It’s an evocative, serene layout of easy rolling hills stamped by patchwork-quilt fields dotted by farms, sporadically tacked-down by humble towns, which in turn are laced together by a network of two-lane blacktops that not only provide connection, but also offer a way out.
Straight To The Highway, Colehour’s debut on Nashville-based Carnival Recording Co./Universal, is a poignant, heart-thumping collection of heartland rock and earnest, down-home balladry that explores the restlessness and desires that not only make a young man venture out into the large world, but can also bring him back, full circle, to find a big part of the solution parked right where he left it—in his family and home.
Steeped in the tried-and-true populist rock of Springsteen and Mellencamp with long, strong threads of Jackson Browne and the Eagles snaking through, Colehour has arrived at a slightly more rural-oriented, western approach to an amalgam of the signature styles of all the aforementioned, informed—of course—by personal experience.
Growing up in Mt. Vernon, Iowa provided Colehour with a balanced, blue-collar upbringing rooted in hard work, family and an abiding notion that events play out across the globe, but it’s how they shake down on the home front that ultimately drives hearts and minds.
“I was raised in the Midwest work ethic,” Colehour emphasizes. I’ve never been afraid of a job or a hard days work—that’s one of the things that my mother and father gave me.”
During those formative years, Colehour played drums in several country, rock and polka cover bands before he started to sing and write his own songs.
“Singing was something I enjoyed as much as anything and the idea of writing songs seemed like a natural progression for me,” Colehour says. “So I was drawn to learn a more melodic instrument that I could write on, and when I was 12, my sister gave me a few guitar lessons—both my sister and mother were taking guitar lessons at the time. My older sister, Amanda, is responsible for most of my musical influences. Her room was directly below mine in our old house and she had an exceptional stereo. Consequently, whatever she was listening to, I was listening to as well. When I was 13, she got me Springsteen’s The River, and it floored me. It wasn’t so over my head that I couldn’t figure it out, but at the same time it challenged me. The vast and varying lyrical landscape and sonic quality of the recording almost overwhelmed me. It was an epiphany to me…a very pivotal moment to say the least. To this day, it is THE record that I go back to consistently.”
At age 21, Colehour packed up his guitar and songbook and hit the highway, settling briefly in Southern California. “I lived in the Valley for a couple of years, and it was like a suit of clothes that never fit me. After a couple of years there, his parents relocated to San Antonio Texas and he followed them. It was there that Colehour seemed to find the musical community that he was looking for.
“I had been in Texas for about a month and a friend of mine suggested I check out Joe Ely at the Southwest Craft Center in downtown San Antonio,” Colehour says. “Butch Hancock opened for Joe that night. I had no idea what I was in for. They practically blew the doors off the place. I spent the next seven years in Texas working on my songwriting and playing singer/songwriter rooms. I was a Kerrville New Folk finalist in ’93 and ‘94. I moved up to Austin in ‘90 after singing with a publisher, Bitsy Rice of Lighthouse Music. Bitsy got me hooked in to Austin and shortly there after began sending me to Nashville to get my feet wet.”
At 29 Colehour arrived in Nashville, where he quickly became friends with Frank Liddell and Travis Hill of Carnival Music Publishing and Carnival Recording Company. A publishing deal with them followed shortly and the opportunity was a godsend for the fledgling artist, providing work, guidance and friendship all in one fell swoop.
The singer/songwriter’s music steadily garnered support in the industry, and a recording deal with DreamWorks jump-started the making of what would eventually become Straight To The Highway. When Universal bought DreamWorks, priorities shuffled, and the record biz’s same-old-long-story-short…
the record was set aside. All of that changed when a co-venture agreement was reached between Carnival and Universal to release the record. Recorded with a stellar core band of electric guitarists David Grissom and Kenny Greenberg, bassist Glenn Worff and drummer Chad Cromwell, Straight To The Highway presents ten muscular tracks, all written or co-written by Colehour, that speak with honesty and humility to issues and values that anchor middle America.
Liddell serves as executive producer with co-producer David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, The Dixie Chicks), and co-producer/engineer Mike McCarthy (Patty Griffin, Spoon, Fastball, You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead).
