Rolling Across the Rolling River Tyne
Following the songlines from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Newcastle, Nebraska
”Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade
Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made
The people passing by they would stop and say
Oh my what that little country boy could play."
Jonny B. Goode, by Chuck Berry
‘Boy's bound to be moving
Seems like the boy's bound to roam
Oh, every single time
I roll across the rolling river Tyne.”
Mark Knopfler
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the advent of passenger rail travel, and there’s plenty to celebrate regarding trains, songlines, and the shake, rattle and roll of transatlantic tracks.
Last year, I shared my somewhat tongue-in-cheek theory that Newcastle Upon Tyne is the birthplace of the rhythm ‘in’ the blues. Here’s my claim restated: the rhythm of the railways, the sound that boogie woogie and blues imitate, was born in the North East of England. [And I’ll tempt anyone to defy it!]
From the late 16th century onwards, the North East of England was the epicentr…