I had to stop by the Casey Jones Museum in Jackson, Tennessee because what could be more "Americana" than Casey Jones?
Here's a photo of a replica of the engine he was driving when he rode the train to his death, sacrificing his own life to save the lives of all of his passengers. His locomotive was traveling at 75 miles per hour when he spotted the red light on the caboose of a freight train stopped on the tracks ahead. He had to ride the breaks all the way so he could get the train slowed down to a survivable speed for the passengers. The collision was unavoidable and his engine rammed the other train at 35 mph, overturning and taking the life of its driver. Although still a young man at the time, Casey was well known for bringing his trains in at the advertised time to each stop. That took a talent and a skill far better than the average engineer.
Casey was a family man, married with three children, and a convert to Roman Catholicism.
Casey's real name was Jonathan Luther Jones. He got the name "Casey" when he first moved to Jackson and upon announcing that he was from Cayce, Kentucky, he was given the name and it stuck.
Here's a review of the song, "Casey Jones" as performed by the Grateful Dead. Kevin Scanlon hit the nail on the head. All I have to say is it is ironic that a band that made Americana Jam a genre would do such a diservice to a true-to-life americana folk hero.
Classic Grateful Dead Song Reviewer: Kevin Scanlon 10/23/2007 A great comic song on the hazards of drug use that refreshed the memory of Casey Jones in the public consciousness, albeit in an unflattering light. He was not a drug user but this song has continued to give people that impression. The original ballad about him that made him famous was first published by Seibert and Newton in 1909 ("Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer") and it too was a comedy song that was sung on the vaudeville circuit and lives on in 40+ versions. Poor Casey has YET to have a hit song about him that honors his selfless sacrifice in a sober manner! It's been 107 years and counting, people.
