October 4, 2024 - Nashville, TN - “Around the age of 19, when I was full-time hopping trains and street performing, I came across an autobiography by the author Jack Black titled You Can’t Win about his life in the early 20th century being a criminal, junkie hobo,” recalls singer, songwriter, and storyteller Benjamin Tod. “This book would shape a good portion of my identity and self-perception for many years.” With a wild imagination and a penchant for writing his own version of history, Tod took one of the characters from Black’s influential memoir and cleverly expanded on her story with his new single, “Mary Could You”—one of about twenty historical fiction narratives Tod has penned over the course of his career.
The fourth single from Tod’s upcoming album Shooting Star—out October 18th via Thirty Tigers—“Mary Could You” chronicles the backstory of Mary Howard, A.K.A. “Salt Chunk Mary” who ran a trade motel and, in Tod’s words, “a general house of debauchery in Pocatello, Idaho, for the tramps spilling on and off the railroad.” Tod sets the scene immaculately, singing, “Behind a fellow on the way to Pocatello / On a westbound passenger train / Buyin’ my time drinkin’ red wine / Waitin’ for the signal to change.” But it’s not long before the song’s main character finds himself in a spot of trouble and needing Mary’s aid; all to the tune of a hopped-up, telecaster-lick-laden train beat. “This song is based on her as the main character and a probable series of events that unfolded at some time on her property,” says Tod. “She was the queen of yeggs and I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book if you like this tune and you’re interested in a vital piece of American history.”
“Mary Could You” is the latest single from Tod’s upcoming LP Shooting Star, a ten-song venture into country music’s last six or seven decades. “The original idea for this album was for each song to be placed in a different production period in country music history,” says Tod. “Obviously, there’s no way to cover everything so my preference shines through. A tune goes as far back as the mid-50s and spans up to the early 90’s.” The album—which Tod sees as a musical homecoming of sorts—was written in about two weeks. “It spilled out seamlessly,” he says. “I wanted to prove to myself and the industry that I could write an elite country record with ease. If I didn’t accomplish that goal, I sure as hell came closer than anyone on pop country radio either way.”
