So he's a week younger than Jimmy Page?

I remember his variety show on TV.

I'm old.

"Spiders and Snakes" was great, but "My Girl Bill" was brilliant.

And Mississippi riverboat captain.

I remember his variety show, too!

Don't forget "Wildwood Weed" - his ode to marijuana...

People like him and early Ray Stevens were our generation's version of Weird Al. Funny funny -creative! - stuff. I wish I could get some time to go to Branson and see him. It's on my to-do list, and I'd better get on it before he stops playing.

Go to his website (new window) and listen to his stuff - especially Mama Knows (new window)

/Sittin there on that sack of seeds
//Don't come lookin again
///William's hands were shaking, as he took his glass of wine...
////Happy Birthday, funny man!

Wow. Just watched that YouTube. He REALLY screwed that up, and laughed through it...

Don't forget "Cow Patti."

Saw him down in Branson...extremly funny guy.

Jim: "We had a Chi-Wa-Wa I saved from drowning in the toilet"
Audience: "How'd you save it?"
Jim: "I took my foot off it's head"

Ok...butchered it...

Jim could turn out some funny stuff, no doubt, but his "Swamp Witch" is dang good songwriting. Atmospheric, alliterative, catchy, and spooky.


Blackwater Hattie lived back in the swamp
Where the strange green reptiles crawl
Snakes hang thick from the cypress trees
Like sausage on a smokehouse wall
Where the swamp is alive with a thousand eyes
An' all of them watching you
Stay off the track to Hattie's Shack in the back of the Black Bayou

Way up the road from Hattie's shack
Lies a sleepy little Okeechobee town
Talk of swamp witch Hattie lock you in when the sun go down
Rumours of what she'd done, rumours of what she'd do
Kept folks off the track of Hattie's shack
In the back of the Black Bayou

One day brought the rain and the rain stayed on
And the swamp water overflowed
'skeeters and the fever grabbed the town like a fist
Doc Jackson was the first to go
Some say the plague was brought by Hattie
There was talk of a hang'n too
But the talk got shackled by the howls and the cackles
From the bowels of the Black bayou

Early one morn 'tween dark and dawn when shadows fill the sky
There came an unseen caller on a town where hope run dry
In the square there was found a big black round
Vat full of gurgling brew
Whispering sounds as the folk gathered round
"It came from the Black Bayou"

There ain't much pride when you're trapped inside
A slowly sink'n ship
Scooped up the liquid deep and green
And the whole town took a sip
Fever went away and the very next day the skies again were blue
Let's thank old Hattie for saving our town
We'll fetch her from the Black Bayou

Party of ten of the town's best men headed for Hattie's shack
Said Swamp Witch magic was useful and good
And they're gonna bring Hattie back
Never found Hattie and they never found the shack
And they never made the trip back in
'Cause a parchment note they found tacked to a stump
Said, "Don't come look'n again"

Dreadstar: Don't forget "Cow Patti."

Yippee aye ay!

In other news, I'll attention-whore myself for a second: I too write funny country songs, and Jim Stafford is a huge influence. If anyone's into that kinda thing, check my profile for details on how to hear my stuff

/AW off

Well, if you think he's a country bumpkin hack, watch this (new window) video. He was shredding before shredding had a name.

dmax: I remember his variety show, too!

Me too. I also remember my sister throwing that 45 at me because I played it all the time. Didn't he do some animal show too?

What's next, a Hudson Brothers thread?

Farkomatic:

Day-amn... I knew the dude was a very skilled guitar player, but that was impressive.

Better to be remembered for some catchy novelty songs than to not be remembered at all! I always thought he was underrated as a musician.

"What's next, a Hudson Brothers thread?"

Hang on. I've got Chucky Margolis on line 3.

I forgot all about that song...

Wow, he was actually singing and not lip synching.

/impressed
//remembers when this originally aired
///I'd tell you to get off my lawn if I remembered where it was

I had to sit through his show in Branson once during a high school trip. I want that hour of my life back. Not that he's not a good entertainer, I'm sure; the show was just geared toward the drooling crowd (little kids and geriatrics).

Ha, I just finished reading a book about Gram Parsons and he is mentioned several times. He played with Gram in a couple of bands, most notably The Legends. Happy Birthday, talented, funny guy!