Orville Johnson teaches the traditional blues song "Railroad Bill."
Taught by Orville Johnson in Songs with Orville Johnson seriesLength: 16:10Difficulty: 2.0 of 5

Orville Johnson teaches a select group of his favorite songs, including a few originals.
Lesson 1
Orville Johnson teaches his version of the classic blues song "Come Back Baby."
Length: 29:43 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 2
Orville Johnson teaches a classic blues song entitled "Depot Blues." This lesson was inspired by the blues great Son House.
Length: 35:31 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 3
Orville Johnson teaches the traditional blues song "Railroad Bill."
Length: 16:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Orville teaches the classic blues song "Bye Bye Baby Blues" by Little Hat Jones.
Length: 21:48 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 5
Orville Johnson teaches the classic "Spanish Fandango."
Length: 32:50 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 6
Orville Johnson teaches a classic song entitled "A Bicycle Built for Two." This song is also known as "Daisy Bell."
Length: 23:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
About Orville Johnson
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Orville Johnson was born in 1953 in Edwardsville, Illinois and came up on the St. Louis, Missouri music scene, where he was exposed to and participated in a variety of blues, bluegrass and American roots music. He began singing in his Pentecostal church as a young boy, in rock bands in middle school, then took up the guitar at 17,with early influences from Doc Watson, Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, and Chuck Berry. In the early 1970's, Orville spent several seasons playing bluegrass on the SS Julia Belle Swain, a period-piece Mississippi river steamboat plying the inland waterways, with his group the Steamboat Ramblers.
Orville moved to Seattle, Washington in 1978, where he was a founding member of the much-loved and well-remembered folk/rock group, the Dynamic Logs. Other musical associates include Laura Love, Ranch Romance, File' Gumbo Zydeco Band, Scott Law, and the Twirling Mickeys. Johnson, known for his dobro and slide guitar stylings and vocal acrobatics, has played on over 100 albums. He has appeared on Garrison Keilor's Prairie Home Companion, Jay Leno's Tonight Show and was featured in the 1997 film Georgia with Mare Winningham. His musical expertise can also be heard on the Microsoft CD-ROMs, Musical Instruments of the World and the Complete Encyclopedia of Baseball. He teaches as well at the International Guitar Seminar, Pt. Townsend Country Blues Week and Puget Sound Guitar Workshop.
Orville released 4 recordings in the 1990's: The World According to Orville (1990) Blueprint for the Blues (1998) Slide & Joy (1999) an all-instrumental dobro tour de force and Kings of Mongrel Folk (1997) with Mark Graham. He also appeared on 4 discs with the File' Gumbo Zydeco Band and produced Whose World Is This (1997) for Jim Page and Inner Life (1999) for Mark Graham. In the 21st century, he has released Freehand, a new Kings of Mongrel Folk disc, Still Goin' Strong, and been featured in the soundtracks of PBS' Frontier House and the Peter Fonda flick The Wooly Boys as well as the compilation cd Legends of the Incredible Lap Steel Guitar.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Hi Orville. I have just started learning Railroad Bill. The Tab is great up to the E chord but not so great after that. Can you check the Tab when you get a chance. Dancer. It is your style of playing that Iwant to play . Dancer
Orville, Thanks so much for this lesson. I especially like your concept of singing the song along with the Chords before going any further. I have been playing for a short time and always pick up a new idea. Thanks Dennis
Orville hello! I noticed that the tab for F chord is completely different with your video and the melody notes in the tab in this part differ with original. Is it correct?
I think I'm playing it with some variations included the first time I play it for you. Then when I break it down for you I don't include all of those. I think the tab corresponds with the way I teach it. Once you learn that you can probably figure out the variations for yourself or make up a few of your own...oj
En français : très chouette assez facile juste le doigté index majeur annulaire plus académique contrairement à la vidéo ou seul l'index et le majeur d'orville sont utilisés l'annulaire reposant sur la guitare. J'ai quand même travaillé 2h par jour pendant 6 jours. Merci
Nice tune, but a little frustration as I have small hands and can't thumb over to make F this way, or fret G with 2,3,4. I noticed most of the instructors have large hands so this thumb over thing is no problem...but it is a big issue for we small handed folk.
great tune! however I noticed on video that when you change to the E, your thumb alternates between the 6th and 4th strings. Not the 6 4 5 4 as in the tabs. It sounds great though. I guess it doesn't make much difference then. I find it less confusing that way.
its true that occasionally I vary from the tab in the video. That's mostly because I try to present a basic version of the tune for you to learn but, of course, if I were just playing the tune as I normally do I put variations in all the time. Good work on your part to notice the difference and you can play that line either way and it will work. In fact, learn both ways and mix them and you'll be further down the road to being able to create your own variations.
I find this lesson a lot harder the depot blues. Or is it just me?
that might be because this lesson requires your thumb to do a lot more work than in Depot Blues. It takes awhile to get the hang of the alternating bass style. Don't give up.
Thanks Orville, I believe it is the syncopated notes that are throwing me off. Singing the song is helping. Also, in my 56 years never have I used the word syncopated so this is a english lesson for me also.:))) Don
More Oriville...More Oriville...More Oriville...
wow, you're fast Matt, much appreciated :)
orville: Your finger picking lessons are the best on here, but we need tab for railroad bill. Thanks. Peace
I'm working on it as we speak. It will be up later today.
All done!