We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Dust Bowl - American Stories

by Grant Maloy Smith

supported by
tomwebster
tomwebster thumbnail
Bjørn Tollef Swang
Bjørn Tollef Swang thumbnail
spacerock42
spacerock42 thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12.99 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The critically-acclaimed Billboard Top 10 album that sets to music the heartbreak and ultimate redemption of the Dust Bowl. Comes in a wallet style CD enclosure that also contains a 20 page booklet with pictures from the Dust Bowl and all of the top players who appear on the album.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Dust Bowl - American Stories via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    6
    releases

    Get all 6 Grant Maloy Smith releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Scarborough Fair (Reprise), The Christmas Heart, Appalachia: American Stories, Our Country, Vol. I, Dust Bowl - American Stories, and Yellow Trailer. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $41.58 USD or more (20% OFF)

     

1.
Old Black Roller 03:08
lyrics
Old Black Roller Taller than the sky Old Black Roller He's angrier this time Old Black Roller Chasing out our plows Raining down pneumonia Killing all our cows Old Black Roller Why'd you come today? Half of Oklahoma Is blowing dead away Dust might choke us Lord, let us prevail We're from Oklahoma We're hard as horse shoe nails
2.
Lily Of The Valley 03:08
lyrics
Lily Of The Valley She said that I was bound to be her lover And I thought that meant holding hands Two foolish children Off in the fields That girl was always making plans But Lily of the Valley Disappeared like picnics in the rain Yes, I searched for her in vain But her Grandpa packed her up and Moved her back to Tennessee I always thought he meant to Hide her from me I wonder if she thinks about me today Lily of the Valley was her name Lily of the Valley Disappeared like picnics in the rain Yes, I searched for her in vain But her Grandpa packed her up and Moved her back to Tennessee I always thought he meant to Hide her from me I wonder if she thinks about me today Lily of the Valley was her name
3.
So Far Away 02:51
lyrics
So Far Away I’m so far away On this Monday Still more miles away from your arms I’ve been riding Hitch and hiking Never-minding honking cars Since I went west On this blind quest Waking cold and wet inside these barns How in the world did I get so far And where would I be without my star? When I get there I’ll call for you But will you coma a-running when I do? I’m so far away Lost three times a day Tripping sideways to pass the time I’ve been thinking All this weekend Was I drinking Or was I right? They’ve got land there We can plan there Take our start there Restart our life Chorus I’m so far away On this Friday Still more miles away from your arms I’ve been riding Hitch and hiking Never-minding honking cars Since I went west On this blind quest Waking cold and wet inside these barns Chorus
4.
Ride That Train 04:09
lyrics
From the album "Dust Bowl - American Stories" Words and music © Grant Maloy Smith (BMI) ℗ 2017 Suburban Cowboy Music Produced by Grant Maloy Smith and Jeff Silverman Grant Maloy Smith is an American Roots Singer/Songwriter with a country bent. His songs tell heartfelt stories about real people, and are unfailingly optimistic and forward looking. His 2017 album "Dust Bowl - American Stories" is earning rave reviews, including one from NO DEPRESSION, the bible of American Roots music. “Grant’s ability to capture the heartland in his music is amazing ... he has written A heartland masterpiece ... lyrics and music as potent as Woody Guthrie ... sent chills down my spine ... bound to become a classic ... A reminder of the darker period of Bob Dylan, and it’s that good, that memorable...” Grant is a member of the Recording Academy (the Grammys®), the AMA, the CMA, and is a BMI Recording artist. Vocals, Guitar, Piano: Grant Maloy Smith Dobro: Rob Ickes Fiddle: Steve Stokes B3: Tommy Mandel Bass: Bill Wittman Drums: Skoota Warner ℗ 2017 Suburban Cowboy Music Bass, Drums and B3 recorded at PIE Studio, Glen Cove, NY (Engineered by Perry Margouleff and Matt Sornik) Vocals, Guitar and Piano recorded at Suburban Cowboy Studio, Wakefield, RI Dobro and fiddle recorded at Palette Studio, Nashville, TN LYRICS Ride That Train I still dream But I can’t sleep without I still roam But I’m not free I still rise Even when I’m falling Don’t you wait Don’t wait for me Ride that train Light that flame without me Ride that train Break that chain to me I still love Yes, I still love you I still ache But I don’t seem to care You were all All I ever wanted Don’t look back; You ain’t headed there Ride that train Light that flame without me Ride that train Break that chain to me There’s no sky No clouds above me No fear Or chores to do And no wings for me to fly on Fly on high Back to you Ride that train Light that flame without me Ride that train Break that chain to me
5.
Isht A Lhampko (Have Strength) 04:17
lyrics
Isht A Lhampko (Have Strength) Earth below my blanket Sky above my head Just outside my vision The night was turning red Water is like our lifeline Rain is like our blood Why’s our whole world dying? Lord, what have we done? But it’s all right We’re still breathing Isht a Lhampko We’re not leaving Air has come against Clouds of humma roll Listen to the wind song Singing from his soul Fire has cooked our rabbits And lit our sky for years We will not be beaten We walked the trail of tears Chorus
6.
Me Time 02:36
lyrics
Me Time Farmers hours everyday Digging holes doesn’t pay Throw a little smile my way Spread it around 64 through Tennessee Little Rock on 63 Choctaw beer is calling me Honky-tonk bound It’s me time I finally got some free time Yeah me time You gotta let me be time It’s me time For just a while Punching cows Chasing hogs Running fence and Chopping logs Shelterbelts to tip the odds Lord, what a sight So clear the decks and Close the blinds Cut the bait and pull the lines I’m fixing to do every kind of nothing I can find Chorus
