Ten Favorite John D. Loudermilk Compositions: Blue Train (of the Heartbreak Line) (#1)

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Thanks again to everyone who endured by esoteric tastes as I counted down ten songs written by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member John D. Loudermilk. He was an amazing songwriter, and as these songs have proved, his songs found success in a wide area of styles. Here's my favorite song that he wrote. #1: Blue Train (Of the Heartbreak Line) And how much do I like this? There are three versions on my iPod: Loudermilk's original, the 60s country hit version by George Hamilton IV (I told you he'd be in this countdown a lot!!), and the "bluegrass song of the year" award winning version by Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver from 2002. The versions are very similar (save for the bluegrass version, which is, as Loudermilk's cousin Charlie Louvin once said about bluegrass, "speeded up three times faster"). I used this song in my train countdown. I'll probably use in the "songs with blue in the title" countdown, too. John D. Loudermilk died of bone cancer in 2016. What a legacy of great songs he left us! Thank you, John. And thank you all for reading. Blue Train (Of the Heartbreak Line) Written by John D. Loudermilk Recorded by John D. Loudermilk Released as a single, 1961 Famously covered by George Hamilton IV From International Ambassador, 1973 Famously covered by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver From The Hard Game of Love, 2002 I'm closing out the countdown with the songwriter himself: