Some songs arrive like a whisper. Others hit like a runaway locomotive. On his blistering new single “Hellbound Train,” Indigenous singer-songwriter The Tennessee Cree (aka Kevin Schofield) delivers a wild, soul-scorching ride straight from the heart of Canadian roots music.
It’s a song that sounds like it could have been found on an unreleased Johnny Cash record—and that’s no accident. “Johnny Cash has been good to me,” Schofield says. “I love the man in black. George Jones is almost like the dad I never had. Hank Williams is the lost uncle I never knew.”
But “Hellbound Train” is no imitation—it’s a deeply personal reflection on what it means to carry pain, survival, and country music in your blood. Written with a mix of reverence and rebellion, the track is powered by Schofield’s gravel-and-honey vocals, gospel-tinged melodies, and a rhythm that rolls like thunder on steel tracks.
I learned Johnny Cash when I was 9 years old
I never did walk that line, I never did what I was told
I’ve had a lot of fun stealing Johnny’s sound
But will the circle be unbroken when the man comes around
Because I’ve found I’m on a hellbound train…
Schofield’s “hellbound train” is both metaphor and confession, one that speaks to anyone who’s lived fast, loved hard, and tried to outrun the weight of their own choices. But even as it barrels toward the unknown, the track is laced with grace:
Well in the sweet, sweet morning
When I first saw your lovely face
Amazing love, amazing grace
“I call it the moaning of an out-of-control train on fire,” says Schofield. “It’s a prayer disguised as a country song. A hallelujah sung through grit teeth.”
Kevin Schofield, known across Turtle Island as The Tennessee Cree, was born by Moose River, Ontario, and earned his name—half homage, half prophecy—in the heart of Nashville. A member of the Cree Nation, his music is a tapestry of lived experience, survival, and cultural legacy. A poet, warrior, and musical force, he’s as comfortable performing at the CityFolk Festival as he is lighting up a community hall or sacred fire gathering.
His journey includes a stint in residential school, a life-changing move to Nashville in the early 2000s, and a JUNO Award co-nomination in 1998 with his former group No Reservation. He has since shared stages with Greta Van Fleet, The Wailin’ Jennys, and Stephen Fearing, and his recent performances with his band Kuhwuhgin Awahshish – an homage to residential school survivors – have earned him acclaim as one of Canada’s most compelling Indigenous voices.
With distribution through Outside Music and a deal with Lonesome Dawn Records and NTRTNMNT.ca, The Tennessee Cree is ready to bring “Hellbound Train”—and a forthcoming collection of stories, songs, and revelations—to audiences across North America.
“Hellbound Train” is a declaration from the edge of memory, a fire-lit ceremony, a roots rocker that dares to ride the line between salvation and surrender.
For fans of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Stompin’ Tom, and truth-telling troubadours everywhere—The Tennessee Cree has arrived. And the train is just getting started.
