“Train, Train” by Blackfoot

"Train, Train" was a family heirloom before Blackfoot ever got hold of it. Shorty Medlocke, grandfather of the band's frontman and guitarist Rickey Medlocke, wrote it and first cut it in 1971 with his daughter, billed as Shorty Medlock & Mickey with the Fla. Plow Hands, tucked away on the B-side of "If I Could Live It Over (I'd Be a Different Guy)".

Eight years on, the Southern rockers made it the second single from Strikes, their third album, and gave the old man the first word: Shorty's bluesy harmonica opens the track before the guitar riff comes barreling down the line. The Rolling Stone Album Guide later called it a "truly tough guitar workout", and it rode all the way to 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.