When folk legend Doc Watson heard Old Crow Medicine Show—in front of a pharmacy in Boone, North Carolina—he immediately gave them a spot in his MerleFest, and the band knew they had done something right. A residency at the Grand Ole Opry further nourished their drive. Then, after their take on an unfinished Bob Dylan tune, “Wagon Wheel,” gained national attention, Dylan himself suggested that the band complete another partial track he had from decades earlier.

There’s perhaps no surer sign of musical success, and Old Crow Medicine Show knows it.

But riffing off Dylan is nothing new for founding members Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua, who have been putting their own spin on Dylan and other folk legends since the ‘90s. Taking notes from the greats, they aim to find their personality through combining what they love best. Their sound is a Southern-fried combo platter of twangy Americana, with influences spanning across genres and back into the earliest days of recorded American music.

Old Crow Medicine Show
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Sept 24The band didn’t wait around for all this recognition before getting busy, though. From their earliest days of busking on street corners in New York and Canada, Old Crow Medicine Show has kept their foot on the gas. A relentless tour schedule keeps them moving, but they still find time to duck into the studio – frequently enough to release eight albums in the past 14 years. The most recent, Remedy, came out July 1, and features their collaborative track with Dylan, “Sweet Amarillo.”

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