Georgia Behind The Wheel

I've been meaning to write about where some of my songs come from and share it here on The Blob! The song 'Georgia Behind The Wheel' off the Walking Stick CD is an interesting one. Larry Bishop and I took a road trip a few years back and a number of songs came from that trip. We visited Bandelier National Monument and I read the story of Evelyn Frey. She and her husband George moved to Frijoles Canyon in 1925. The only way in was a steep trail down from the canyon rim and supplies were delivered via mules. George left at some point but Evelyn stayed on. She planted an orchard and wanted a pickup truck to help her maintain it. They hauled one in for her in pieces by mules and a crude gondola from the top of the canyon. I thought it was a great story for a song and wrote one. I guess I didn't take any notes and somehow confused George with Georgia and so instead of Evelyn behind the wheel it became Georgia, which sounds better anyway.

She was quite a remarkable woman and stayed there through the change from Ranch of the Ten Elders to Bandelier National Monument. If you listen to my little talk at the beginning of the song it explains a bit of the story. To learn more about Bandelier (which is really a fantastic place to visit) check out http://www.nps.gov/band/