"ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL" WAS THE FIRST STREAMLINE TRAIN TO BE SEEN IN FLORIDA. IN 1939, WHILE THE AWESOME MARVEL WAS PARKED AT UNION STATION, TWO YOUNG MEN IN THEIR 20s TOOK THE PROMOTION TOUR THROUGH THE ENTIRE TRAIN.
BOTH OF THE GENTS WERE WELL-POLISHED FIDDLERS.
THEY WENT STRAIGHT HOME, AND WITHIN ABOUT 30 TO 40 MINUTES, THEY WROTE A NEW SONG THAT INCLUDED MUSIC AND LYRICS. THEY CALLED IT "ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL. "
THEIR FIDDLE MUSIC WAS GEARED TO THE SOUNDS AND RHYTHM OF THE TRAIN. THEIR NAMES WERE ERVIN ROUSE AND CHUBBY WISE. THE ROUSE BROTHERS PUBLISHED THE SONG THAT
SAME YEAR. IT WAS RECORDED ON RCA RECORDS.
IN 1941, BILL MONROE INTERTWINED THE BLUEGRASS SOUND INTO "ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL." HE HAD A MAJOR HIT!
IN 1965, THE MAN IN BLACK STEPPED UP TO THE MIC AND ADDED HIS "CHICK-A-BOOM, CHICK-A-BOOM" SOUND. JOHNNY CASH ALSO EARNED A #1 HIT FROM "ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL."
