Norfolk and Western Theme Song, subject changed

Wed Mar 31 11:44:39 EDT 2021

All

Alex is correct, it is not Johnny Cash. Here is the story from the July 15, 1980 N&W Magazine, page 8. The ads and billboards were around Roanoke at the time.
https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=184965 <https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=184965>

Best
Ken Miller

Don't Touch That Dial! ...
Advertising Campaign Will Highlight 
Employee Contributions to Company Success

Norfolk and Western Railway is beginning a major advertising program to highlight to the public the success of our company and the important role the railroad's employees have in creating that success. 
The program was created by the Washington, D. C. office of J. Walter Thompson Co., the nation's largest advertising firm, and will use radio ads, local and national newspapers, magazines and outdoor advertising. 
"The backbone of this campaign will be radio advertising all along our line because it's a cost-effective way to reach a large number of people with a message that is both informative and emotionally attractive," says Lewis M. Phelps, director of Public Relations and Advertising. 

The radio ads will consist of a 60-second song written especially for NW by JWT, based on the advertising theme "There's No Stopping Us." The song, in a pleasant but hard-driving country and western style with a Johnny Cash sound, is expected to create a lot of recognition for NW across the railroad's 14-state system, Mr. Phelps explained. "It's a great piece of music. I'm not particularly fond of country and western generally, but I love this new Norfolk and Western song.” 

The ad agency also wrote a threeminute version of the song for use in situations in which a longer playing time is available than in the standard 60-second commercial slot on radio. It has several verses as well as what Mr. Phelps describes as "some mean guitar picking." Flexible plastic sound sheets of that long version are included in this issue of the NW Magazine. They can be played on any record player.

The words for the song were written by Miss Bari Biern of the JWT staff in Washington after research into the company through visits to spots along the line. 

JWT hired Paul Christiansen, a composer-arranger formerly on the faculties of Oberlin Conservatory and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to write the tune itself. 

The authoritative voice who explains that "We're cargo moving people, we do it every day," was provided by Roanoker Mike Webber, studio musician for the Bias Recording Co. of Falls Church, Va., where the song was recorded. 

Mr. Webber is the son of H. M. Webber of Roanoke and the late Marie Beheler Webber, dancer and entertainer. Since he had a sentimental feeling about the railroad, Mr. Webber auditioned for the chance to deliver the advertising pitch after playing bass guitar in the song's backup music. When he's not pickin' and singin', he's a flight instructor. 

Other vocalists included Jon and Nancy Carroll, who also sing with the Starland Vocal Band of Top-40 fame. 

The radio advertising will be backed up by a print advertising campaign that will appear in newspapers across NW's system, The Wall Street Journal, and several railroad and shipping industry magazines. Outdoor advertising will appear on billboards in selected communities served by NW. All will highlight accomplishments of the railroad and its people to illustrate the theme, "There's No Stopping Us.” 

Origin of that phrase shows that a good slogan is where you find it. Mrs. Ann Seidlitz, JWT senior copywriter assigned to the project, attended a Washington Redskins' football game shortly after work on the project began "because I think better away from the office.” 

In RFK Stadium, she spotted a homemade banner proclaiming, "We Can't Be Stopped Now." And there you have it. 

"This campaign is something every employee can be proud of," Mr. Phelps believes. "It's well-conceived and captures the hard-to-define spirit of railroading.” 

To help increase exposure of the message, the company will provide bumper stickers free to employees who want to put them on their cars. These will be distributed soon through normal company channels. 

Employees are invited to participate in creation of the advertising campaign. Says Mr. Phelps, "We are looking for good real-life stories that illustrate the idea that there's no stopping NW employees. We already know of dozens of them, but there are many more we haven't heard about yet.” 

Employees who have a suggestion that could be used in the campaign can write: 

Lewis M. Phelps 
Director of Public Relations and Advertising 
Norfolk and Western Railway Co.

> On Mar 31, 2021, at 9:38 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> I do not think that is  Johnny Cash. It might be CW McCall who recorded Convoy, but more than likely someone local.
> 
> Alex Schust
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2021 10:50 PM
> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
> Subject: Re: NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 197, Issue 64
> 
> I have not heard the Johnny Cash Norfolk and
> Western  theme song until now! Interesting that the chorus “ain’t from around here“ in that they put the L in Nawfok . Also, being in Raleigh , am in Seaboard country and have never heard the Seaboard “hooter“However, in my estimation, the CSX hooters however, in my estimation, the CSX hooters some of them, sounded terrible !!!! they have a high screeching sound . Ken Tanner . former
> Roanoker 

>> Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2021 14:47:23 -0400
>> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Subject: Cargo Moving People - N&W Theme Song
>> Message-ID: <mailman.1142.1617133531.6855.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>> 
>> All
>> 
>> A friend sent this to me; I have never heard it before and wonder what its
>> purpose was?  Too long to be used in a radio or television commercial; even
>> includes a guitar solo.
>> 
>> Any ideas? Thoughts?
>> 
>> Jim Brewer

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