This song was written by bluegrass and Delta blues musician "Shorty" Medlocke - the grandfather of this band's frontman Rickey Medlocke. The song is best remembered for its harmonica intro, performed by Shorty, which mimics the sound of a steam locomotive blowing its whistle, pulling out of the station and accelerating to full speed. Before founding Blackfoot, Rickey Medlocke was also an early member of Lynyrd Skynyrd (a band he would rejoin later in his career). Blackfoot also included drummer/singer Jakson "Thunderfoot" Spires, bassist/singer Greg T. Walker, and lead guitarist Charlie Hargrett. They had a number of hit albums, but proved to be more popular in Europe than in the United States. Blackfoot Strikes was their first platinum album, and produced their only two US Top 40 hits: "Highway Song" (which hit #26 US in September 1979) and "Train, Train" (#38 in December).
This song was written by bluegrass and Delta blues musician "Shorty" Medlocke - the grandfather of this band's frontman Rickey Medlocke. The song is best remembered for its harmonica intro, performed by Shorty, which mimics the sound of a steam locomotive blowing its whistle, pulling out of the station and accelerating to full speed. Before founding Blackfoot, Rickey Medlocke was also an early member of Lynyrd Skynyrd (a band he would rejoin later in his career). Blackfoot also included drummer/singer Jakson "Thunderfoot" Spires, bassist/singer Greg T. Walker, and lead guitarist Charlie Hargrett. They had a number of hit albums, but proved to be more popular in Europe than in the United States. Blackfoot Strikes was their first platinum album, and produced their only two US Top 40 hits: "Highway Song" (which hit #26 US in September 1979) and "Train, Train" (#38 in December).
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