Little Feat: Dixie Chicken

I know . . . I’ve been a bad boy. It’s been a week since my last post. Although I had intended posting yesterday, I decided to save the song for our second week special that starts tomorrow. For today’s  Bubbling Under Feature, I turn to a band that had little chart success, but had a very loyal following. Little Feat formed in 1969 and broke up shortly before their leader Lowell George passed away from a heart attack ten years later. In 1987, keyboardist Bill Payne reformed Little Feat and they are still going strong today.

“Dixie Chicken” was originally released as a single and as the title cut of the band’s third LP, but today I’m featuring the live version from their 1978 album “Waiting for Columbus.” This nearly nine minute rendition is a rock ‘n roll jam extraordinaire. Written by Lowell George and Fred Martin, “Dixie Chicken” is often considered Feat’s signature song. This version features an extended solo by Payne and it is augmented by Tower of Power’s horn section in a true-to-life Dixieland style. 

This live rendition brings back memories. I moved to Beckley, WV in February 1981, and it seemed that every time I gathered with a group of friends who were employed in the New River rafting industry in nearby Fayette County, someone would breakout “Waiting for Columbus.”  Immediately, the choice would be Side 3 and “Dixie Chicken” would round out the evening and the dancing commenced. When I listen to it today, it takes me back to my mid 20s although that was over 30 years ago.

One apology is needed here. Every version on YouTube – cuts the songs ending too close. I guess we will have to live with that.