Noted bluegrass singer and songwriter Chris Jones has made no secret of his deep affection for Tom T Hall, both as an artist and a friend. The two were close during Tom T’s life, and that of his wife, Miss Dixie. Jones lived in Nashville much of that time, and they all became quite friendly.
Now, Chris is honoring his friend with a cut of Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken), which you might think would be a hoedown sort of number. Instead, it is a fairly somber song about returning from war a very different man than the one who left.
Jones says that he had wanted to record this one for a while, but the time wasn’t right until now.
“This is an old and lesser-known Vietnam War-era song of Tom T.’s, and it’s the first song of his I’ve recorded since his passing a few years ago. I think I didn’t feel ready to until now.
He had a unique ability to incorporate bits of humor into a sad story, and this is definitely one of those. This song is vivid and poignant in a way that is vintage Tom T. Hall. I was going to record this several years ago, but when I brought it up to Tom T. and Dixie, they wrote Hero in Harlan that very day to give me something new to do instead.”
With Chris on guitar and lead vocal, support comes from his touring group, The Night Drivers. Mark Stoffel plays mandolin, Grace van’t Hof ukulele, and Marshall Wilborn bass. Carley Arrowood adds fiddle, while Mark and Grace sing harmony.
This song is another lesson in how a simple song structure can convey a great deal of meaning in the hands of a skilled writer.
Have a look/listen in the accompanying music video.
Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken) is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
