"Just Good Ol' Boys" is a 1979 novelty single by the duo of

Moe Bandy Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is an American country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and with his singing partner, Joe Stampley. Early life and recording ...

and

Joe Stampley Joe Stampley (born June 6, 1943) is an American country music singer. He had success as the lead singer of a rock group, in a country duo with Moe Bandy and as a solo performer. Stampley has released over 20 albums and more than 60 singles in ...

. "Just Good Ol' Boys" would be a number one single and the most successful collaboration of Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of eleven weeks on the country chart.

Background

Bandy and Stampley had previously enjoyed success as solo artists, both with several honky-tonk standard hits to their credit. Bandy's most successful singles to this point included " Bandy the Rodeo Clown," "Hank Williams You Wrote My Life" and " It's a Cheating Situation," while Stampley had best been known for songs like "

Soul Song “Soul Song” is a song written by George Richey, Billy Sherrill and Norro Wilson and first recorded by Tanya Tucker as a track for her 1972 debut album Delta Dawn. Background The song also represented a first for co-writer Norro Wilson: a No. ...

," "

All These Things "All These Things" is a 1962 single written by Allen Toussaint under the pseudonym of "Naomi Neville", and first recorded by Art Neville in 1962. Joe Stampley version The biggest chart hit version was performed by Joe Stampley. In 1966, The Un ...

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Roll On Big Mama "Roll On Big Mama" is a song written by Dan Darst, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Stampley Joe Stampley (born June 6, 1943) is an American country music singer. He had success as the lead singer of a rock group, in a country ...

." Unlike their most successful solo hits, the new duo – which became known as "Moe and Joe" – was focused more on comedy and novelty songs. Many of these songs, including "Just Good Ol' Boys," took a

tongue in cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...

approach. Here, two friends complain about their rowdy reputations in town, each bemoaning various drunk-and-disorderly incidents they had been accused of. While each freely admit they indeed were responsible for such actions as fighting in taverns, stealing a municipal vehicle and rolling the truck over in the mayor's yard, physical violence against the boss and a brother-in-law (the latter for a failed football bet), not paying an alimony payment that's now six weeks overdue, and so forth, "... ''other than that, we ain't nothin', just good ol' boys''" – meaning, that despite their reputations, they are not really that bad and that their actions amount to nothing more than harmless mischief. "Just Good Ol' Boys" was the most successful of the "Moe and Joe" collaborations, and led to a series of albums and singles together. The most successful of their later singles included "Holding the Bag," " Hey Moe, Hey Joe" (a cover of a single originally recorded by Carl Smith, with a modified title and lyrics), and "Where's the Dress" (a satire on

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

and

Culture Club Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1979 singles Moe Bandy songs Joe Stampley songs Male vocal duets Novelty songs Columbia Records singles {{1970s-country-song-stub