We all know that Garth Brooks’ “Callin’ Baton Rouge” is an absolute jam. Even people that don’t like country music get down to that song.
I mean, how many times have you caught yourself driving down the road screaming “Operator won’t you put me on through, I gotta send my love down to Baton Rouge” at the top of your lungs? Probably not recently, unless you have a CD player in your car, but that’s another story…
Garth released this song on his 1993 album In Pieces. With that badass fiddle lick and the killer bridge, it’s been a fan favorite for nearly 30 years now. But, if you didn’t know, this song was around well before 1993.
The song was first written by Dennis Linde, and was originally recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys on their 1978 album, Room Service. The original version of this song is quite different from Garth’s version, as the famous country quartet approached the song with a much slower pace, included an electric guitar solo and of course, those signature Oak Ridge Boys harmonies.
Fast forward 11 years, and the song was recorded by the progressive bluegrass group, New Grass Revival, on their 1989 album titled Friday Nights in America. This is where we see the song evolve into the fast-paced, boot stomping tune that we know and love.
From The Oak Ridge Boys, to New Grass Revival, then Garth, this song has been enjoyed by country music fans all across the globe. But we’ve gotta give credit where credit is due… here’s to the late Dennis Linde for writing a timeless classic.
And how about this music video? The 80s were something else…
