The Oklahoma Storyteller ~ a 9 song docualbum
Vol1: Crossroads
Many Americans may see Oklahoma as a flyover state or just a way to drive to Texas. Driving modern highways that bypass small towns show off the diverse landscape of the state, from four mountain ranges to the Little Sahara sand dunes to the Black Mesa west of the eerily flat prairie skyline of what once was No Man’s Land in the Panhandle to the Eastern most side of the state including Ouachita National Forest and the edge of the Ozark Plateu. And just as Oklahoma is rich in a diverse landscape, it is also home both historically and geographically speaking the crossroads of the American story.
The King of Trails Highway, or Highway 75, once stretched from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada to Galveston, Texas. That highway was once connected by a bridge overlooking the Red River that would become the center of controversy and why an Oklahoma Governor would declare war on Texas in 1931.
Intersecting King of Trails Highway in downtown Sapulpa is American's famed Route 66. The longest stretch of the U.S. Highway is in Oklahoma, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles. The Mother Road was the path of choice during the Great Dustbowl Migration, when dust ridden farmers were looking for work and a safe haven from the ecological disasters created by the influx of part time out of state wheat farmers with poor farming practices.
Because of the Dustbowl in Oklahoma sharecropping became scarce and therefore forced people to find other work. With harsh working conditions Mutt was determined to get his family out of the mines. His son, nicknamed the Commerce Comet after his Oklahoma hometown, Mickey Mantle would go on to become one of the biggest heroes of America's pastime.
Then two territories Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, Oklahoma was the final stop of the Trail of Tears. Known for its affluent African American community that was named after Greenwood Ave. in Tulsa, The Greenwood District or "Black Wall Street" in 1921 became the site of The Tulsa Race Massacre. A Mexican immigrant saves the lives of 159 to 250 people in a coal mine running a mile and a half underground, and yet his heroics are all but forgotten. These tough histories of racial injustice in our nation are crossroads Americans have still not overcome today.
These histories, both good and bad are what have led us to this present moment we live in today. To prepare for tomorrow we must understand today. To understand today we must understand our history. And to understand American history, you must understand Oklahoma, the crossroads of the American story. These stories are written and recorded by Sarah Popejoy along with a multitude of Oklahoma talent.
Oklahoma and Related Talent on the Album
The list of all star names from Oklahoma that are on the record, added not only talent, but meaning to the songs themselves. Some were on purpose and some were just serendipitous. For instance, Ed Alstrom, who plays organ at Yankee stadium, plays organ on the song about Mickey Mantle called, "Father's Love for His Son".
Ken Pomeroy, Oklahoman and Cherokee on the latest Twisters soundtrack and album, is featured on the song about the Trail of Tears called, "The Trail Where We Cried". The title is taken from the direct Cherokee translation. Makayla Bearpaw, Cherokee and Oklahoman, adds her invaluable percussion to the song, while Timothy J.P. Gomez and his haunting Native American Flute takes the song to a spiritual place of remembrance.
While recording "A Day Like Any Day", a song about the Oklahoma City Bombing, our engineer Dan Heinrichs got chocked up and had to leave the room. When he came back he told us the story of how he was a firefighter that day and part of the rescue efforts. Having trouble finding the right background vocalist for the same song, Sarah came across Maddie Riggin's soaring vocals at an open mic in Tulsa. When asked to record on the song, she revealed that she used to take walks at the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum when she lived in downtown Oklahoma City.
A majority of the album was recorded at The Church Studio. Leon Russell had turned a Church into a studio and years later after his passing, Teresa Knox refurbished it and turned it into a world class recording studio and museum.
On two of the songs is Oklahoma Ambassador and skateboarding fiddler, Kyle Dillingham. On every song you can hear Brandon Autry, whose Dad was cousin to Gene, wail on electric guitar or slide and moan on his lap steel guitar.