7.
Pushing Back The Wind 03:17
lyrics
Pushing Back The Wind There’s never been a day I didn’t fall in love - In love with you again When I try to change It’s like I’m pushing back - Pushing back the wind There’s always something wrong Living in this world Sometimes folks don’t feel like they belong We’ve got to talk them in ‘Cause they’re just pushing back Pushing back the wind I put these hands to work each day They’re rough and they show my age But I held our babies Gentle and true Like the way that I held Like the way that I held you We’re far from where we came Working in these fields Breathing in this air When I pray for rain It’s like I’m pushing back Pushing back the wind Chorus So let me say again Living without you That’s like pushing back That’s like pushing back the wind
8.
Never Seen The Rain 03:29
lyrics
Never Seen The Rain I’ve seen kings who were not free I’ve seen lovers gazing up at me I’ve seen tracks without a train But I’ve never seen the rain I’ve seen men with desperate hearts I’ve seen comets dance among the stars I’ve known slaves who broke their chains But I’ve never seen the rain We worked the land to death Me, and my brother ‘til April Fourteen, Nineteen Thirty-five Oklahoma, you were like our mother Oh, my Never Seen the Rain I’ve been hugged and I’ve been kissed I’ve been knocked down by an angry fist I’ve seen blizzards sweep the plain But I’ve never seen the rain Trials like this are bound to pass Plow up all that prairie grass And tell it on the weather vane ‘cause I’ve never seen the rain Chorus Cows and pigs and bathtub gin Come Bakersfield we’ll start again Boxcar blues and guitars play ‘Cause I’ve never seen the rain Chorus
9.
All The Long Way 03:35
lyrics
All The Long Way Fate can show kindness When she’s dealing out heat She stitches our lifelines Bitter and sweet Now all of our horses And all of our men Can’t put together The things that we bent No, my son Can’t put together The things that we bent All the way All the long way Take my hand and hold on All the way We’ll find peace where your brother has gone Hope is a potion But it’s not hard to get No silver-tongued salesman Has bottled it yet Now all of our horses And all of our men Can’t put together The things that we bent All the way All the long way Take my hand and hold on All the way We’ll find peace where your sister has gone All the way We’ll find peace where your mother has gone
10.
I Come From America 02:48
lyrics
I Come From America Can you see the Texas in my eyes? I left her but she’s still strong in me We broke down in Kingman so we Walked to Bakersfield Don’t you know the mother road? I Come from America America, America I Come from America America’s from me Can you hear the pilgrim in my voice? Blown ashore by unforgiving winds Beggars can’t be choosers But we choose to still be men Don’t you know – don’t you know? Chorus We’re the desperate and unwanted We’re the strangers from the shanty side of town Do my eyes look proud but haunted? That’s the destiny in me That’s the Texas that you see Can you feel the prairie on my skin? Baked and brown from work and sweat and tears Daddy always told me That the dirt would take us in Don’t you know? Don’t you know? I Come from America America, America I Come from America America’s from me
11.
Daddy, If You Have to Go 03:36
lyrics
Daddy, If You Have To Go “Daddy, don’t go” Said the grown-up child Why can’t we set together for a while? Your eyes are tired Lord, the things they’ve seen I wish you’d squeeze my hand And stay with me But Daddy, if you have to go Save me a place in Heaven Forever never ends I’ll be with you again I know Daddy, if you have to go save me a place in Heaven I’m not scared anymore Daddy, if you have to go We spent that day Talking about the past The time I took your truck and run her out of gas We laughed and cried and we traded memories I saw my life through your eyes Smiling back at me Chorus We fell into silence as the shadows climbed the walls I watched your chest arise And with each breath I watched it fall I thought about my mama And I knew you missed her, too Taken way too early But you’ll be there with her soon Chorus I’m not scared any more - Daddy, go I ain’t scared anymore - Daddy, go
12.
And The Rain Comes Down 04:40
lyrics
And The Rain Comes Down Fate turns like an old oak wheel It turned me around Warm boots and a brand new deal Look at me now I’ve been known to sit and watch the starlight turn to dawn And I’ve been known to sit and listen to the crickets carrying on All the ways a man can fail Well, I’m sure I’ve tried them all All the times you told me that You loved me anyway All our disappointments, Well, they washed away today I raise my arms And the rain comes down I close my eyes And it heals me I lift my heart and the rain comes down It comes down on me Time burns like a Coleman lamp Until we are through Each boy loses his old man It’s simple but true I’ve been known to take a good idea out too far And I’ve been known to end up Like the dog who caught the car All the ways a man can fail I sure did try them all All the times you told me that you loved me anyway All our disappointments Well, they washed away today I raise my arms And the rain comes down I close my eyes And it heals me I lift my heart and the rain comes down It comes down on me
13.
Old Black Roller (Reprise) 03:04
lyrics
Old Black Roller Old black roller Taller than the sky Old black roller He’s angrier this time Old black roller Chasing out our plows Raining down pneumonia Killing all our cows Old black roller Why’d you come today? Half of Oklahoma Is blowing dead away Dust might choke us Lord let us prevail We’re from Oklahoma We’re hard as horse shoe nails

