Welcome to the world of Drifting Cowboy Music.
This is the home of my life long passion of song writing. I have been writing songs for over thirty years influenced by my love of roots rockabilly music, blues, rhythm 'n' blues, vocal group sounds, and country music. I take my inspiration from all of these styles of music. There are some samples of songs I have written and co-written that you can listen to at the foot of the page.
From a very young age I found the lyrics to obscure 1950s rockabilly and blues songs fascinating, the different outlook on life, the humour, the male chauvinism, songs about devils and trains, sinners and angels, little green men and hot rod cars, big fat mamas and skinny mamas, long gone daddies and wild wild women . Listening to these songs was like peeping through a hole into another world, the records themselves that I still collect also fascinated me with their colourful and creative labels, the amazing music provided by field hand men and wannabe Elvis Presleys. I was addicted from a very young age and I am still a junkie for the music.
Chuck Berry's ' Down Bound Train' was a big influence on me, the lyrics to that song are fantastic, a tale about a man that dreams he is going to Hell on a train with the Devil. The descriptive words that Chuck Berry used could have come straight from the pen of Edgar Allan Poe :
'The engine with blood was sweaty and damp
And brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp,
And imps for fuel were shovelling bones
While the furnace rang with a thousand groans.'
When you couple that story to the driving music provided by Chuck Berry and the Chess label session men, you have a masterpiece. The music perfectly provides the feel of a runaway train, it is far more than a song, it's a few minutes of drama and theatre presented on a magical disc. It is still to this day easily one of my favourite records.
Hank Williams is second to nobody when it comes to song writing, the man was a poet and the tag the 'hillbilly shakespeare' is very fitting in my opinion. He wrote so many fabulous songs and many are saturated in pain and emotional torment and sorrow. I think Hank Williams is the benchmark for all aspiring song writers. Listening to Chuck Berry & Hank Williams recordings there is no end of inspiration. Buddy Holly is another musical hero of mine and a fantastic artist whose life was way too brief! He wrote so many fabulous songs in his short life it is staggering. I love the simplicity of Buddy's lyrics. He said it all in a few lines. These three artists more than any others have inspired me and continue to do so.
My musical influences are many but I am inspired by people like : Sam Phillips, Hank Williams, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Charlie Feathers, Johnny and Dorsey Burnette, Buddy Holly, amongst others. I got the idea for my first song 'Meteor' from the Meteor Record Label in 1987, it was a Charlie Feathers 45 called 'Tongue Tied Jill' . I wrote the song and took it to a friend of mine ( Hugh Thomas) who had a rockabilly combo called 'The Drag Strip Trio', Hugh liked the idea and added his input and arranged it, they included the song in their set and it was a big thrill hearing that idea come to life and belted out. I haven't stopped writing songs since.
I am fortunate that some of my oldest (and newest) friends are talented and creative musicians, people I have been able to share ideas with and then see those ideas come to life. I was founder member and rhythm guitarist with the 'Bop Shack Stompers' along with Craig Shaw , Adam Wakefield, Roger Van Niekerk in the 1990's. I was a f ounder member and rhythm guitarist with the 'Excellos' up until 2010 with Craig Shaw , Trev 'TC' Collins, and Adam Wakefield. I am songwriter and rhythm guitarist with the 'Sirocco Bros'. I regularly pitch songs to other musicians and I have collaborated with Darrel Higham, Bill Fadden, Al Willis, Marcel Bontempi, Lee Gocher, Craig Shaw, Adam Wakefield,Elliot Jones and Richard Hawley.
If you are a musician and have ideas you would like to share, or need ideas for original songs, please contact me for possible collaboration.
Thanks for looking in.
