Callin' Baton Rouge

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Callin' Baton Rouge is a country song written by Dennis Linde. It has been recorded by several artists, with Garth Brooks turning it into a big hit in the 1990s. The tune has an upbeat, bluegrass-influenced feel, and the lyrics tell of a man (likely a truck driver) trying to reach a woman named Samantha he met in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Original versions:
- The Oak Ridge Boys first recorded it in 1978 for the album Room Service.
- Billie Jo Spears cut it in 1980 for Standing Tall.
- New Grass Revival recorded it in 1989 for Friday Night in America; it was their only Top 40 country hit, peaking at 37, with the B-side “Let Me Be Your Man.”

Garth Brooks version:
- Brooks recorded the song for his 1993 album In Pieces, produced by Allen Reynolds at Jack’s Tracks in Nashville.
- Backing Brooks were acoustic guitarists Mark Casstevens and Pat Flynn, electric guitarist Chris Leuzinger, keyboardist Bobby Wood, resonator guitarist Jerry Douglas, drummer Milton Sledge, mandolinist/fiddler/backing vocalist Sam Bush, bass guitarist Mike Chapman, banjo player Béla Fleck, and backing vocalist John Cowan.
- Brooks has said he admired New Grass Revival and wanted their members on the track; bringing together Fleck, Bush, Cowan, and Flynn marked a proud moment.

Chart success and legacy:
- Brooks’s version peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. country charts and No. 1 on Canada’s RPM country chart.
- The song has become associated with Louisiana State University, serving as the LSU football pre-game song and the run-out song for LSU Tigers baseball.
- It is commonly played late at night in Baton Rouge bars when they close and is used at LSU events such as 4-H dances, the LSU 4-H Convention, and as the last song after games and meets at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.