Sophronie - Alton Delmore and D.C. Mullins (Jimmy Martin)

Today's post is about Sophronie, a song that Billy has played 54 times over the years.

The musical DNA here traces back to 1958, when Jimmy Martin first recorded this gem written by Alton Delmore and D.C. Mullins. Martin, the self-proclaimed "King of Bluegrass," had the powerhouse J.D. Crowe on the 5 for the original recording. 

According to bmfsdb.com, Billy's been playing "Sophronie" everywhere from theater shows back in 2017, when he played it in 19 shows, to arena gigs at Bridgestone in Nashville and UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. In the years since 2017, it's been more rare, with no subsequent year having more than 7 plays.

Here's one where Billy lets his Jimmy Martin flag fly.

SecondHandSongs.com doesn't have a ton of covers listed, maybe because it tracks studio releases. 

The song structure itself is a masterclass in songwriting economy – verses that lay out the premise, a chorus that delivers the goods, and enough space for instrumental breaks that let the pickers really dig in. Jimmy Martin's original arrangement, with his driving rhythm guitar paired with Crowe's machine gun banjo and some nice harmonies, created a template that works.

Billy's version adds his flavor while keeping the traditional heart intact. It's that same quality you hear in Tony Rice's approach to older material – reverent but not reverent to the point of being static.

If you're a flatpicker looking to dig into this one, pay attention to how the melody moves around the chord changes. The original uses simple runs to connect the vocal phrases, nothing fancy but everything in service of the song. Billy's version doesn't go to outer space, but he puts the pedal down for sure.

Some choice versions:

Hello City Limits - Red Allen & The Kentuckians

 Hello City Limits is a song that I don't remember hearing before I heard Billy & the boys play it in Austin in 2023. A good Austin song & one that doesn't have a lot of covers. BMFSDB.com says Billy's played it for the first time in Austin the previous year at ACL Fest and have played it only 34 times as of this writing. Secondhandsongs.com doesn't list many covers. While it may be a lesser-played song in Billy's catalog, it's one of my favorite covers. Something about "Left all my worries way behind, left all my troubles and heartaches there too, hello, city limits, I’m starting out brand new" that appeals. Here's a killer Less Than Face video of the boys getting after it.

Here's a cool video of Alex playing it with Michael Daves:

And here's Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper tearing it up (and I mean tearing it up). I heard this today & decided it was time for a Billy Covers post.

The Likes Of Me - Jerry Reed

 The Likes Of Me is a Jerry Reed song, but most Bluegrass fans think of Tony Rice when they think of this one. I know I do. It's part of what might be considered a sub-genre in Bluegrass, the "stay away from me, I'm trouble" song (see Don't Give Your Heart To A Rambler). The Likes Of Me hasn't been in heavy rotation with Billy & the boys, but it's in the rotation and Billy uses Tony's arrangement (minus the dobro). There are a ton of bootlegs with Tony & friends like Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Vassar Clements - Superpickers, the Bluegrass Album Band, etc. & they usually include a version of The Likes Of Me. They've played it 90 times as of this writing, with 2022 being the peak year so far (22 plays), according to BMFSDB.com. There aren't a ton of videos of different artist playing this one.

Here's a hot one using Tony's 58957 Martin:

And here's that guitar in Tony's hands playing The Likes Of Me:

And here's another nice one of Billy (glad the 'stache didn't last long):

The Train That Carried My Girl From Town - Traditional

Where were you when the train left town? It's time to break the seal on train songs. Seems like a no-brainer to start with The Train That Carried My Girl From Town, a song associated with Doc Watson. BMFSDB.com has Billy Strings playing this song 113 times, as of this writing. It seems to have peaked as far as inclusion  in 2018, when it was played 21 times. Here's a killer version from that year with John Mailander on fiddle.

The Song

I thought The Train That Carried My Girl From Town was a Doc Watson original, but SecondhandSongs.com, lists the first recording being by Frank Hutchinson, from 1926. Frank Hutchison appears to have been an early white devotee of country blues.

There's a good article here about the origin of this song. Looks like Long Steel Rail would be worth a read as well.

