EAST HARDWICK – Originally released in 2017, the tune “Hardwick 1961” by Vermont musician Rick Norcross has been released again as the lead song on Airflyte Records’ latest album “The 2nd Bestest Songs I Ever Wrote.” Written in classic Western swing fiddle style, “Hardwick 1961” features Norcross as vocalist and Rambler Doug Reid, who was once the town clerk in Wheelock, on the fiddle.
The album cover photo of ‘The 2nd Bestest Songs I Ever Wrote,’ was taken at the very first East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization fundraiser at the East Hardwick Grange in June of 2018.
A collection of 11 songs by Rick & the All Star Ramblers Western Swing Band, the “2nd Bestest Songs I Ever Wrote” album includes tunes hand-selected by Norcross that are some of his favorites. The album was released in time to mark the singer songwriter’s 80th Birthday. It is the final album of a “Farewell To Fans” trilogy released after Norcross’ retirement.
Wishing to honor his East Hardwick roots, Norcross chose a cover photo taken in East Hardwick. Many of the songs in this collection reflect Norcross’ personal experiences and his love for his native Vermont and the Hardwick area.
The song “Welcome to Our Vermont” is an invitation for Northeast Kingdom tourists to experience Vermont the way it is. In this song Norcross remembers dinner at an old North Wolcott farm (with tough steak and no Tupperware), a hayride on Montgomery Road in East Hardwick and, of course, Mud Season. The song ends with the suggestion “If you don’t ski, we recommend you wait until Spring.”
“You’re in Heaven” is one of my personal favorites in the collection. The lyrics declare that you’re in heaven cruisin’ on Route 7 and mark the many Vermont towns along the way. It’s a take-off of the rhythm and blues song (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66, written by Bobby Troup and sung by Nat King Cole in 1946. “You’re in Heaven” features All Star Ramblers band members Doug Reid on the fiddle and Charlie MacFadyen on keyboard and the lap steel guitar.
Another of the songs Norcross chose for this final album is “Shelburne Yesterday.” The song is essentially a poem set to music and advises the listener to “hold on to all of your memories, hold them in your heart.” The lyrics are “a stumble through Vermont history, chronicling the town of Shelburne” explains Norcross who lived there until the age of 16. In “Shelburne Yesterday” Norcross remembers his school days and admits to his schoolboy nickname of “Space Happy” during what is known as the space race starting in 1955.
Although the Rick & the All Star Ramblers recording about riding on the Ti is not part of this album, the oldest songs in this collection “Yer Gonna Get Hurt” and “You’re in Heaven” were initially released on the album “I Rode The Ti” published in 2008. According to his biography, one of the greatest events in Rick’s boyhood occurred in 1954 when the steamboat Ticonderoga, also known as the Ti, was moved to the Shelburne Museum. The Ticonderoga is a restored steamboat that operated on Lake Champlain. It is a National Historic Landmark, the last steamer to have operated on Lake Champlain, and the last remaining side-wheel passenger steamer with a walking beam engine. As an employee of the museum his mother and her family were invited to ride with the dignitaries on the Ti’s last voyage.
Sung by Rambler Dave Rowell of Craftsbury, “Here’s Yer Hat, What’s Yer Hurry” is a humorous tale about family who are visiting but have worn out their welcome. The title is from a saying that Rick’s mother frequently inflicted on his friends when one of them got on her nerves. The song popularized the phrase “That’s not the way we do things in Vermont.”
This collection fittingly ends with “Riding My Guitar” a retrospective of Norcoss’ career of promoting, writing and performing music, starting with receiving his first guitar and music lessons from his neighbor Harold Patch of East Hardwick. This outro song shares its name with his biography “Riding My Guitar: The Rick Norcross Story” by Stephen Russell Payne published in 2013. In the lyrics Rick thanks his fans and explains his life’s work as “It’s all about the songs we play and what they say to you” mentioning the music, the friends, the Ramblers, the audiences, the miles traveled in the Pickle and all the music makers playing in Vermont. “Riding my guitar for 50 years and more. Who’d’ve ever thought that it would go this long or far? I’ve had such a good time, riding my guitar” croons the now retired singer and songwriter who will celebrate his 80th Birthday on March 23.
Music by Rick and The All Star Ramblers can be purchased at rickandtheallstarramblers.com. Norcross is donating $6 from each sale of his retirement albums, in the next three months, to the East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization. These albums are titled, “God Bless The Mighty Pickle,” “The Bestest Songs I Ever Wrote” and “The 2nd Bestest Songs I Ever Wrote.”
