Steve Goodman was a folk singer and songwriter rather than an economist or business advisor. However, many business lessons can be learned from Steve Goodman.
Although Steve Goodman originally recorded City of New Orleans and You Never Even Call Me By My Name other artists are better known for those songs. Both of those songs were on his 1971 album he released when he was 23. The following year Arlo Guthrie recorded City of New Orleans. The royalties from Guthrie’s version allowed Goodman to pursue music on a full-time basis.
The additional recognition by the public might have been nice for Steve Goodman. His willingness to let others record the songs he wrote while collecting the royalties was more profitable. Recognition by those who will promote one’s work is sometimes more important than recognition by the general public.
David Allan Coe would later have a hit with his version of You Never Even Call Me By My Name. In the David Allan Coe version he notes that Goodman originally wrote the song. Coe claims, which may or may not be true, that Goodman told Coe the song was the perfect country and western song. Coe responded that it wasn’t the perfect country and western song because there was no reference to mama, trains, trucks, prison, or getting drunk. Either Goodman or Coe wrote a supplemental verse which caused Coe to acknowledge that it was the perfect country and western song.
Goodman had actually addressed all five of those subjects in previous songs. In addition to his nationally-known songs he wrote and recorded songs focusing on the Chicago area. His 1972 album included Lincoln Park Pirates, about an actual Chicago towing company with a reputation for harsh treatment of impounded vehicles.
City of New Orleans is about a train. A tow truck is a modified version of a pickup truck. City of New Orleans includes the lines “Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle” and “Mothers with their babes asleep”. Lincoln Park Pirates includes a portion about the drivers being “recent graduates of the charm school in Joliet”, which refers to the state prison.
Goodman did in fact include the missing elements of the perfect country and western song in two of his other songs. A single product doesn’t necessarily meet everybody’s needs. Different products may be more suitable to meet the needs of more people.
Lincoln Towing Service was an actual company. The company was accused of intimidating the owners of the vehicles it impounded. The extortion activity may or may not have been true. What was true is that Lincoln Towing Service only towed vehicles for impoundment or repossession and did not offer roadside assistance.
The actual customers of Lincoln Towing Service thus weren’t the vehicle owners who had to redeem their impounded cars but the businesses who contracted with the towing company to keep their parking spaces and non-parking areas from being occupied by cars whose owners weren’t customers or tenants. The reputation Lincoln Towing Service had for intimidation thus actually benefited the businesses since that would deter motorists from parking on the business property without implied permission. Customer service reflects helping the actual customers.
Steve Goodman’s interest was creating music, not economics or business administration. However, his songs provide numerous business lessons.
