How a discarded Bob Dylan fragment became a modern American roots music anthem
In short: Ketch Secor, the frontman of Old Crow Medicine Show, transformed a brief, unfinished 1973 Bob Dylan recording session snippet into the enduring hit Wagon Wheel. This song, which blends Appalachian history with a punk-rock spirit, helped spark a national revival in banjo-driven, old-time music during the early 2000s.
Born in 1978, Ketch Secor developed his musical identity while attending Phillips Exeter Academy, where he discovered the banjo and the songwriting of Bob Dylan. While homesick for Virginia, Secor expanded a short, unreleased Dylan outtake titled Rock Me Mama into a complete narrative. He added verses detailing long New England winters and the experience of hitchhiking south, effectively bridging his personal history with the broader American folk tradition. The resulting song, Wagon Wheel, was released by Old Crow Medicine Show in 2004 and eventually became a platinum-certified country standard.
The band’s trajectory shifted significantly in 2000 after they were discovered busking on a street corner in Boone, North Carolina. The folk-country legend Doc Watson heard them performing and invited the group to play at his annual MerleFest music festival. This opportunity served as a vital catalyst, leading the band to relocate to Nashville and eventually join the Grand Ole Opry in 2013. Secor’s work is deeply rooted in musicology and Appalachian history, a focus that extends beyond his songwriting into his recent children’s literature and his ongoing efforts to document the regional stories of the American South.
Secor’s career reflects a synthesis of diverse influences, from the African origins of the banjo to the European roots of the fiddle, which he describes as the big bang of Southern music. His creative process remains tied to this lineage, as evidenced by his 2025 solo project, Story the Crow Told Me. This album features a triptych of songs that chronicle the band's early days, including their discovery by Watson and their initial struggles in Nashville. By layering historical narratives with modern musical sensibilities, Secor continues to explore the evolving identity of country music as a destination for the American story.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ketch Secor Biography | Country Music | Ken Burns | PBS
- Also: Ketch Secor
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