Bragg's thirteenth studio album Tooth & Nail at his home studio in South Pasadena. It was released on the Cooking Vinyl label on 23 September 2016. The project is named after a lyric in the traditional folk song "Midnight Special".

Recording

In March 2016, English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and fellow troubadour and producer Joe Henry set off from Chicago's Union Station with the intention of "reconnect with the culture of American railroad travel and the music it inspired." They undertook a 2,700-mile, 65-hour train ride recording songs that ""reflect the railroad’s impact on the nation’s social and cultural life." Woody Guthrie's Hobo’s Lullaby was captured at an Amtrak station in Alpine, Texas; the folk ballad Railroad Bill at St Louis Gateway station, Lonesome Whistle by Hank Williams in a sleeping berth near Whistle Junction, Missouri.
A short documentary Shine a Light by director Ray Foley was made of the trip and streamed for free on the official website.

Track listing

All songs performed by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry; music composers are listed below.
  1. "Rock Island Line" – 2:55
  2. "The L&N Don't Stop Here Any More" – 4:29
  3. "Midnight Special" – 3:34
  4. "Railroad Bill" – 2:49
  5. "Lonesome Whistle" – 2:53
  6. "KC Moan" – 2:40
  7. "Waiting for a Train" – 2:46
  8. "In the Pines" – 3:31
  9. "Gentle on My Mind" – 3:39
  10. "Hobo's Lullaby" – 3:57
  11. "Railroading on the Great Divide" – 3:08
  12. "John Henry" – 2:42
  13. "Early Morning Rain" – 4:13

    Personnel