Hometown News is Scott Whitehead and Ron Kingery. These musical brothers planted the seeds for their sound when they met at a Nashville songwriters night. Ron at the time was writing songs and engineering albums for The Wonder Workshop. It was there that he provided his musical and engineering skills for Roy Clark's Grammy nominated album "Roy Clark Sings and Plays Gospel Greats".
Before Hometown News Scott did a stint in the Navy flying the F/A-18 Hornet. Scott flew missions over North Iraq during the first Gulf War and is a graduate of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). After moving to Nashville he landed a staff writer job for the legendary Acuff-Rose publishing company. It was during this time he met Ron, and the two began writing what would be their first Top-40 Country single - "Minivan".
Together, Scott and Ron have a knack for recording songs that speak to the way everyday people live their lives. Their self-produced debut CD "Wheels" and sophomore project "Hometown News" reflect the mid-America emotions of their upbringing. Ron and Scott spent younger years in rural Illinois and Missouri respectively where the small town lifestyle, along with Johnny Cash and Glenn Campbell records that could be found on their parents' turntables shaped their musical tastes.
Another aspect these "brothers" share is they were both born on military bases, the sons of active duty members of the Armed Forces. It is the discipline instilled by their parents that in part drives their work ethic, and is arguably a factor in Hometown News being nominated for an ACM award less than a year after the release of the debut CD "Wheels" on independent label VFR Records.
Hometown News has gone on to secure a Ford Motor Company sponsorship, made its debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and completed a 34-day world tour of military bases. In October of 2005 Ron and Scott became a part of history and a trivia question answer when they sang the National Anthem and God Bless America at Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series in St.Louis. It was the final anthem sung in the old Busch stadium.
When looking at what their future may hold, the duo turns back to the way music inspired them when they were young. "I think it would be a neat thing 30 years down the road for some kid who's an up and coming singer to be doing an interview and say, 'You know, there were these two guys who were called Hometown News, and my Dad used to play that stuff all the time," says Ron. "We'd like to have something that might last a little and stand the test of time. That would be a great compliment".
wheels
Hometown News Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little shoes on his little feet
Mama pushes him up the street
And he waves as the cars go by
Though he's too young to know
He doesn't have much control
He just sits back and lets life roll
He's having fun and he don't know why
chorus:
And his wheels go around
Hear the sound of all the distance traveled
To where we begin and where we end
We're just rolling on our wheels
Eighteen and life's a bore
He knows there's gotta be more
Than pushing brooms and mopping floors
He doesn't waste another day
Downtown he finds a man
Who signs him up for Uncle Sam
At the time it seemed like a plan
And his Mama cried as he drove away
(repeat chorus)
The last eighty years have flown
And now he's too old to live alone
He wishes he could go back home
But he knows why
His old legs are obsolete
But the nurse tells him that he's sweet
She wheels him in when it's time to eat
And he really likes the Rhubarb pie
(repeat chorus)
The song Wheels by Hometown News talks about the journey of life, starting from childhood till old age. The song starts with a young kid strapped into his stroller seat, his mother pushing him through the street, waving at the cars that pass by. As a child, he has no control over his life but enjoys the ride anyway. The chorus explains that life is just like wheels, we keep on moving forward, not knowing what the journey might bring.
In the second verse, the song talks about a teenager who is bored with life and believes that there is more to life than mundane jobs such as pushing brooms and mopping floors. He enlists in the army, and his mother cries as he leaves home. This further emphasizes the point that life is unpredictable, and sometimes we have to make tough choices.
The last verse paints a picture of an old man who is no longer able to live alone. Even though he wishes to go back home, his old age and weak legs prevent him from doing so. The nurse takes care of him and wheels him in for meals. In the end, he still enjoys the journey of life and likes the rhubarb pie.
Overall, the song Wheels is about the journey of life and the unpredictability that comes along with it. It reminds us to appreciate every moment and roll with the punches that life throws our way.
Line by Line Meaning
Strapped in his stroller seat
A small kid is secured in his pram's seat
Little shoes on his little feet
The kid wears tiny footwears
Mama pushes him up the street
The mother takes the child for a walk
And he waves as the cars go by
The kid greets automobiles passing by
Though he's too young to know
The kid is naive and cannot understand what's happening
He doesn't have much control
The child has no power over his situation
He just sits back and lets life roll
The kid enjoys the ride passively without worrying about anything
He's having fun and he don't know why
The kid is happy without exactly knowing why
And his wheels go around
The wheels of the pram keep rolling
Hear the sound of all the distance traveled
You could feel the distance covered by the pram
To where we begin and where we end
To where our journey started and to where it'll stop
We're just rolling on our wheels
We're moving forward in life, carried by our circumstances
Eighteen and life's a bore
An 18-year-old finds life uninteresting
He knows there's gotta be more
He believes that there are better things waiting for him
Than pushing brooms and mopping floors
The work he's doing doesn't uplift him
He doesn't waste another day
He decides to make the most of his time
Downtown he finds a man
The boy meets someone in the city center
Who signs him up for Uncle Sam
The man drafts him into military service
At the time it seemed like a plan
It sounded like the perfect idea back then
And his Mama cried as he drove away
His mother was grieving when he left
The last eighty years have flown
The person is now eighty years old
And now he's too old to live alone
The person can't live independently anymore
He wishes he could go back home
He wants to return to his childhood home
But he knows why
He's aware of the reason he can't go back
His old legs are obsolete
His legs don't function as they used to
But the nurse tells him that he's sweet
The attendant informs him that he's lovely
She wheels him in when it's time to eat
The nurse takes him to the dining room for meals
And he really likes the Rhubarb pie
He enjoys eating the pie made from rhubarb
Writer(s): Ronald Paul Kingery
Contributed by Gianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bethy-lou3307
Pretty song. Great harmony and lyrics. The music is awesome. Thank you for posting, Brent
@johnconner9022
I cant understand how these guys didnt get huge
@Grahamgusbull
Is there a more significant,six letter word,in the English language?