Shotgun Angel (song)
Encyclopedia
Shotgun Angel is the title of a song written by Bill Sprouse Jr.
.
The song was inspired by the many all night drives to and from concerts by Sprouse and his band The Road Home. As the band traveled in two old vans, they kept each other awake by talking and singing over the CB radio. The conversations between Bill and his sound technician Mike Shoup and drummer Ed McTaggart
became the idea behind the song. The band's name "The Road Home" proved prophetic for Bill when he died soon so young.
After Sprouse's untimely death at age 26, Shoup dug up an old 4 track tape and asked Dom Franco of the Maranatha!
group Bethlehem to add pedal steel guitar to the song. When Daniel Amos
heard it they decided to record the song and even name their second album
after it. The band also enlisted Franco to play the pedal steel and Mike and Ed to add the CB radio voices on the recording.
The song went on to become a popular song for D.A. in the years that followed, and would later be covered by The 77s
in 1999 for the D.A. tribute album
, When Worlds Collide
.
Bill Sprouse Jr.
Bill Sprouse Jr. was a Christian evangelist, singer and songwriter, and the musical force behind two groups in the early 1970s. Bill recorded several songs for Maranatha! Music and traveled extensively sharing the Gospel through his music. He was severely overweight and died at age 26...
.
The song was inspired by the many all night drives to and from concerts by Sprouse and his band The Road Home. As the band traveled in two old vans, they kept each other awake by talking and singing over the CB radio. The conversations between Bill and his sound technician Mike Shoup and drummer Ed McTaggart
Ed McTaggart
Ed McTaggart is an American drummer and artist. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band Daniel Amos.McTaggart joined DA in 1976, after years of playing with Bill Sprouse Jr.'s band The Road Home....
became the idea behind the song. The band's name "The Road Home" proved prophetic for Bill when he died soon so young.
After Sprouse's untimely death at age 26, Shoup dug up an old 4 track tape and asked Dom Franco of the Maranatha!
Maranatha! Music
Maranatha! Music began as a non-profit outreach of Calvary Chapel in 1971. The Jesus People of the late 1960s and early 1970s began to write new hymns and worship songs with a folk-rock style. Maranatha! Music was founded at this time in order to publish and promote this new type of Christian...
group Bethlehem to add pedal steel guitar to the song. When Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
heard it they decided to record the song and even name their second album
Shotgun Angel
Shotgun Angel is the title of a 1977 album released by Daniel Amos. The album itself is named after a song written by Bill Sprouse Jr.. For additional information on the song itself, see "Shotgun Angel "....
after it. The band also enlisted Franco to play the pedal steel and Mike and Ed to add the CB radio voices on the recording.
The song went on to become a popular song for D.A. in the years that followed, and would later be covered by The 77s
The 77s
The 77s are an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass, and Bruce Spencer on drums.-Scratch Band:...
in 1999 for the D.A. tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, When Worlds Collide
When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos
When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos is an indie tribute album by a variety of artists that pays musical tribute to the band Daniel Amos and its chief songwriter Terry Scott Taylor. It was released in July 2000 by Ferris Wheel....
.