iceport wrote: Mon Sep 15, 2025 1:06 pm
Driving WheelAs has been known to happen, an instrument grabbed my attention first, then came a more careful listen, then finally a deeper appreciation for the song. I was on the second or so listen through this surprisingly pleasant late-career album that I had just discovered, when “George Harrison” showed up on a cover of “Drivin’ Wheel.” That’s a song that I’ve heard around before, and always thought was kind of cool, but I never really listened to closely. It’s really a sweet, powerful love song.
In this case, there’s a little bit of slide guitar playing early on that sounds eerily similar to George Harrison’s style. I hear it plain as day — though sometimes I hear similarities where others don’t. And it’s not like Harrison’s real-life playing hasn’t graced a Bromberg album before. He showed up for one track he co-wrote on Bromberg’s first album in 1972, possibly only a few years after Harrison started playing slide. (The Holdup (“Harrison” Version) But this was a 2013 release! His ghost must have been in the studio.
Anyway, I really came to love Bromberg’s version of Drivin’ Wheel. Between the spare use of the slide, the sax later on, laid-back keyboards, and the easy, comfortable groove throughout, this really strikes a chord. Bromberg’s long-time wife is among the backing vocals, and there are familiar names on the horns, from Bromberg’s “big band” days in the ’70s. Is Mark Cosgrove (?) the guitarist channeling Harrison on slide? Bromberg might not have the world’s most beautiful voice, but he can still tug at the heart strings when he gets all sentimental. And as always, Campbell makes it all sound gorgeous.
3 Drivin’ Wheel
Backing Vocals – Kathleen Weber, Nancy Josephson, Teresa Williams
Bass – Butch Amiot*
Drums – Josh Kanusky
Electric Guitar – Mark Cosgrove <— ?
Keyboards – Brian Mitchell
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – David Bromberg
Tenor Saxophone – John Firmin
Trombone – Harvey Tibbs
Trumpet – Peter Ecklund
Written-By – David Wiffen
• Recorded At – Levon Helm Studios
• Producer – Larry Campbell
A year before Bromberg’s self-titled first album came out, complete with that Harrison appearance, English-Canadian singer/songwriter David Wiffen released his self-titled album with his song Driving Wheel in 1971. (Interesting album, worth a listen of its own!)
Driving Wheel – David Wiffen – David Wiffen (1971)
The Cowboy Junkies also covered the tune.
Lost My Driving Wheel · Cowboy Junkies · Studio · 2008
The thing is, I never really got the term “driving wheel.” Sounds kind of old-fashioned and unusual. Made me wonder if Wiffen borrowed the term from Roosevelt Sykes, who wrote a different song by a similar name, “Driving Wheel Blues.” Though the roles are reversed on later versions of the tune, in the original version he sang, “People, I don’t have to work and I ain’t gonna rob and steal, My baby gives me everything I need, she is my driving wheel.” There’s even the same reference to returning on Saturday! That can’t be just a coincidence, can it?
Driving Wheel Blues – Roosevelt Sykes (The Honey Dripper) (Decca) Recorded February 18, 1936.
Good stuff, I’m enjoying it. Bromberg’s singing voice reminds me of Warren Zevon’s.
A “driving wheel” refers to a powered wheel that transmits motion and force, most notably on locomotives or vehicles. On steam locomotives, it is one of the large wheels connected to the pistons via rods, supplying the traction needed to move the train. In automobiles and machinery, a driving wheel is any wheel that receives power from the engine or motor and converts it into tractive force that moves the vehicle or mechanism. [merriam-webster]
