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Confederate Railroad
Biography

Few artists in country music history have been as consistently proficient at touching drama and light comedy as Confederate Railroad. The group's knack for combining hard edged, honky-tonk toe-tappers like "Queen Of Memphis" and "Trashy Women" with heart- wrenching, tearful story songs like "Jesus And Mama" and "Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind," has earned them wide ranging respect, multi-platinum album sales and major awards both in the U.S. and abroad.

In response to the group's sustained touring power, Atlantic Records has released the ultimate must-have CRR collection--"The Rockin' Country Party Pack." The 45-track disc traces "the hits" and then some, including popular album cuts, re-mixes and two new recordings. Alongside the previously mentioned Railroad classics are chart hits such as "Elvis & Andy" and "When And Where." There's the band's most poignant performance, "When You Leave That Way," and more recent brazen gems like "I Hate Rap" and "The Big One" (about an untimely attack of gas and not a devastating earthquake).

"Yeah some of these songs are a little out there," Railroad front man Danny Shirley readily admits. 'We're lucky Atlantic lets us stick to our taste and style despite what their reservations might be. We heard 'The Big One' and we knew it would be dangerous to do it, but it sounded like something our fans would go for and they have. We like to do all kinds of songs--off-beat stuff and serious stuff. We feel like country music has always had both elements and there should be room for it all."

"The Rockin' Country Party Pack" kicks off with "I Am Just A Rebel," a cut from Confederate Railroad's platinum second disc, "Notorious," and a fitting introduction to this groundbreaking band. The 'Party Pack 'features two other songs from "Notorious," the common-man ode "Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind" and "Elvis And Andy," the hilarious song and British Country Music Association award-winning video, that catapulted CRR into international prominence.

All six singles from Confederate Railroad's self-titled, double-platinum debut disc are included on the "Rockin' Country Party Pack." It all began with the 1992 release of "She Took It Like A Man," the Top 30 hit about a break-up where the woman vents her anger in rambunctious male fashion. Subsequent smash hits of '92 and '93, such as the popular dance hall number "Queen Of Memphis," the thoroughly amusing "Trashy Women," and the sensitive ballads "Jesus & Mama," and "When You Leave That Way," quickly showed Confederate Railroad's stylistic breadth and earned them the 1993 Academy of Country Music award for Best New Vocal Group. Since Confederate Railroad's up tempo style became a fixture on the country dance club circuit, special dance club re-mixes of "Queen Of Memphis" and "Trashy Women" are on this newest collection.

Drawing from the Railroad's third album, "When And Where," the "Rockin' Country Party Pack" features its title cut, along with "Bill's Laundromat Bar & Grill," the tale of a wild Arkansas watering hole. Arguably, though, the "smile highlights" come from two selections originally on Railroad's disc "Keep On Rockin'." The outspoken "I Hate Rap" might cause a stir in certain circles, but it's right at home on a Confederate Railroad album and "The Big One" has already become a popular concert staple.

The " Rockin' Country Party Pack" wouldn't be complete without a couple new Railroad recordings. The guys re-recorded "Toss a Little Bone," a song from "When And Where" that waves the working man banner high in the air and asks our esteemed leaders to give the backbone of this country a little bureaucratic relief. "Tonight Is Mine," a brand-new party anthem co-written by CRR founder Danny Shirley, is the other previously unreleased 'Party Pack' track.

With very few member changes, Confederate Railroad--Danny Shirley (vocals, guitar), Jimmy Dormire (lead guitar), Mark DuFresne (drums), Cody McCarver (keyboards, vocals), Gates Nichols (steel guitar, vocals) and Wayne Secrest (bass)-has been a torch-bearer for turbo-charged country for nearly 20 years. After a decade of grinding out a living as a back-up band for David Allan Coe and as the house band at Atlanta's famed Miss Kitty's night club, Confederate Railroad was finally offered the record deal they were ready for in 1991 and went about changing the country music landscape forever.

These days, CRR has trimmed its touring schedule down to around 150 dates per year, a comfortable pace for the band's family men. 'We have a real following in a bunch of places and they want us back year after year," Shirley grins, admitting that he enjoys the extra time he gets with his wife and three kids. "It's amazing and sometimes humbling because we haven't had any new music out in awhile. There really is nothing like starting into a song and everyone out there shouts along and sings along and knows it by heart. We've had a few songs that have stuck with people and stood the test of time and it's always nice to see people still reacting to songs we found and recorded seven or eight years ago."

As zany and sensitive as they are on CD and stage, Confederate Railroad has also successfully extended their unique personalities onto music video. Who can forget the six burly guys, facial hair and all, dressed in drag during a scene in "Trashy Women?" or the down- home characters and the giant pig in "Elvis & Andy?"
Shirley knows fully well that music videos have helped impact CRR's career, but little did he know how they affected fellow artists. "I remember George Jones telling me one time that when he saw 'When You Leave That Way,' it was the first time he ever cried over a music video," Shirley recalls. "it is a very emotional song and the video really portrayed the loneliness of the song. We've done a lot of work with [N.Y.-based director] Martin Kahan and he's an imaginative and creative guy. So am I, and so is the group, so we had some free-for-all discussions. Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind' was another video that gained a lot of attention for us."

The next time Confederate Railroad fans see their fun-loving group on video, they'll surely notice a new "doo" on singer Danny Shirley. "I cut it all off last summer initially just to stay cool. Fans have mentioned it, but you know our image is not dependent on our hairstyle or our clothes. Our success is based on our music, our live concerts and our videos. We've never made the 'Most Beautiful People List,' that's for sure."

Confederate Railroad's popularity has prompted several offers from book publishers to print the authorized Railroad story, but the concept wasn't fully explored until last year. Cyber Country Magazine's Angle Mclssac has begun work on a biography tentatively titled "Let's Get Trashy--The Complete History of Confederate Railroad," an eye-opening glimpse into CRR's behind-the-scenes antics.

As enduring and endearing as the locomotive, Confederate Railroad chugs along, championing the working man and espousing down-home values, while keeping their humor and Southern Rock roots intact. Even they didn't think their slightly offbeat musical vision would bring them Grammy nominations, multi platinum albums and several high-profile awards. But one listen to the diversity of the "Rockin' Country Party Pack" shows why Confederate Railroad is heralded as one of country music's influential bands.

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