about

Come live the struggles and ultimately the triumph of the Dust Bowl. On this epic album, three years in the making, Grant Maloy Smith will take you on a trip back through time, to the American Great Plains of the 1930s. America had become the bread basket of the world by learning how to plow the prairie grass up and turn it into wheat, cotton, and other valuable crops.

On the BILLBOARD CHARTS for 17 weeks!
BILLBOARD TOP 10 for ELEVEN weeks on the Americana/Folk Album Sales (#5 for multiple weeks)
Country Album Sales Chart #12
Heatseekers Chart #2
And more

The reviews are coming in, and they are stunning. John Apice of NO DEPRESSION writes:

“…songs that have the lyrics and music as potent as Woody Guthrie, as intense as John Trudell and dusted with the trials and tribulations of Tom Joad – Steinbeck and “The Grapes of Wrath.”

“…a stew of American stories I don’t think any other singer/songwriter can approach today…”

“(Old Black Roller) This is a monster track – bound to become a classic…”

“Grant’s ability to capture the heartland in his music is amazing.”

“…this is all Grant Maloy Smith at his cleverest. And for my buck, this is where commercial country doesn’t go.”

“This is Grant Maloy Smith’s “Nebraska” and he has written a heartland masterpiece.”

“Grant is flawless in his interpretation and the music has guts with countrified rousing notes.”

credits

released June 1, 2017

The album "Dust Bowl - American Stories"
℗ 2017 Suburban Cowboy Music | © 2017 Grant Maloy Smith (BMI)
Produced by Grant Maloy Smith and Jeff Silverman

Players on the album include:
Bill Wittman - Bass Guitar
Cathy Clasper-Torch - Fiddle
George Correia - Drums
Dorie Pride - Backing Vocals
Gareth Laffely - Native American Flute
Grant Maloy Smith - Vocals, Acoustic and Guitars, Piano, Banjo, Mandolin, Percussion
Jeff Taylor - Accordion
Jessica Zeltzer - Backing Vocals
Katie Perkins - Vocals
Ken Thomas - Banjo
Lorenza Ponce - Violin
Mike Johnson - Pedal Steel, Lap Steel
Rob Ickes - Dobro and Lap Steel
Rocio Marron - Violin
Scott Vestal - Banjo
Steve Stokes - Fiddle and Mandolin
Skoota Warner - Drums
Tim Lorsch - Cello, Viola, Violin
Tommy Mandel - B3, Melotron, Wurlitzer
Troy Klontz - Pedal Steel, Dobro
Wouter Kellerman - Flute

Recorded at:
Palette Studio, Nashville, TN
PIE Studios, Glen Cove, NY
Suburban Cowboy Studio, South Kingstown, RI
TRIAD Normandy Sound, Warren, RI and New Bedford, MA
The Bunker Recording Studio, Nashville, TN
Digital Underground, Nashville, TN

Engineered by Jeff Silverman, Grant Maloy Smith, Max Sornik, Phil Greene, Tony Ricci, Matt Ricci

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Grant Maloy Smith image

Grant Maloy Smith South Kingstown, Rhode Island

Grant Maloy Smith is a singer-songwriter of American Roots music. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida about 60 miles from the Georgia state line. In 2012 he dove deep into the Americana scene, writing and producing the breakthrough 2013 album YELLOW TRAILER, which was in contention in three categories in the Grammys. The follow-on album DUST BOWL will be released in early 2017. ... more

contact / help

Contact Grant Maloy Smith

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Report this album or account

If you like Grant Maloy Smith, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Beans joins the show to discuss his album release, "ZWAARD".

listen now