Reno Gets a Little Musical Appreciation

I grew up in a household where we listened to both kinds of music – country AND Western. (Tip of the hat to the Blues Brothers.) But a person doesn’t even have to be a fan of that music genre to know that Reno is the place where Johnny Cash shot a man just to watch him die, it’s an awfully well-known lyric. But the thing is, even though the Man in Black isn’t the only artist to make mention of the Biggest Little City, his “Folsom Prison Blues,” is the song that most often comes to mind. I mean, it's been covered, literally, about 200 times over the years. So let’s shine a light on some other times we got some musical recognition. Photo at left: Wikimedia Commons, Roman Eugeniusz.

Probably the next-best-known ditty is Doug Supernaw’s 1993 song with the short and sweet name, “Reno,” in which he bemoans his drinking and gambling and compares his lost love to the city. It was quite a hit for Supernaw and was his first song to make it not only into the Top 10, but all the way up to the Top 5, peaking at number four. I thought it was a good song and didn’t so much mind the way it set the casinos and the gaming industry up as a parallel to his girlfriend, as in being heartless and uncaring and out to take him for all he was worth. But the Reno mayor at the time, Pete Sferazza (now a judge at the Justice Court), stood up for the community and let it be known that we didn’t much appreciate the sentiment. And to be fair, he did have a good point; for a place that depends on tourism revenue, the song wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Photo at right: Facebook, Doug Supernaw.

Another tune that at one time had Reno in the title is Woody Guthrie’s “Philadelphia Lawyer,” and it's also sometimes known as the “Reno Blues.” It’s from way back in the 1940s and has since been covered by dozens of other artists, including Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Don McLean and Willie Nelson.

And it seems Merle Haggard liked to sing about us, because he also did pretty well with “The Kentucky Gambler” in 1974, in which a fellow comes out West to the casinos, goes bust and returns home to find that he has no one waiting for him there. The thing about this song is that even though the Hag took it to the #1 spot and got acclaim for it, it’s actually a cover of a song written by Dolly Parton and performed by her on her Bargain Store album in 1975. Photo at left: Wikimedia Commons, RCA Records.

Then we’ve got Marty Robbins with a woman “Waiting in Reno,” Kitty Wells getting ready to leave town in her “Reno Airport, Nashville Plane,” and “Roses to Reno,” which was done a few times, but most famously by Eddy Arnold.

By now you’re thinking Reno is popular only among the boots-buckles-and-hats crowd. But while it’s true that country (AND Western!) folk seem to think about the town more than others do, we’re not entirely neglected by those who play in other styles of music.  R.E.M. gave us “All the Way to Reno (You’re Going to Be a Star).”  And Reno makes an appearance in Tom Waits’ “Hang On St. Christopher,” (also covered by Rod Stewart). And from actually not too long ago, the Counting Crows song, “Palisades Park” mentions Reno quite a bit (without ever referencing gaming or the casinos, if you can believe that!) Photo at right: Wikimedia Commons, Taylor Spaulding.

Chances are, I’ve neglected to mention your favorite song that pays attention to Reno, particularly if you are into the indie scene. Drop a line and let’s get ‘em on the list.