Behind The Song: The Century-Long Lineage of Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor’s “Wagon Wheel”

This headline comes as no surprise. People who barely even know the name Bob Dylan know that he’s had his hands on the writing process of countless hit songs. So much so that it seems whenever we hear a folk or country hit it seems to be an inevitable truth that Dylan had something to do with it. Well, that notion is also true for one of the 21st century’s biggest folk/country hits—”Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show.

Primarily known for Darius Rucker’s cover, “Wagon Wheel” was originally released by OCMS in 2004. Though, before OCMS recorded it, and Rucker made it a hit. The song floated in the world of country and folk music for generations upon generations. It is a tale of folklore, lack of ownership, and everything that makes a folk song, truly a folk song.

Wayfaring “Wagon Wheel”

Much like the tune’s hitchhiking protagonist. The song itself has taken a ride through time. According to Ketch Secor on a Bobby Jones podcast, when Secor went to publish the song alongside Dylan. Dylan confessed that he didn’t even write it. Rather, he learned it from Big Boy Crudup. However, Crudup didn’t claim to have written the song either but learned it from Big Bill Broonzy.

The lineage of the song nearly spans an entire century of musicians. In the podcast, Secor marveled at this fact stating, “‘Wagon Wheel’ sees a shared authorship among three African-Americans, a Jewish musical icon, and me. That’s how far it took to get to Darius and go No. 1.” Incredible and so fitting that the song’s nature incidentally matches the subject matter articulated in the lyrics.

Secor’s Discovery

Just last February, OCMS celebrated the 20th anniversary of their most popular song. Given the celebration, the band posted a video in which Secor divulged how and when he discovered the song. He was a senior in high school when he discovered the 1973 Dylan bootleg titled “Rock Me Mama,” and it was a mere segment of the song that was approximately “37 seconds long.”

“I heard it and I knew it was going to be a great song, it just needed a little bit of doctoring it up and I had the audacity to finish up that Bob Dylan song and the rest was hillbilly history,” Secor stated in the video. Needless to say, the story behind this tune is arguably better than the actual song. It is purely folkloric and reminds listeners of the deep-seated roots of folk music in the United States.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images