Album track - Underground Railroad - December 2018
Steve with Durga and Lorelei
I'm thrilled that a second track from my new upcoming album At The Edge Of Light is now out there for all to hear!
The idea to write "Underground Railroad" first came to me when visiting Wilmington in Delaware, USA and hearing about Harriet Tubman, ex slave and leading light with the Underground Railroad, a network which helped people to escape slavery in pre Civil War America. I was also inspired by the book, "Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead, recommended by Barack Obama. Having visited the birth place of Martin Luther King, this subject has been close to my heart for a long time. The slavery museum in Liverpool really highlighted the horror of what people went through as well.
Lorelei and Durga McBroom, who both sang with Pink Floyd, were perfect singers for this song. The suffering of their own ancestors come through their heartfelt vocals, which ring out with a beautiful, transformative clarity. Both Amanda Lehmann and I sing in addition, all of us together adding to the power...
As well as electric guitar, I play the Dobro, to give a sense of that era in the States, with its folky sound. I also play harmonica, which for me is the primal cry of those enslaved people.
This track celebrates the break for freedom, travelling through pain and on to hope and joy...
Album track - Underground Railroad - listen here!
Steve playing the Dobro
Steve and Jo at Martin Luther King's birthplace
Steve with Amanda Lehmann, Roger King and film maker Paul Gosling
