ROYAL WADE KIMES MAKES VIDEO HISTORY
When Bobby Bare cut his monster hit song “500 Miles Away From Home” in 1963, country music videos didn’t exist, and rock videos were in their infancy. Now award-winning singer/songwriter Royal Wade Kimes has created the first-ever 500 mile on location live stretch video of the classic country song.
Royal Wade’s visually-rich video showcases his powerful cowboy country version of “500 Miles Away From Home,” released to radio July 12. The video was shot in various locations in Nashville and on the way to the award-winning performer’s hometown of Chester, Arkansas.
“I decided if we were going to shoot a video about a down-and-out musician’s 500-mile struggle to get home, I wanted the filming to actually depict a 500-mile journey,” declares Royal Wade, proclaimed the Best Living Western Solo Musician by True West magazine in December 2010. “And that’s what we did. It took us three weeks of filming to capture the entire journey.”
Before filming the video, Royal Wade studied the camera ideas that Sylvester Stallone used in the filming of the first “Rocky” and incorporated them into the video, making the video look more like a movie than a quick frame music video.
The high definition video covers everything from a one-night stand to action shots. There’s even a surprise appearance by Nashville’s own celebrated radio personality Bill Cody of legendary WSM. Cody was the first to interview Royal Wade when the talented Arkansas native first roared onto the country music scene in 1997.
Near the video’s end, the viewer, who has been hooked by the song, the video storyline and the remarkable visuals, suddenly realizes Royal Wade was dreaming the whole thing.
“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. In addition to writing hit songs for himself, his written hits for other artists, including Garth Brooks and Trace Adkins.
In a career spanning some 20 years, Royal Wade is known for going the distance. This time, the distance he’s covering with his history-making video and new single is exactly 500 miles. In an extraordinary twist of fate, the distance from his 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.”
For the latest Royal Wade news and music, check out royalwadekimes.com.