Epysode 75: Tobacco Road by The Nashville Teens.
Additional commentary by Uncle Herff.
In 1964, at the height of the British Invasion, one of the rawest and most hard-driving R&B records to cross the Atlantic was “Tobacco Road” by The Nashville Teens. Gritty, blues-soaked, and powered by explosive vocals, this UK hit stood apart from the jangling pop dominating the charts and delivered a ferocious take on American blues rock.
This week, we dig into how “Tobacco Road” became a defining British R&B classic, examining its roots in American blues and its impact on the emerging blues-rock movement in the UK.
What made this 1964 recording so powerful? How did The Nashville Teens carve out their place in the British Invasion era? And why does this track still sound so urgent and uncompromising decades later?
From its chart success to its enduring influence on British blues rock, we revisit a record that captured the raw energy of early UK R&B and helped shape the sound of 60s rock history.
If you’re into British Invasion music, classic 1960s R&B, blues rock origins, or overlooked vinyl-era classics, this is an essential listen.
I hope you dig Tobacco Road as much as I do.
- Farmer John
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===LINKS===
Arthur Sharpe interview for UK Rock History:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzlLBGsc55M
Ray Phillips interview for Secret Records Limited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjISl4izoe4
===THE MUSIC===
Songs used in this Epysode, in order of appearance. Here's a link to a Spotify playlist for all the tracks featured.
*denotes track is not available on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2vNSYkrqwyLMHwRmGG8Hso?si=6f73021a97034e90
VAN DUREN "Chemical Fire"
THE EVERLY BROTHERS “Nashville Blues”
JERRY LEE LEWIS “Lewis’ Boogie” (live)
JERRY LEE LEWIS “High School Confidential” (live)
JERRY LEE LEWIS “Great Balls Of Fire” (live)
*CARL PERKINS “Big Bad Blues”
JOHN D. LOUDERMILK “Tobacco Road”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Tobacco Road”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Mona”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Need You”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Bread And Butter Man”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Hurtin Inside”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Hootchie Cootchie Man”THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Google Eye”THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Too Much”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Parchment Farm”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “I Like It Like That”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “How Deep Is The Ocean”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “La Bamba”
*THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Watcha Gonna Do”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “The Biggest Night Of Her Life”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “All Along The Watchtower”
*THE ARIZONA SWAMP COMPANY “Train Keeps Rollin’”
THE NASHVILLE TEENS “Find My Way Back Home” (live)
??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out...
NEWPORT ELECTRIC "Boom!"
^ That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!!
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Ireland