Kentucky Morning by Darrell Scott

Written by multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Darrell Scott (“You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive”), “Kentucky Morning” is a decidedly southern song that oozes family—and Kentuckian—pride. Scott has just released the song on his album Old Cane Back Rocker (August 2023). It was also released by the late, great Kentucky native Bobby Osborne (Original / 2017, Compass Records), who happens to be the subject of this tribute issue. 

A Light Shines on Everyday Struggles

A former ASCAP and NSAI Songwriter of the Year, Scott has garnered many accolades, including these rich words from environmentalist, writer and musician Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate, who wrote, “Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest.”

That candid treatment of an everyday subject comes through in “Kentucky Morning,” which tells the story of many a southern family’s migration to the north, where factory work held promises of a good living. Written from the perspective of the one who stayed behind, the song also celebrates southern pride in the old home place. 

This song joins others in Scott’s catalog that pay homage to his Kentucky roots. “It’s literally my family’s story,” said Scott. “There’s a bit of fiction there because, at the end of the day, I’m a songwriter. I can make up stuff. But I start, in this case, from a factual view. It happened across the South, folks chasing work. There were car factories and steel mills near Chicago, and my dad worked in both. Two brothers were born in Dearborn, Michigan, and two in the Chicago area.  So many people left, yet there was a part of my family that never did. That’s the thread that says, ‘Home is home. It’s not Chicago or Akron or anywhere else.’”

Like his own home-loyal kindred, Scott’s character in the song eventually chose home over potential prosperity and the big city. While he did find himself working up north for a while, nothing could keep him there (I was there with my brother making factory pay/But Lord my soul was alone/And it was four in the morning I shut down my machine/And I told them: “I’m going home”).

“He’s had enough,” summed Scott. “I love the stubborn strength of that feeling. That’s so Kentuckian.” 

A Buried Song Finds Its Breath 

For a song that boasts the beauty of the dawn, “Kentucky Morning” took its time finding the light of day. Scott wrote the song more than 15 years ago, and said of its long genesis, “It’s funny. Some songs jump to the surface, with me playing or recording them quickly. Others stay around for years before I get back to them.” 

Part of what left the song “stalled” was a final verse that he never liked. “I didn’t think I pulled it off,” Scott explained. “But one day, I looked back and found it didn’t need that verse. When I took it away, the song stood right up as a complete story. It took me years to figure that out.” 

Now finished and twice-released, “Kentucky Morning” is complete and easy-to-follow. It features a strong hook that works, whether you hear it as “while life goes on and on” or “your bright lights don’t shine like a Kentucky morning.” It has two useful verses, a solid rhyme scheme, and a tender melody that reaches the heartstrings of anyone who has faced the choice of living where they’re most at home versus where the money is. 

While it’s the family connection that makes the song special to Scott, he also enjoys how the writing, especially the chorus, came together. “As Kentuckian as I am, I like that the chorus gets some basic ideas across and uses the whippoorwill as part of that,” he said. “The whippoorwill is an ancient thing in mountain songs. Hank Williams had him in ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,’ and in bluegrass, he shows up a lot. I know it’s a real bird, but it’s almost mythical. You don’t often see him, and when you hear him, he stands out.” 

A Bluegrass Icon Sings His Love of Home 

An anthem of pride in Kentucky, the song was a perfect fit for Osborne, who grew up in the remote community of Thousandsticks, near the larger town of Hyden, where a simple ride into town meant four hours on the back of a mule. 

Alison Brown of Compass Records talked of choosing “Kentucky Morning” with Osborne for his project, Original. “When I was gathering songs, I reached out to Darrell. He had written some great songs about Kentucky,” said Brown. “I mean, ‘You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive’ has to be one of the best songs ever written.” 

Of the songs Scott sent, “Kentucky Morning” stood out to Brown because of Osborne’s similar family history. “Bobby’s family had that story of folks coming from Kentucky, but going to Ohio to find work,” she continued. “I’m sure there were some who stayed behind, too, so I thought it would resonate with Bobby on a personal level, and it really did. When he sang ‘Kentucky Morning,’ it sounded like he owned that experience. We recorded that record when Bobby was 86. There’s something beautiful about hearing his 86-year-old voice, but also his 86 years of life reflected in the sentiments of the song.” 

Brown said of her friend’s legacy, “The Osborne Brothers took bluegrass to the four corners of the globe with the song ‘Rocky Top.’ People the world over have heard it, even if they haven’t heard any other bluegrass. And their humble start to having number one songs on the billboard country chart as a bluegrass band … what an achievement.” 

Scott, too, enjoyed Osborne’s version. “I was thrilled about his cutting the song,” said Scott. “He made it his own, and that’s all I could ask of anybody. And then Alison called me to sing baritone on Bobby’s version, and Dale Ann Bradley is singing the tenor. We’re all Kentuckians, and that was part of Alison’s thinking, too.” 

  Brown confirmed that she intentionally gathered this Eastern Kentucky trio of voices for the special feeling their heritage brought to the song’s recording. She explained, “The three of them, I believe, are from adjacent counties. I think we all felt it. It wasn’t just like singing another song.” 

Learn more about Darrell Scott, his songwriting, and his current album by visiting darrellscott.com. Check out Bobby Osborne’s full Original LP at Compassrecords.com.