Old Crow Medicine Show

Lore & Background

Ketch Secor and Chris 'Critter' Fuqua met in seventh grade in Harrisonburg, Virginia and began playing music together. Secor later attended Ithaca College in New York, where he brought Fuqua and met Willie Watson, who had been playing in the band The Funnest Game. Together with Kevin Hayes and others, they recorded a cassette of ten songs called Trans:mission and embarked on a busking tour across Canada in October 1998. In spring 1999, they moved into a farmhouse on Beech Mountain near Boone, North Carolina, where they were embraced by the Appalachian community.

While busking outside Boone Drug in Boone, North Carolina, in 2000, the band was discovered by folk-country legend Doc Watson, who invited them to perform at his annual MerleFest. This led to relocation to Nashville in October 2000 and a Grand Ole Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium in January 2001. The group's signature song 'Wagon Wheel' originated from a Bob Dylan bootleg rough outtake called 'Rock Me, Mama', which Secor expanded with his own verses. Secor and Dylan signed a co-writing agreement in 2003, sharing copyright on a 50–50 split. The song was certified platinum in April 2013.

Reader's Guide

Old Crow Medicine Show's significance lies in their role as a bridge between traditional American folk and contemporary Americana. Discovered by Doc Watson while busking, they brought an old-time string sound fueled by punk rock energy to a new generation, directly influencing the rise of acts like Mumford & Sons. Their Grammy-winning album Remedy and induction into the Grand Ole Opry cemented their place in the mainstream of roots music. The band's commitment to busking and street performance shaped their energetic live shows, and their song 'Wagon Wheel' became a modern folk standard, covered widely including by Darius Rucker. Through appearances at major festivals, a Grammy-winning documentary (Big Easy Express), and a New Year's Eve residency at the Ryman, they helped revive interest in banjo-picking string bands and pre-war folk and blues, leaving a lasting impact on the Americana genre.

Did You Know?

• Doc Watson discovered the band while they were busking outside a pharmacy in Boone, North Carolina, in 2000.
• Their song 'Wagon Wheel' was co-written with Bob Dylan, who credited the phrase 'Rock me, mama' to bluesman Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup.
• The band was featured in the music documentary Big Easy Express, which won a Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video in 2013.
• They received the 2013 Trailblazer Award from the Americana Music Association.