Americana Highways brings you this song premiere of Charles Wesley Godwin’s “Strawberry Queen,” from his album Seneca due out February 15th. The album was produced by Al Torrence, and features Eric Heywood (Son Volt, Ray LaMontagne) on pedal steel and Ben Townsend (Hillbilly Gypsies) on fiddle and banjo.
Growing up in Appalachia, Godwin has some observations to share on West Virginia life, and producer Al Torrence helped highlight that on the album. From the old timey rhythms, to the clarity of the acoustic guitar and stringed instruments, this one will take you back to a old style country barndance love story. “I never would’ve guessed it in a hundred years or more… I’d meet a lowland angel like I’d never seen before.”
“Strawberry Queen” is all about my wife. It’s my reflections on how we met and how surprised I was that I’d fall for someone not from the mountains. She comes from Plant City, Florida which is the strawberry capital of the world. That’s where the idea for the song came into my mind.
The song was really influenced by the Carter family and how A.P. would compose a melody. I thought producer, Al Torrence, did a great job on this one of bringing that out of the song. The way it ended up on the album is exactly how I’d heard it in my head while writing it. This was one of those songs that came quick. I was dog-sitting for some friends, sitting in their living room with all the dogs around my feet and came out with this after a couple of hours start to finish.
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