The outbreak of tornadoes in the Midwest during the second of April of this year prompted me to put the finishing touches to this blog, which was begun earlier and then put aside. It is fitting that I would finish this at this time because the subject of the song is a tornado which occurred 41 years ago on April 3-4, 1974.
After Hurricane Katrina, Russel said "People need to be cautious because anything built by man can be destroye Honore d by Mother Nature." The saying "Mother Nature" is often used to refer to the natural world as if it were a woman. Most times we think of Mother Nature in benevolent and even loving ways. Mother Nature can also be said to be a bitter, mean and vindictive woman who has been credited with wrecking havoc on many places on Earth, often times killing or maiming hundreds or thousands at a time.
A is a sudden series of events that cause damage, often over a large area, brought about by forces other than human action. These events result in death and injuries to a number of people, with accompanying property damages. Examples of such natural disasters include floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, hurricanes, and tornadoes. natural disa ster
A number of songs have been written about natural disasters. Some of these will be subjects of future blogs on this site. The song which is the subject of this blog is based on the record-setting Super Outbreak tornado event of April 3-4, 1974. These tornadoes covered a large part of the eastern half of the United States, up to Ontario, Canada. At least 148 tornadoes ripped through this vast area, killing 330 people and injuring another 5484, and doing $600 M (in 1974 U.S, dollars) in damages in just 18 hours.
The 1974 Super Outbreak was the worst tornado outbreak of the 20th century. Some would argue that it even outranks the more recent April 25-28, 2011 tornado outbreak with its fantastic 358 tornadoes. It should be kept in mind, however, that this higher number of tornadoes occurred over a longer period of time. Further, the 1974 outbreak included a higher number of F4 or F5 tornadoes: 23 F4 and seven F5.
While it is not the purpose of the blog to go into in-depth detail about specific tornadoes in the 1974 Super Outbreak (this link does that) , one example from Ohio (appropriate since "Oh! What a Storm" deals with an Ohio tornado) will be briefly discussed. The first F5 tornado of the outbreak struck the city of Xenia, Ohio, at 4:40 pm EDT. It was the deadliest tornado of the Super Outbreak, killing 32 and injuring about 1,150. It completely destroyed about one-fourth of the city and caused severe damage in another fourth of the city. The storm first hit the western part of Xenia, completely wiping out the Windsor Park and Arrowhead subdivisions. The tornado quickly moved into central Xenia, flattening homes, apartment buildings, businesses, churches, and schools, including Xenia High School. Students practicing for a play took cover in the central hallway moments before the storm dropped a school bus through the roof and onto the stage where they had been standing. Several railway cars were lifted and blown over as the tornado passed over a moving Penn Central train in the center of town. It blew over tombstones in the Cherry Grove Cemetery, and passed nearly the length of the business district, damaging the exterior of the courthouse and destroying numerous businesses. It passed out of Xenia through the Pinecrest Garden District, which was extremely damaged. The damages to Xenia were estimated at $100 M (in 1974 US dollars).
"Oh, What A Storm" was written in 1981 by Ron Thomason, founder of the bluegrass band, The Dry Branch Fire Squad. The Ohio-based Dry Branch Fire Squad was founded in 1976 and has been described as an "aggressively traditional" band strongly rooted in bluegrass and old-time music. The band's performances (best heard on their live CDs or in person) combine their blend of bluegrass, old- time, and Southern Gospel music with humor and occasional political commentary.
Their song "Oh, What A Storm" appears on their 1981 Rounder LP (and cassette) "Antiques & Inventions" and on their 1988 Rounder CD "Tried and True". It is played and sung at a brisk meter that recalls a quickly moving tornado. The song is relatively short (2:08), but conveys the terror and destruction of the storm. At the same time, it contains Biblical references to hope and safety in the midst of the storm. The last verse concl udes:
"So now People take warning when there is lightening and thunder
It can tear down your house and it can rend you asunder
It can steep you in fear of the almighty sky.
The only shelter from the storm is in heaven on high."
After Hurricane Katrina, Russel said "People need to be cautious because anything built by man can be destroye Honore d by Mother Nature." The saying "Mother Nature" is often used to refer to the natural world as if it were a woman. Most times we think of Mother Nature in benevolent and even loving ways. Mother Nature can also be said to be a bitter, mean and vindictive woman who has been credited with wrecking havoc on many places on Earth, often times killing or maiming hundreds or thousands at a time.
A is a sudden series of events that cause damage, often over a large area, brought about by forces other than human action. These events result in death and injuries to a number of people, with accompanying property damages. Examples of such natural disasters include floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, hurricanes, and tornadoes. natural disa ster
A number of songs have been written about natural disasters. Some of these will be subjects of future blogs on this site. The song which is the subject of this blog is based on the record-setting Super Outbreak tornado event of April 3-4, 1974. These tornadoes covered a large part of the eastern half of the United States, up to Ontario, Canada. At least 148 tornadoes ripped through this vast area, killing 330 people and injuring another 5484, and doing $600 M (in 1974 U.S, dollars) in damages in just 18 hours.
The 1974 Super Outbreak was the worst tornado outbreak of the 20th century. Some would argue that it even outranks the more recent April 25-28, 2011 tornado outbreak with its fantastic 358 tornadoes. It should be kept in mind, however, that this higher number of tornadoes occurred over a longer period of time. Further, the 1974 outbreak included a higher number of F4 or F5 tornadoes: 23 F4 and seven F5.
While it is not the purpose of the blog to go into in-depth detail about specific tornadoes in the 1974 Super Outbreak (this link does that) , one example from Ohio (appropriate since "Oh! What a Storm" deals with an Ohio tornado) will be briefly discussed. The first F5 tornado of the outbreak struck the city of Xenia, Ohio, at 4:40 pm EDT. It was the deadliest tornado of the Super Outbreak, killing 32 and injuring about 1,150. It completely destroyed about one-fourth of the city and caused severe damage in another fourth of the city. The storm first hit the western part of Xenia, completely wiping out the Windsor Park and Arrowhead subdivisions. The tornado quickly moved into central Xenia, flattening homes, apartment buildings, businesses, churches, and schools, including Xenia High School. Students practicing for a play took cover in the central hallway moments before the storm dropped a school bus through the roof and onto the stage where they had been standing. Several railway cars were lifted and blown over as the tornado passed over a moving Penn Central train in the center of town. It blew over tombstones in the Cherry Grove Cemetery, and passed nearly the length of the business district, damaging the exterior of the courthouse and destroying numerous businesses. It passed out of Xenia through the Pinecrest Garden District, which was extremely damaged. The damages to Xenia were estimated at $100 M (in 1974 US dollars).
"Oh, What A Storm" was written in 1981 by Ron Thomason, founder of the bluegrass band, The Dry Branch Fire Squad. The Ohio-based Dry Branch Fire Squad was founded in 1976 and has been described as an "aggressively traditional" band strongly rooted in bluegrass and old-time music. The band's performances (best heard on their live CDs or in person) combine their blend of bluegrass, old- time, and Southern Gospel music with humor and occasional political commentary.
Their song "Oh, What A Storm" appears on their 1981 Rounder LP (and cassette) "Antiques & Inventions" and on their 1988 Rounder CD "Tried and True". It is played and sung at a brisk meter that recalls a quickly moving tornado. The song is relatively short (2:08), but conveys the terror and destruction of the storm. At the same time, it contains Biblical references to hope and safety in the midst of the storm. The last verse concl udes:
"So now People take warning when there is lightening and thunder
It can tear down your house and it can rend you asunder
It can steep you in fear of the almighty sky.
The only shelter from the storm is in heaven on high."