Thirty five years ago today Xenia, Ohio was pummeled by a horrific tornado that swept through town, destroying hundreds of buildings and taking 33 lives. The Xenia tornado was part of a larger series of tornadic activity known as the Super Outbreak, the largest series of tornadoes ever recorded.
If you saw Harmony Korine's disturbing 1997 film Gummo, then perhaps you'll recall that it was set in Xenia in the aftermath of the tornado.
Roy Baker & The Gospel Tones - The Tornado Disasters (3:53)
Shortly after the storm ripped the town apart, singer Roy Baker went into the studio to record a topical song about the catastrophic destruction.
Songs about actual events recorded by first-hand witnesses to the carnage create a kind of localized social history that captures perspectives that often are left out of standard journalistic reports. I find that listening to such songs can be almost as illuminating as reading or watching traditional mainstream media reports.
More topical records based on actual events can be heard here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The black and white photo on right is courtesy of the Greene County Public Library. Many more photos of the aftermath of the Xenia tornado can be found here.
I spent a lot of time in Xenia as a kid ... my Grandparents house was destroyed. Sitting there in the rubble was the toilet, completely unharmed! They rebuilt and lived there for years. It's nothing like Gummo, fortunately. The Baker song is awesome, thanks for posting. My family will be happy to hear it.
Posted by: Listener Tom | April 04, 2009 at 10:30 AM
This is a fascinating article!
Are there such records for other disasters and events? Like you say, it adds a certain evocative poignancy that ordinary journalism just can't convey.
Posted by: GeorgyGirl | April 04, 2009 at 03:46 PM
I think that the bluegrass group Dry Branch Fire Squad also sang about this event in a song called O What A Storm. I'm not sure if they wrote it....or what record it is on.
Posted by: Chris Atwood | April 04, 2009 at 08:05 PM
Goddamn, that song gave me a chill.
I grew up near Xenia and spent a lot of time there as a kid. My grandma, who lived in Cedarville, passed away in the Xenia hospital. The tornado was really a part of local lore. My uncle lived there at the time and lost his house. But I have to say that while Gummo creates a very fictionalized version of Xenia, the feeling of the town that it taps into is dead on. I really hate that place. Nothing good ever happened to me or my family there. A tornado hit it about eight or nine years ago. It wasn't as massive, but it was destructive all the same.
Posted by: frank | April 04, 2009 at 09:59 PM
I actually just stumbled onto this page. I had the unfortunate experience of subjecting myself to the movie Gummo. I am sorry but I 1. am a movie lover but that was possibly thee worst ever. 2. I am from ohio, and no thats not why i didnt like the movie. I am also interested in Tornados. So i guess the moral of the story is of Xenia is anything like portrayed in the Gummo movie, sorry but no great loss there.
Posted by: Budrow | April 19, 2009 at 01:02 AM