Dakota Roadhouse Queen

Robert Palomo

a.k.a. “The Ballad of Big Celine”

What ever happened to ballads - stories told in song? The internet and TV have reduced attention spans, and long songs a la Don McLean, Harry Chapin, and Gordon Lightfoot have fallen by the wayside. If you can still focus on 1 song for 6 whole minutes, you might enjoy this little R&B-influenced story-song.

Before you ask, yes… Big Celine is based on several true stories in experienced in my days as a road warrior musician traveling the upper Midwest. Celine managed a big club in North Dakota… I think maybe it was Grand Forks. Her physical person was as described, and she could be a badass. But the biker incident is a rather exaggerated retelling of something that happened at another joint out in Wyoming. So it’s based on a combination of several true stories.

I find I wrote it back in 2004. It’s never been recorded, and until now only my cats have heard it. I offer it to you alonetoners first, as a little holiday present.