Troubadour of Crossroads Village Michigan: Neil Woodward

0:00 This is Arthur Bush. You're listening to Radio Free Flint. And our guest is here today, Neil Woodward, the Troubadour of Michigan. Good morning, Arthur. Good. Have at it. All right. One, two, three.

3:35 Neil, uh, tell us what that song was about. That's a uh hometown song there. Uh one of the one of the jewels of Michigan, of course, is the Huckleberry Railroad, crossroads village. Uh that's a little song about uh the locomotive up there, one of the original locomotives at uh uh Huckleberry Railroad, Engine 464, the Denver and Rio Grand Western Engine 464. Very good. Now, for those in uh the audience who think they might know this fellow, you probably do. He has worked at Crossroads Village since 1985.

4:19 Entertaining, right? Play music, sing a single song, telling stories. So, Neil, how did you get to be the jumidor of uh Crossroads Village? Uh I started in the crossroads uh, let's see. Uh I was playing some pubs downtown in the uh in the mid and late 70s and I was actually at the uh first season of uh Auto World. And uh I grew up in Dearborn, so I was real close to Greenfield Village, and I was very much um very much immersed in history and the storytelling traditions of that um historical settings of uh different different buildings and then different music that would fit into those buildings, different stories that go in along with them.

5:15 Um so while I was there at um All the World, I found a brochure uh at the entrance, and it was the first time I was even aware that uh that Flint and Genesee County had any place like uh Crossroads Village and Other Bay Railroad. So I made some inquiries and uh got a few real nice recommendations from some good Flint people that I met up there, and uh the rest is history, as they say. Uh there uh 35 35 summers, except for this past one now. Missed y'all greatly. Okay, Neil, uh I just wanted you to tell us a little bit, describe your uh your job at Crossroads Village.

5:58 I'm the village troubadour, uh so I'm telling stories, uh carrying on the traditions of um uh storytelling and music. So I do a lot of music that uh is appropriate to uh 1870 kind of period, uh mid-1800s until the uh up to around 1900 or so. Um both the old timers, and uh then I'll also carry on that tradition of uh telling stories about uh things that are happening around me and people that I um meet and people that I'm inspired by to write songs about.

6:40 And um play fiddle and banjo and uh various other instruments, dulcimer, harmonicas, uh well, a bunch of different instruments. And I'll be uh I'll be uh sitting on the porch of a home or uh maybe in the parlor on a windy day. Um I see I see people coming in the uh coming in the gate first thing in the morning. I'm usually out on the uh uh out on the hotel porch and I see uh passengers coming in and off the train and um greet folks and uh listen uh listen to other people tell them how to find the band the uh the bathrooms, things like that.

7:26 And then anytime anybody has time for a story uh or feels like doing some step and dance step dancing or uh singing a song, but that's that's what I'm there for. What is a troubadour? Uh the troubadour. To make a long story short, the troubadour is uh someone that tells stories in music, in a song. And uh what's the history of it? Uh boy uh I I believe it goes back before the time of uh the printing press and uh more modern forms of uh communication, uh mass communication.

8:09 Uh old troubadours um literally travel from town to town and carry the stories, carry the news from one city to another one uh or or or village or town, um, a homestead. Um I mean it could be literally the uh the town over the next the next mountain. Could be uh just up the road. So we we're sharing uh the stories and the um uh the news really. We're kind of like a newspaper, a trailer newspaper. In song?

8:49 Yeah, in song and then um the Troubadour also care Troubadour also carries on the uh uh the other storytelling traditions of um folk tales stories. And now you're keeping this uh this alive and uh and in your work that you do, you really you're really a historian in action, aren't you? Well, it's uh it's really the only way that history makes sense to me. I was never any good in uh excuse me, history class, but uh in school, because so much of it was involved with um remembering people's names and dates.

9:33 Uh uh it's just not my strong point. Where it really started to come alive for me was the stories of uh of what people's lives were like. And the music, the further I get into the music, I realized just when I was a little kid, it seemed like the song can just take you right to some place where you would never have uh you couldn't imagine yourself being there. But the song takes you right into uh, I mean, it's the words of the people that were there. It can take you right inside uh the whole time period of what life was like for a whole lot of people. So that's uh that's been what what attracted me in history.

10:14 And it's really the only time the only way I can remember dates and times is if they're in a song, I have to go through the whole song, get up to that verse, and then I got that person saying cooking up here right now. Because you work at the Genesee Bell, I mean you work around the Genesee Bell, which is the boat. You wrote a song about the Genesee Bell sinking. I did. What's the name of that song? It's called The Swamping of the Genesee Bell. Okay, so so people understand. We bought this boat, the county did. It came from uh Scota, I think. Up in there.

10:55 Yes, and it was called uh Asabo River Queen, and the bell sunk while it was out there on Mot Lake. Unfortunately nobody got hurt. So Neil, you wrote a song about this this castle, right? I did. It's uh in the great tradition of um shipwreck songs, but uh one thing that I one thing that made me go ahead and do this is that uh there's a happy ending on this story. Everybody was okay. Uh it was it was a great uh a great boat to get started there, and the boat that's up there now is a really wonderful thing.

11:35 So as far as I'm concerned, there's a happy ending to the story. So I hope people um I hope there aren't any bad feelings about it. Because uh it made a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy over the years, a lot of people know that song. And what's the name of the song? The name is The Swamping of the Genesee Bell. Can you play that one for us? Sure, I'd be happy to whip that one up for you. This is uh this is an old, old uh tune I think here to tell this story. It's uh the original, a lot of people know the song from uh uh tremendous train wreck, and it's actually the site of many train wrecks. Uh the uh the wreck of old 97, which is the one that so many people know.

