Revisiting a fan favorite.
Over the years, “Jamestown Ferry” is a song that has become a staple for Charley Crockett fans. The song was initially released on Crockett’s 2017 record, Lil G.L.’s Honky Tonk Jubilee.
“It’s on an early record of mine that never even got promoted. Macias just picked it up. It never went to radio and never got marketed or anything. It’s just a crowd favorite… And so the recording is probably 8 years old.”
Crockett explained to producer Shooter Jennings before they got ready to re-cut it. In the behind-the-scenes studio film footage, Crockett further explains to Jennings that over the years, they have added a horn section and more to the live composition of the song, and he feels like he needs to rerecord it to capture the magic of the song in the light of how they perform it today.
“This song has evolved over the years at the live show, and we wanted to capture that in the new recording. Excited for y’all to hear.”
The initial recording features a steel-soaked melody, which is carried over into the rerecording of the song, but the melody sounds much more full-bodied from the start of the track. This new version of the song has a big band feel encompassing the blues-inspired sound Crockett is best known for, featuring a stellar horn section break down. After the bridge, the Western swing song turns to the Big Easy with a New Orleans-inspired horn solo, giving the song much more character.
The horn solo is a portion of the song that Crockett debated whether to include in the new version in the behind-the-scenes studio footage shared to social media. Shooter seemed all for it, encouraging him to lean into how they perform the song live now.
“Maybe you do put the horn on it. Maybe the horn in the breakdown is… We should show Shooter… So they way we do it now, the way the band does it live now… I guess the question is, do we do the full solo section?”
The full solo horn section was the right move, highlighting this beloved song in a totally new light.
Fire it up.
“Jamestown Ferry” is set to be featured on his forthcoming record’s tracklist. Lonesome Drifter is slated for release on March 14th. Crockett has released the title track and a secondary single, “Game I Can’t Win.” Check out the rest of the tracklist while you’re here.
Lonesome Drifter Tracklist:
1. Lonesome Drifter
2. Game I Can’t Win
3. Jamestown Ferry
4. Easy Money
5. Under Neon Lights
6. This Crazy Life
7. The Death Of Bill Bailey
8. Never No More
9. Life Of A Country Singer
10. One Trick Pony
11. Night Rider
12. Amarillo By Morning
Crockett already has quite a few tour dates booked for 2025. Take a look while you’re here:
Charley Crockett 2025 Tour Dates
Mar 17 – Houston, TX – Houston Rodeo
Mar 18 – Austin, TX – Austin Rodeo
Mar 20 – Tulsa, OK – The Cove at River Spirit Casino
Mar 21 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Casinos & Resorts
Apr 5 – New Orleans, LA – Hogs for the Cause Festival
Apr 25 – Oxford, MS – Double Decker Arts Festival
May 10 – Knoxville, TN – Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival
Jun 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl^
Aug 9 – Beech Mountain, NC – Beech Mountain Ski Resort@
Oct 10 – Nashville, TN – Geodis Park+
Oct 11 – Nashville, TN – Geodis Park+
Nov 8 – Miramar Beach, FL – Moon Crush Live “Whiskey Moon”
* w/ Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
^ w/ Leon Bridges
@ w/ with 49 Winchester
+ w/ Tyler Childers
