The Rainmakers “Let My People Go Go” charted in the UK

Let My People Go Go The Rainmakers

Writer(s): Bob Walkenhorst (see lyrics here) Released: 1986 First Charted: March 7, 1987 Peak: 18 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.18 video, 0.54 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Rainmakers released their self-titled debut in 1986 after first breaking out in 1983 as a trio known as Steve, Bob, and Rich. The group was described as part Jason & the Scorchers, part Georgia Satellites, and part Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited. EW The album was well received critically, proclaimed “the most auspicious debut album of the year” by Newsweek magazine. “Let My People Go Go” was released as the lead single and, while it didn’t achieve any chart success stateside, it reached the top 20 in the UK. It was the most successful song of the band’s career. EW The music was “hard-hitting Mid-American rock ‘n’ roll, built around a Chuck Berry riff, bolstered by the Memphis Horns, and featuring a Dylanesque snarl by Bob Walkenhorst,” WP the group’s lead singer and chief songwriter. The song was loosely based on “Go Down Moses,” an American Negro spiritual anthem. WK Moses climbs the mountain to question God who reveals “that the secret of life is, in the words of that great prophet Little Richard, ‘A womp bop a lu bop a lop bam boom!’” WP Walkenhorst said he got letters from ministers and born-agains thanking him for “putting religion back into music again.” WP On the flip side, he said he’s had “roughnecks come up to me in bars and say, ‘Yeah, I hate religion too.’” WP Some attacked him as “anti-religious and a blasphemer.” EW He explained that religion, rock ‘n’ roll and having a cynical attitude were all a part of being in the Midwest. “I don’t come down on either side of the issue. I think Moses and God come out well…and I think Little Richard and the Coasters do, too. Both sides deserved to be celebrated...I’m not a religious guy, but when you’re playing rock ‘n’ roll, you’re trying to touch something spiritual within yourself and communicate it to someone else. Guys like Elvis and Bruce don’t just move your feet – they move your heart.” WP Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Rainmakers EW Elsewhere.co.nz (7/4/2011). “The Rainmakers: Let My People Go Go (1986)” by Graham Reid WP Washington Post (3/25/1987). “Rocking from the Heartland” by Geoffrey Himes WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/26/2022.