Charlie Bowen wrote this song about 30 years ago with the idea that The Flood would perform it some day, even though at that particular moment, the future seemed rather uncertain for the band he had helped create two decades earlier.
As reported earlier, in the period between the mid-1980s and the early ‘90s, life had started interfering with Flood dreams.
As band members began drifting off in different directions, pursuing the interests of family and new jobs, The Flood had started being just a sometimes-kind-of jam session/reunion thing.
Bowen’s new tune actually got its first public performance at a seminal party that winter at Cathie and Bob Toothman’s house in Ironton, Ohio.
Regular readers might recall an earlier Flood Watch report that singled out that January 1996 party as a major chapter in The Flood story. That’s because it was the event at which fiddler Joe Dobbs finally reunited with his old band mates Bowen and Dave Peyton. After that wonderful evening, Joe was drawn back into The Flood fold where he played for the remaining 20 years of his life.
Song Reborn
Meanwhile, Charlie’s song followed a twistier path. In its original form, the tune didn’t really hook the band; oh, Doug Chaffin and Sam St. Clair always enjoyed jamming on it, but the song didn’t catch fire with Chuck Romine, nor with Joe or Dave.
However, the Bowen melody got a curious rebirth. As we have reported, in 2002 George Walker — producer of Joe’s beloved “Music from the Mountains” radio show on West Virginia Public Radio — wanted an original theme song for the weekly broadcast.
For George, the mission seemed clear: “Joe’s band oughta make up Joe’s theme song,” he said.
So, to answer the call that summer the guys re-purposed Charlie’s old melody, Peyton wrote snazzy new lyrics, they named it “Music from the Mountains Sets You Free” and headed for the studio.
Actually, we told the full story on a fun episode of our podcast three years ago. Click the button below to hear all about it:
Faithful Flood followers also know “Music form the Mountains Sets You Free” as the opening track of the band’s 2002 album, The 1937 Flood Plays Up a Storm.
The Song Today
In many ways, the original song has just waiting for the current incarnation of The Flood.
It is the 2024 version of the band — with the Randy Hamilton and Jack Nuckols’ driving rhythm and with Danny Cox and Sam St. Clair’s imaginative solos — that provides what Brother Peyton used to call “that high energy” that the song has been craving.
Meanwhile, Happy Dylan Day!
On a separate note, hey, today’s Bob Dylan’s 83rd birthday! If you’d like a little Flood-centric soundtrack for celebrating this joyous occasion, drop by our free Radio Floodango music streaming feature and fire up the Bob Dylan playlist. Here’s a story that tells you all about it:
"Loving You Would Be So Good for Me"