I can't discuss this song without some Doc footage. That man could pick right up to the end. Good on Billy keeping Doc's music in the public eye! 

Y'all Come - Arlie Duff

 Y'all Come is a fun song that is a frequent show closer for Billy Strings. It was written and performed originally by Arlie Duff, but within about a year was covered by Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys and became his go to show closer. Nice to see Billy putting it in a slot that has some history. BMFSDB lists Y'all Come being played 26 times as of this writing, with 19 of those being show closers. Here's a nice Less Than Face video from 2022.

The Song

Arlie Duff, known as "The Singing Schoolteacher" released You All Come in 1953. It was the big hit of his career, getting him onto shows like the Louisiana Hayride and The Grand Old Opry. Arlie is getting down in this video!

SecondhandSongs.com lists 27 recorded versions of Y'all Come. I'm sure there are many more. Here's Big Mon tearing it up with Kenny Baker on fiddle. Check out the buttery smooth transition from John Henry to Y'all Come!

One more fun one before I wrap it up: Dolly Parton belting it out. Notice she calls it a Porter Wagoner song.

Cold Cold World - Blaze Foley

Shorter than usual post, but wanted to put something together for The Blaze Foley song Cold Cold World. Cold Cold World is featured on Live At The Legion, Billy's 2025 release with Bryan Sutton, that was released without any advance fanfare. That version is truly great, but it's not the first time Billy's played that song or other Blaze Foley songs that I suspect he heard on the same record.

The Stats:

Bmfsdb.com has Billy playing Cold Cold World 15 times as of this writing, with the first time played in 2022. I've actually been in the audience for two of those. Once at "Rain Rocks" (Red Rocks night 1, 2023) and in Austin a month later. Here's Rain Rocks:

Given which Blaze Foley songs Billy has covered, and when he started playing some of them, I'm guessing he heard this one on The Dawg Years (which is not a reference to David Grisman). I love this record & highly recommend it. You'll get pretty much the whole Blaze experience on one record.

Blaze Foley is deservedly a legend in Texas & especially in Austin. Texas has a long history of guitar picking songwriters, from Blind Lemon Jefferson to Mance Lipscomb to Lightning Hopkins to Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. A lot of talent, some demons & generally not a lot of material wealth. It's a rich tradition that Blaze (although not a native Texan) fits right into.

Ole Slew Foot - Johnny Horton (writers: J.D. Crowe, Jimmy Martin, Howard Crockett, James C. Webb)

 Ole Slew Foot is a great bluegrass song with an interesting history. It's got a great sing-along chorus & gets a great response at Billy Strings shows. According to bmfsdb.com, Billy Strings has played Ole Slew Foot 110 times, as of this writing. That's about 10.5% of the shows, with almost half of the plays coming in 2022 & 2023. Here's a nice vid from '23. Check out Billy Failing getting into it as they get going!

The Song

Ole Slew Foot has J.D. Crowe and Jimmy Martin listed as authors & started life as Bear Tracks, the instrumental B-side to the "You Don't Know My Mind" single in 1960. 

Here's a J.D. Crowe story. A couple of years ago I went up to Tennessee to attend Cave Fest. I was walking around in my "J.D. Crowe For President" shirt. A guy called me over & we started talking about the badassery of Mr. Crowe. He asked me if I had heard the Jimmy Martin album Good 'N Country, an all-instrumental album which he recommended as a J.D. showcase. I had not, but checked it out back at the campground the next morning. Good 'N Country contains a little ditty called Bear Tracks.

J.D. Crowe has a version on his killer Blackjack record.

In 1961, Johnny Horton put words to it & Ole Slew Foot was born. It was more of a straight country or even rockabilly song. To me, the genius of this song lies in the fun subject matter and that last line of the chorus "some folks say he looks a lot like me". For me, that really puts it over the top. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but it does.

About a year later, Rose Maddox released a bluegrass(ish) version. After that you start to see it pop up from a decent number of bluegrass and country acts.

Jim & Jesse

Doc Watson

The Stonemans (this one smokes)

Buck Owens

All told, secondhandsongs.com lists 41 versions of Bear Tracks/Ole Slew Foot. Billy Strings is not listed ;->