“The Man in the Middle,” also known as “Three Men on a Mountain,” was written by Tom Harley Campbell, a bass player who performed with both the Hotmud Family and Hot Rize. The Hotmud Family recorded it in 1979, and Hot Rize followed soon after.
The song is a gospel retelling of the crucifixion. It pictures three men on a hill at Calvary — one who mocked, one who repented and was promised paradise, and, in the middle, Christ — and finds the heart of its message in that central figure.
The song fits the gospel quartet singing that bluegrass bands have long featured.
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