At its root, Colehour’s music grabs that mixture of escapism and unadorned commonality that drives heartland/populist rock and left-of-center country.
Clear-eyed, direct and remarkably irony free, it’s about honor and character. Hope and redemption. Summed up in that nightly ritual acted out under the streetlights in Anytown, U.S.A., all to answer the most-asked question in everyone’s lives, which is “What are we gonna do tonight?”
For the confused among you, here’s a working plan – head Straight To The Highway.
For more information contact: Tamara Saviano / TSaviano@comcast.net
Lucky Man
Dan Colehour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a couple hundred dollars and two promises
She was three months showing in a cap and gown
We knew nothing 'bout the world outside of this town
She had an uncle in deerborn heights
Helped me get on at the mill workin' nights
You know that third shift foundry, it's tough as they come
But with a baby on the way something had to be done
Wooo
Days they just go rushin' past
When you're growing up fast
Wooo
But i never let it get to me
Baby all i see... is a lucky man
Now every morning with the sunrise that shift whistle blows
And i 'm always getting anxious to get on down the road
Cause she's waitin' there for me just inside the door
Tell me how could anyman, anywhere, ever ask for anymore?
Wooo
Days they just go rushin' past
Like they're never meant to last
Wooo
But i never let it get to me
Baby all i see... is a lucky man
Sometimes i wonder
You know a man will wonder, yeah
Wooo
Days they just go rushin' past
Like there never meant to last
Wooo
But i never let it get to me
Cause all i'll ever be...is a lucky man
Oh yeah, baby...i'm a lucky man, oh yeah
The song "Lucky Man" by Dan Colehour is a classic tale of a man who looks at his life and realizes how fortunate he is. He reflects on his past, and how he and his wife Annie got married at a young age, without much money or knowledge of the world beyond their small town. He acknowledges the difficult nature of his work at the mill, but highlights the fact that he had a job to provide for his growing family.
Despite the struggles they faced, the singer of the song feels grateful for the simple things in life- a loving wife, a healthy child, and a steady job. He voices this gratitude in the chorus, where he acknowledges that time moves quickly, but he never let it overwhelm him. Instead, he keeps a positive attitude and recognizes that he is a "lucky man" because of the blessings in his life.
The song speaks to the universal experience of feeling grateful for the small things in life. It reminds listeners to take stock of what is truly important and not to take life's blessings for granted. Overall, "Lucky Man" is a poignant reflection on the beauty of a simple life filled with love and gratitude.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and annie got married when we were just kids
Annie and I got married at a young age.
On a couple hundred dollars and two promises
We got married on a tight budget with only two vows.
She was three months showing in a cap and gown
Annie was three months pregnant during her graduation ceremony.
We knew nothing 'bout the world outside of this town
We didn't have experience beyond our small town.
She had an uncle in deerborn heights
Annie's uncle lived in Deerborn Heights.
Helped me get on at the mill workin' nights
Annie's uncle helped me get a night shift job at the mill.
You know that third shift foundry, it's tough as they come
Working the third shift at the foundry was a challenging job.
But with a baby on the way something had to be done
We had a baby on the way and needed to make ends meet.
Days they just go rushin' past
Days go by quickly.
When you're growing up fast
Time seems to move faster as you grow up.
But i never let it get to me
I don't let time get me down.
Baby all i see... is a lucky man
I feel fortunate with my life and family.
Now every morning with the sunrise that shift whistle blows
Every morning at sunrise, I hear the shift whistle blow.
And i 'm always getting anxious to get on down the road
I'm eager to start my day and head out the door.
Cause she's waitin' there for me just inside the door
Annie is waiting for me inside our home.
Tell me how could anyman, anywhere, ever ask for anymore?
I can't imagine wanting anything more in life than what I already have.
Sometimes i wonder
Occasionally, I contemplate.
You know a man will wonder, yeah
It's natural for a person to wonder about life.
Cause all i'll ever be...is a lucky man
I know I'll always feel lucky and grateful with what I have.
Oh yeah, baby...i'm a lucky man, oh yeah
I feel very fortunate, indeed!
Contributed by Ryan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.