Old Crow Medicine Show and the Old-Time Revival: Bringing String Band Music to New Audiences, 2009-2012

Old Crow Medicine Show was not a new band in 2009. They had been playing since the late 1990s, when they were discovered busking on the streets of Boone, North Carolina, by Doc Watson, who helped them get a regular gig at Keith Case's Famous Label and eventually a recording contract with Nettwerk. Their 2004 album O.C.M.S. and the improbable success of "Wagon Wheel" (a finished version of a Bob Dylan outtake that the band completed and recorded) had made them one of the best-known acts in the old-time and string band world.

But the period between 2009 and 2012 was when Old Crow Medicine Show consolidated their position as one of the central acts in a genuine old-time revival, playing to increasingly large audiences and demonstrating that music rooted in early twentieth-century Appalachian string band traditions could sustain a commercially viable touring career in the twenty-first century.

The 2009-2012 Context

The band released Tennessee Pusher in 2008 and Big Iron World in 2006, and their touring activity in the 2009-2012 period was at a high level. They were playing major folk and Americana festivals (Newport Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Bonnaroo), headlining theaters and small arenas, and building a following that overlapped with the jam band community, the indie folk world, and the dedicated old-time music enthusiast community.

This was a demographically unusual combination. Old-time string band music was, in much of its traditional context, an older audience's music, practiced by people who had learned the repertoire in the Appalachian tradition or through the mid-century folk revival. Old Crow Medicine Show was bringing that music to younger audiences who had discovered it through the band rather than through family tradition, and the band was using the energy and presentation of rock and roll to do it.

The Wagon Wheel Phenomenon

"Wagon Wheel" deserves specific discussion because its trajectory was one of the more remarkable in early-2010s roots music. The song had been on Old Crow Medicine Show's records since 2004, but it found new and expanding audiences through the 2009-2012 period, becoming one of the most covered songs on the folk and country festival circuit and eventually crossing into mainstream country when Darius Rucker released his version in 2013, which reached number one on the country charts.

For Old Crow Medicine Show, the "Wagon Wheel" phenomenon was a mixed blessing. The song brought enormous attention to the band, but it also created the risk of defining them by a single song that was, in important ways, atypical of their repertoire. The band's catalog was full of more abrasive, traditionally rooted old-time material that did not share the sing-along accessibility of "Wagon Wheel."

The co-writing credit situation was also notable: the song's chorus was Bob Dylan's, from an outtake recorded during the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid sessions in 1973. Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show wrote the verses. Dylan's estate held a co-writing credit, which meant that royalties from the Darius Rucker version's enormous commercial success were shared with Dylan's publishing, according to various reporting on the song's history.

The Old-Time Revival's Broader Context

Old Crow Medicine Show was the most commercially prominent act in a broader old-time revival that was happening across the roots music world in the late 2000s and early 2010s. String band camps and workshops (the Swannanoa Gathering, the Augusta Heritage Center, various regional events) were seeing increased enrollment. Young musicians who had grown up in the indie rock world were discovering old-time fiddle, banjo, and string band music and bringing it into their practice.

This revival was distinct from the bluegrass tradition (which had its own institutions and revival currents) and from the commercial folk revival of the early 2010s. Old-time music was rougher, more drone-based, and less commercially accessible than either. But it had a devoted community, and that community was growing during this period.

Artists like Crooked Still, Carolina Chocolate Drops (who brought specific attention to the African American roots of old-time music), and various regional practitioners were active during this period, all contributing to an awareness that old-time string band music was a living tradition worth learning and supporting.

Festival Circuit Economics

Old Crow Medicine Show's position on the festival circuit during this period was economically significant for the band and instructive for the broader roots music community. Festival booking fees for established acts at this level were meaningfully higher than club and theater touring fees, and the reach of a major festival appearance (Newport, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Bonnaroo) was broader than any regional tour could provide.

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco, a free annual event funded by the late Warren Hellman, was particularly important for West Coast exposure during this period. For roots and old-time acts, it was one of the best discovery events on the calendar, reaching a large, engaged audience that might not have attended paid festivals.

For independent artists watching Old Crow Medicine Show's festival circuit ascent, the lesson was that sustained investment in live performance quality and repertoire depth could build the kind of reputation that led to major festival invitations. There were no shortcuts in this process, but the trajectory was legible.

---

FAQ

How did Old Crow Medicine Show start? The band formed in the late 1990s in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and was discovered busking in Boone, North Carolina, by Doc Watson, who helped them establish connections in the old-time and folk music world.

What is "Wagon Wheel" and why is it significant? The song combined Bob Dylan's unfinished 1973 chorus outtake with new verses written by OCMS's Ketch Secor. It became one of the most covered songs on the folk and country circuit and crossed into mainstream country through Darius Rucker's 2013 version, which reached number one.

What is old-time music and how does it differ from bluegrass? Old-time music is a style rooted in early twentieth-century Appalachian string band traditions, typically featuring fiddle, banjo (frailing or clawhammer style), and other acoustic instruments. Bluegrass developed from old-time in the 1940s and is generally faster, more melodically complex, and features different banjo technique (three-finger picking). Old-time has rougher, more drone-based characteristics.

What festivals were important for Old Crow Medicine Show in this period? Newport Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, and Bonnaroo were among the most significant festival appearances for the band during 2009-2012.

Did Old Crow Medicine Show write Wagon Wheel entirely? No. The chorus came from a Bob Dylan outtake from 1973. Ketch Secor of OCMS wrote the verses and the band completed and recorded the song. Dylan holds a co-writing credit.