Paul Sheahan
Drifting Cowboy Music Co.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE SONGS THAT I HAVE WRITTEN AND CO-WRITTEN
The Drag Strip Trio - 1980's
Meteor........Sheahan / Thomas
The Sun Doesn't Shine Any More ...Sheahan / Thomas
The Bop Shack Stompers -1990's
Meteor...Sheahan / Thomas
Daddy-O...Sheahan
Jekyll & Hyde...Sheahan
Call Of The Wild...Sheahan / Shaw
50 Miles From Judgement Day...Sheahan / Shaw
Dangerous Blonde...Sheahan / Shaw
Kitty Rocks The Cradle... Sheahan / Shaw
The Excellos - 2008
You Don't Care...Sheahan
Jekyll & Hyde...Sheahan
The Sirocco Bros. - 2010
I Put A Hex On You...Sheahan / wakefield
Devil Angel..Wakefield / Sheahan
Flyin' Saucers...Sheahan / Wakefield
Stomp...Sheahan / Wakefield
Lightning Bolt..Sheahan / wakefield
Devil Bones...Sheahan / Wakefield
Shake ..Sheahan / Wakefield
Davey Jones Locker..Sheahan / Wakefield
Sirocco...Sheahan / Wakefield
Cat...Sheahan / Wakefield
Vortex..Sheahan / Wakefield
Get Behind Me Satan..Sheahan / Wakefield
Move Out ...Sheahan / Wakefield
El Diablo..Sheahan / Wakefield
Devil's Guitar ..........Sheahan / Wakefield / Hawley
Bop.......Sheahan / Wakefield
Hoo Doo ....Sheahan / Wakefield
The Beat Of Love....Sheahan / Wakefield
Mooch Around........Sheahan / Wakefield
Hobo Jump......Sheahan / Wakefield
Come On In..................Sheahan / Wakefield
Rock and Roll.......Sheahan / Wakefield
Cryin' Cat Blues .......Sheahan / Wakefield
Lone Wolf.........Sheahan / Wakefield
Alcatraz ..........Sheahan / Wakefield
Mean Old Sky ...... Sheahan / Wakefield
Dead Bandidos ..........Sheahan / Wakefield
The Skull........Sheahan / Wakefield
My Pretty Witch .........Sheahan / Wakefield
Chicken Bone ...........Sheahan / Wakefield
On The Mountain.......Sheahan / Wakefield
Tiki Head............................Sheahan / Wakefield
The Devil's Music........Sheahan / Wakefield
Knocking n The Devil's Door....Sheahan / Wakefield
Goliath Tiger Fish.....Sheahan / Wakefield
Spellbound..Sheahan / Wakefield
I Don't Hold Anything But The Blues....Sheahan / Wakefield
Twilight...Sheahan / Wakefield
Bewitched...Sheahan / Wakefield
Down Home....Sheahan / Wakefield
I Just Can't break Away...Sheahan / Wakefield
Lone Wolf.....Sheahan / Wakefield
Jungle Stomp / Haunted Guitar
Trail Of Tears
Lee Gocher & The Sundowners
Suddenly.........Sheahan / Gocher
Haunted heart ....... Sheahan / Gocher
Lonely Man ...... Sheahan / Gocher
Let the Creek Run Dry...... Sheahan / Gocher
Lonesome Drifter ...Sheahan / Gocher
Outlaws Ride ...Sheahan / Gocher
Wedding Bells .........Sheahan / Gocher
Right Time for the blues ...Sheahan / Gocher
Blue Train...Sheahan / Gocher
Forget about You...sheahan / Gocher
Blind to Me...Sheahan / Gocher
I find it easy to cry...Sheahan / Gocher
Marcel Bontempi
Apache Cry..........Sheahan / Sala- Kelkel
Boss Eyed Cat......Sheahan / Sala-Kelkel
Woman of Cemetary Hill.......Sheahan / Sala- Kelkel
Skid Row Joe......Sheahan / Sala- Kelkel
Psycho Path ........Sheahan / Sala- Kelkel
Don't you Put Flowers on my Grave.......Sheahan /Murphy/ Sala-Kelkel
Black Cat.... .....Sheahan / Sala-Kelkel
Run Little Rabbit......... Sheahan / Sala- Kelkel
Bury All My Troubles.....Sheahan / Sala-Kelkel
Haunted House.......Sheahan / Sala-Kelkel
Mambo Voo Doo ......Sheahan / Sala-Kelkel
Lone Wolf........ Sheahan / Sala-kelkel
Crazy Coffee Blues
Snake Oil Boogie
All You'll Get For Christmas Is The Blues
Don't Merry Christmas Me
Darrell Higham
Lucky Lou...... Sheahan / Higham
Mean Blue Saturday Night .......Sheahan / Higham
Run Tough Run Hard ........ Sheahan / Higham
Bill Fadden and the Rhythm Busters
Money in my hand ..Sheahan / Fadden
Al Willis and the Swingsters
Sock Beat Bop...Sheahan / Willis
Craig Shaw
Killin' Time........Sheahan / Shaw
Hollywood Gas....Sheahan / Shaw
Falling Down ......Sheahan / Shaw
Secret Garden.....Sheahan / Shaw
Jimmie Dale Wilcoxson
Please don't Play The Jukebox ....Sheahan / Dale Wilcoxson
Elliot Jones.
Haunt My Heart
To Be Continued..........
*************************************************BELOW ARE SOME SAMPLES OF SONGS I HAVE WRITTEN / CO WRITTEN**********************************************
****************************************************************THANKS FOR LOOKING IN!******************************************************************************