TALENT
RUNAWAY EXPRESS
Runaway Express, a fixture of the Denver music scene for
20 years, announces the release of “Oh, Boy!”
a follow-up to their acclaimed “Yeah, Buddy!”,
released in 2000. Both are collections of tunes recorded by
the legendary West Texas rock innovator, Buddy Holly.
One might think that this band was ‘stuck in the ‘50s’.
Consider these facts and decide for yourself:
Last August Runaway Express performed an amazing 5-hour (no
breaks!!) All Woodstock Music Extravaganza featuring songs
by The Band, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane,
Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival,
Richie Havens, Neil Young, John Sebastian, the Grateful Dead
and The Who. They’ve been doing a summer Woodstock show
since 1994. Maybe they’re stuck in the ‘60s.
The band has backed up numerous artists, including the ‘Ragin’
Cajun’ Doug Kershaw, Chuck Berry, Michael Martin Murphy,
The Coasters, The Kingston Trio, and John Prine. In 1986 Runaway
Express joined forces with John McEuen of the Dirt Band, and
Jim and Salli continue to perform with John from time to time.
Runaway Express played a 30-song tribute to Bob Dylan at
The Taste Of Colorado in Denver. They are unafraid of lengthy
‘theme shows’ on almost any topic as they skip
through the years and musical genres.
Runaway Express claims an astounding repertoire of 2,000
songs.
The band has released many albums of original material during
their 20 years of recording. Their last release, “NATURE”,
was a collaboration with the Aerie Nature Series, featuring
a collection of Jim’s songs about wildlife and wild
places. These tunes have been used in school presentations
by Perry Conway and have been heard by tens of thousands of
Colorado kids. Jim has also written songs recorded by legendary
folk groups The Kingston Trio, The Limeliters, and The Dillards.
Runaway Express has performed at the Telluride Bluegrass
Festival 6 times and played the Red Rocks stage.
Jim’s song “HOWLIN’ AT THE MOON”
was recorded by world class instrumentalist and ‘king
of Telluride’, Sam Bush. It was the single release and
title track of his 1998 album and was #3 on the National Bluegrass
Charts for two months. The song was #79 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s
‘Top 200 Songs of the Decade’ list.
Runaway Express has received Westword’s ‘Best
of Denver’ awards for Best Country Recording, Best Collaboration
With An Established Star, and a reader’s choice for
Best Dance Band.
Jim’s work with members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
includes his involvement with The Wild Jimbos. The NGDB’s
Jimmy Ibbotson is the wildest Jimbo and their MCA “Wild
Jimbos” project included the single “Let’s
Talk Dirty In Hawaiian”. A summertime release, the video
of that song was in heavy rotation on the country music television
networks CMT and TNN. Swimming against the mainstream, Wild
Jimbos provided an eclectic alternative for country listeners
with their bluegrass flavored, country-folk inspired Colorado
Americana music. Ibbotson has written the best Colorado songs
this side of John Denver. Hour-long Wild Jimbo encores of
spontaneous and passionate musical explosions were not uncommon.
Sam Bush was in the band.
Runaway Express may be the most fearless request band in
the state. And, most remarkably, Jim and Salli have performed
together for 2 decades and remain happily married!
No, this group is not lost in the ‘50s any more than
they’re lost in the wonderful smorgasbord of classic
country, rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae and roots/Americana
music that has inspired 3 generations of Americans to allow
these songs to be the soundtrack of their lives.
Listen to Runaway Express give 14 Buddy Holly classics the
Runaway Express treatment on their new release “Oh,
Boy!” and come to a show with an oblique request. You
might be surprised.
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