#riverdiscovery

The Wheelhouse Rousters / published from Story Magazine Written By Jessica Perkins; Photography by Glenn Hall   “Devil, oh, Devil, ain’t you ashamed? You done kilt po’ Vinie Now you done ruint yo’ name”   These sorrowful lyrics spew from the lips of front man, Nathan Lynn, as he sings this nearly forgotten ballad about a gruesome 1897 Paducah murder and hanging. Nathan, Josh Coffey and Eddie Coffey, comprise The Wheelhouse Rousters, a western Kentucky musical trio that deftly infuses old tunes with new life. The group has revived and recorded a selection of folk songs, collected in the 1930s by Mary Wheeler, a Paducah native who spent many summer nights, speaking with former roustabouts who spent their days working on the river, during the Packet Boat era, a period just after the Civil War. The history that these old tunes contain inspires the Wheelhouse Rousters to continue their preservation work.

“The songs tell all kinds of stories, including a genuine Paducah murder ballad,” Nathan says, referring back to the Devil Winston tune.