ROYAL WADE KIMES TREKS 500 MILES IN NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO
Award-winning performer Royal Wade Kimes—known for writing hit songs for himself and other artists, including Garth Brooks and Trace Adkins—has done the unexpected: his hot new single was written by someone else 48 years ago!
The new single, showcasing Royal Wade’s signature cowboy country musical style, is a powerful, unforgettable version of Bobby Bare’s classic “500 Miles Away From Home,” written by Bare, Charlie Williams and Hedy West.
Early reviews of Royal Wade’s new take on the 1963 hit song have been remarkable raves. Noted Nashville music critic Stacy Harris declared, “If a listener had never heard Bobby Bare’s classic recording…one would swear Kimes’ was the definitive version.”
The single will hit radio’s desk the first week in July, with the video being released shortly after the single. Staying true to the song’s message, Royal Wade—proclaimed the Best Living Western Solo Musician by nationally-acclaimed True West magazine in December 2010—traveled 500 miles while shooting the video for the single.
“Most videos are wrapped up in a day or so,” notes Royal Wade, “but I decided if we were going to shoot a video about a guy’s 500-mile struggle to get home, I wanted the filming to actually depict a 500-mile journey. And that’s what we did. It took us three weeks of filming in multiple locations in Tennessee and Arkansas to capture the entire journey.”
In an extraordinary twist of fate, the distance from Royal Wade’s Tennessee ranch to his father’s ranch in Chester, Arkansas, is exactly 500 miles. “Some would call that an omen,” chuckles Royal Wade. “Me, I call it destiny.”
The accomplished singer/songwriter candidly reveals he likes making history. “When the great Bobby Bare’s monster hit song was originally cut, video didn’t exist,” he explains. “So this will be the first-ever video covering this classic country song—and it’s one of the most extensive shoots for a three-minute song in country music history.”
In a tip of the hat to his own career, Royal Wade asked celebrated radio personality Bill Cody of Nashville’s WSM radio to appear in the “500 Miles Away from Home” video. Cody was the first to interview Royal Wade when the talented Arkansas native first roared onto the country music scene in 1997.
“500 Miles Away From Home” is the second single from Crossing The Roads, Royal Wade’s tenth album. The CD’s debut single, “I’m An Ole Song,” released earlier this year, was an international hit
Royal Wade, often compared to Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash, has performed in front of hundreds of thousands of fans in 30 states at fairs, festivals, rodeos, conventions, night clubs, theaters and special venues, including NASCAR events, the historic Grand Ole Opry and Disney World. His numerous country, gospel and western albums, powered by an array of hit singles, have contributed to his lasting popularity.
For the latest Royal Wade news and music, check out royalwadekimes.com.