On July 3, 1981, Ervin Rouse, composer of “Orange Blossom Special,” the “unofficial anthem of bluegrass,” died. Plagued by alcoholism and mental illness, he was living on the edge of the Everglades ...

While most every Southerner over the age of 50 knows the song "Orange Blossom Special," every bluegrass fan of any age today knows it, too. It used to be that any fiddle player wishing to play in a ...

Look a-yonder comin'Comin' down that railroad trackIt's the Orange Blossom SpecialBringin' my baby back Well, I'm going down to FloridaAnd get some sand in my shoesI'll ride that Orange Blossom ...

“Just be sure you spell my uncle’s name right,” my wife Linda admonished me.”It’s ‘Ervin’ with a ‘V’, not ‘Erwin.’ ” Of course I would. After all, Uncle Ervin — with a V —was the composer of “The ...

Well, I'm going down to FloridaAnd get some sand in my shoesI'll ride that Orange Blossom SpecialAnd lose these New York blues – Extracted lyrics from "Orange Blossom Special" written by Ervin T.