Georgia’s Headin’ Home, aka the Lindblom Family, have a new single to share, one written by guitarist Libby Lindblom called Rusty Old Camper.
The Lindbloms are Jon and Marina, professional musicians who taught their children to play bluegrass, and now perform with their four oldest adult children as Headin’ Home. Marina is on fiddle, and Jon on bass, and in addition to Libby on guitar, Lucy is on mandolin, Timothy on banjo, and Luke on reso-guitar.
They stay busy throughout the year, performing at festivals, shows, and churches all over the US, and managing their own annual event, Headin’ Home Fest in the fall. When time allows, Luke also runs live audio at festivals with his own professional sound company.
The Rusty Old Camper of the song’s title is, of course, the band vehicle the Lindblom kids grew up in, traveling from show to show, a family of 12. The next five youngest siblings have their own group, The Brothers Five.
Libby shared a bit about why this song means so much to her and her brothers and sisters.
“I wrote Rusty Old Camper a few years back, and it’s become one of our favorite songs to share with audiences at our live shows, especially at bluegrass festivals where many people can relate to living in a camper! The day I wrote this song, I was just thinking about how we have so many songs about the old cabin home, or home in the mountains, etc., but many of us bluegrassers spend a good portion of our lives in some kind of home on wheels. Whether it’s the fans in their RVs or the touring musicians on buses, I feel like pretty much all of us can relate in some way to the opening lines of this song:
Well you learn a lot of things when you’re living on the road
You learn it’s not the walls but it’s the hearts that make a home
The chorus speaks of the special memories our family band has made, as we’ve traveled in a couple different campers over the years—both of which have been much too small for us! We now have a bus with a little more space, but we fondly remember our rusty old camper days, and we’re grateful to still be making memories on the road together.
In that rusty old camper we made memories
Roasting s’mores and making music round the fire
Rolling on to the rhythm of the tires
That was the life we shared
And we were happy anywhere
We were together in our rusty old camper
This song means a lot to us, as it really connects with audiences everywhere. Not only does it tell a bit of our family’s story, but it also touches a common heartstring we all share in the bluegrass community: understanding those special joys and challenges of road life. Whether your ‘rusty old camper’ is a car, tent, RV, or entertainer coach, you know what it’s like to be ‘home at every hookup’ and find music in the ‘rhythm of the tires’!”
Give it a listen.
Rusty Old Camper is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
