Little Feat – Dixie Chicken

Guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne formed Little Feat in 1969. Lowell George was a member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. Bass player of the Mothers Roy Estrada joined along with drummer Richie Hayward.

This is one of their songs that got some airplay and I heard on a regular basis. It obviously is a southern sounding song…a great southern sounding song.

The band never broke out in huge commercial success but other musicians loved this band. One of them was Jimmy Page who named Little Feat his favorite American band in 1975. In the studio for this album, Lowell George stepped up as a producer and a leadership role. On the chorus, Bonnie Bramlett added a soulful voice to George’s.

The lineup had many changes through the years and unfortunately, Lowell died in 1979 of a heart attack. The band broke up after George’s death but reunited in 1987. The band continues today with Bill Payne still as a member.

This song was released in 1973 on the album of the same name. Dixie Chicken was written by Lowell George and Kibbee Martin.

Dixie Chicken

I’ve seen the bright lights of Memphis
And the Commodore Hotel
And underneath a street lamp I met a Southern belle
Well she took me to the river, where she cast her spell
And in that Southern moonlight, she sang a song so well
If you’ll be my dixie chicken, I’ll be your Tenessee lamb
And we can walk together down in dixieland
Down in dixieland

Well we made all the hot spots, my money flowed like wine
Then that low down Southern whiskey began to fog my mind
And I don’t remember church bells or the money I put down
On the white picket fence and boardwalk of the house at the edge of town
But boy do I remember the strain of her refrain
The nights we spent together, and the way she called my name

If you’ll be my dixie chicken, I’ll be your Tenessee lamb
And we can walk together down in dixieland
Down in dixieland

Well it’s been a year since she ran away
Yes that guitar player sure could play
She always liked to sing along
She’s always handy with a song
Then one night in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel
I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well
And as he handed me a drink he began to hum a song
And all the boys there, at the bar, began to sign along

If you’ll be my dixie chicken, I’ll be your Tenessee lamb
And we can walk together down in dixieland
Down in dixieland

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

32 thoughts on “Little Feat – Dixie Chicken”

    1. The musicianship in that band was off the charts. I know a few of their songs like Willin’ and Sailing Shoes that I heard from friends mostly…I do need to get an album.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. The debut and “Sailin Shoes” are two top-class albums. But the music of “Dixie Chicken” is also unique without discussion. The album for a hot and muggy day. There is nothing better than that.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree with you. This song alone is close to perfection. Every style is thrown in and works perfect together…thats the case with some other of their songs.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Not bad, another one I don’t think I’ve heard before. One thing Elvis may trump the Beatles in – seem to be a lot of good songs written about Memphis, many referencing him, not many about Liverpool.

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    1. They were a musician’s band. Everything is so tight…they threw in every style and the kitchen sink and made it work.
      Yea Memphis rolls off the tongue much better and it’s the south…so many styles of music. Blues, gospel, soul…

      Like

      Reply

  5. The Templeman book has Ted talking about Lowell George quite a bit even with a few studio pics taken from the 70’s.
    I think you need to get that book. lol

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    1. Yea man I was going to say that yesterday…I am… I read music books a lot. I’m reading one about John Entwistle of the Who…I will get this book though. I really like audio books also.

      Liked by 1 person

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      2. Yes it is. His son Christopher handed over some stuff John wrote for a bio before he died and every one cooperated. Its not a “make look John look good” book…

        It has some cool stories about Moon in it that I never heard.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Little Feat is one of my all tome favs. You need to stoo everything and check out the live version of Dixie Chicken from Waiting For Columbus. Chock full of special sauce! Then get all of their 70s albums because they’re all excellent. Waiting for Columbus is a great place to start.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Someone else metnioned Waiting for Columbus today.
      That I will do…I was going to ask for a starting point. I know some of their songs but not albums.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Another place to get your Feat fix is the 1st two Robert Palmer albums. Lowell plays slide all over the album

        Liked by 1 person

      2. … Sneaking Sally Through the Alley. And on his second album, Pressure Drop, Little Feat is the studio .band. And a couple Feat covers on both.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Ok cool. I knew he worked with Bonnie Raitt before…every band I read about from the seventies loved them.

        Like

    1. I know it’s been a while for me… I didn’t think I would get much of a response but I did…I was glad to see it. Every other band loved them but the masses didn’t.

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