12:20 There's uh there's a whole lot of a whole lot of background on that one if you want to look up that song. It's an amazing story. The song goes back to um uh uh shipwreck song called um The Ship That Never Returned. But anyways, so it's it's an old tradition that with just in the tune itself. After many long years of my sub we must bring a sign And the fastest later on the baby boy to get the hundreds delayed in line As the loaded pastors on motor to then hunt and the later went to found the bottom hero on the spot to the three days of screaming babies with crying trying to swear for dogs and caries and the stories manager back.

14:41 Let's get our hands, they're back to the show, just like I'm gonna be able to do that.

16:06 My exploration has taken me in all directions, and you've taken me probably the furthest back of anyone. Um you sang the song Peachtree Creek on one of the episodes about the battle flag that I did a while back. I wondered if you've written any songs more about Flint's more current situation, the economic stress and uh and the water crisis. Yeah, yeah. Um stories um of folks that I've met up crossroads.

16:47 So uh sort of attribute to the people up there and uh tell a lot of those uh 1800 stories, but um definitely done a few more contemporary uh to the 21st century, 20th century, 21st. Does any of your music have to do with social or economic justice? Or are they just or is your view that we should sing about the lives of people and honor their work? Well, it's uh uh it's all in yeah, it's all part of the same deal, as far as I can tell. Uh yeah, and I'm not uh I'm not much of a uh proselytizer or preacher.

17:27 The advocacy is in the songs. One of the songs the songs that I recorded, which is on my uh the dog singing, all songs about uh songs that I wrote that were all about um things that were going on in 1992, 93, 94, right in there, amongst others, is uh song called Say No, as in What Could I Do Say No was about uh auto workers faced with their uh contract negotiations. This is a true story for So yesterday the shirts and ties were spotted on the line.

18:30 Curtis says they're coming up the mill God only knows where the cops could find Thirty people dealing on our shield A hundred faces glaring I could feel flush of mine praying for a plan to leave this life behind I wonder if we sold out the contract we just signed What could I do?

19:10 Say no The ship I jump to Mexico say I told you so The corporate profits prove how well we did I'm at home tryna feed my kids The last contract brought me to this town And ever half one went dry I had seniority when my plants shut down Thank God I'm still working in life I remember last time we thought our jobs were saved The union made hot celebrated made The company put out of town The promises be trained What can I do?

20:28 Stay though she's my job to Mexico Stay told the show Sit back and smile to say how well we do What all I'm trying to do is feed my kids folks who need the limit.

21:28 You could see it in their eyes, longing for a leader or an attractive lie The face of desperation in a desperate time I think I've got to change my point of view. I feel like things have got the best of me.

22:09 Wish it I could make the move to something new. I wish it I could set my family free The babies always hungry Sisters with flu temp to punch that clock again, the rent payment is due my daughter speaks, I answer Dear I love you too What could I do? Stay though to Mexico Stay I told you so smile and say how will we get all I've tried to be like it we felt how will we deal with my kill Sit back and smile and say how will we deal the try to display my kids?

24:03 Oh when they play number songs, these are kind of a couple of things you like to sing about.

24:55 Stories about stories about war songs because there's stories that uh contemporary uh stories of my own people of my own life that uh just too close for me to uh something that was going on fifty years ago. And history does history does have a way of repeating itself, doesn't it? Yeah, and the the the uh war aspect of it in a way that's disrupting people's lives is uh how it keeps going on and on.

25:42 It's uh hard thing to face sometimes. Yeah, for sure. That's good. Well, I'll tell you what, Neil. It was time for us to wind up here. Um I enjoyed uh your company, and I can see there's a lot of passion that you have for this uh this music and and the storytelling that you do, and uh I know the people love it. Uh and the people of Jesse County are grateful for all the time that you've spent with them. Uh and I'd like to also thank David Norris, David O. Norris, who is a songwriter here in the flanner, who introduced me to Neil.

26:25 We're gonna go out uh of this episode with a song um which was written, uh the poem I guess was written, as Neil explained it, uh, by David Norris about his great-great grandfather, who was in the 10th Infantry Regiment from Flint, Michigan, to go fight for the Union side against the Confederates. And it's called the Battle of Peachtree Creek. So we we'll play that on the way out of here. Neil, do you have any last words for for the audience and and uh anything to say about that song, anything more than you've already said?

27:05 Uh appreciate your work. I appreciate the opportunity to be here joining us with you and um enjoyed the uh interview. Uh the song uh is uh a story that uh is is uh just chilling to me. And uh it was it's just a wonderful thing to uh be involved in this kind of music to have people share their family stories the way that David has. A lot of people have done that, and uh to be part of carrying on their stories with uh a little bit of songwriting and my own input on it is just an honor. Well, thank you, and that is the story of flat bravery, courage, and perseverance.

27:50 Uh and peach creet tree does it all. So, with that said, um thank you again, and I wish you well, and I hope to see you again uh real soon next summer at Crossroads Village. Well, this brings us to the end of our program. I'm sure you enjoyed uh listening to Neil Woodward, the troubadour of Michigan. Uh we like to play the song now, the Civil War song, which was written uh in collaboration with uh David Norris.

28:35 Uh Neil sings the song, Peachtree Creek. Thank you again for listening. We'll see you next time. Tree Creek, fireflies tank sparkles all around. The ornament light moves ghostly white. Tonight, death sleeps silent with its sweet warm brown on summer night it genus fireflies and peach tree.

29:51 My arm was shattered by the ball that should be home from hell. And I wondered, did the boys remember? Sparkles all around the ornament of light white death sleeps within the sweet warm ground on summer night fireflies in peach tree creek.