''Dixie Chicken'' is the third studio album by the American rock band

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George, bassist Roy Estrada (both formerly of the Mothers of Invention), keyboardist Bill Payne, and drummer Richie Hayward in ...

, released in 1973, on

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. The artwork for the front cover was by illustrator Neon Park and is a reference to a line from the album's third song, "Roll Um Easy". The album is considered their landmark album with the title track as their signature song that helped further define the Little Feat sound. The band added two members (guitarist

Paul Barrere Paul Barrere (July 3, 1948 – October 26, 2019) was an American musician most prominent as a member of the band Little Feat, which he joined in 1972 some three years after the band was created by Lowell George. Career Barrere recorded and perf ...

and percussionist Sam Clayton) to make the more complete and familiar line-up that continued until their 1979 breakup following the death of Lowell George. Bassist

Kenny Gradney Kenny Gradney (born February 25, 1950, in Baton Rouge) is an American bassist and songwriter, best known as a member of the band Little Feat. Biography He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972. Gradney ...

was brought in to replace original bassist

Roy Estrada Roy Estrada (also known as "Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada" and "Orejón"; born April 17, 1943) is an American former musician. He is best known for being the original bassist of both the Mothers of Invention and Little Fea ...

, who had left after the band's second album, '' Sailin' Shoes'', to join

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

's Magic Band. This new line-up radically altered the band's sound, leaning toward New Orleans R&B/

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

. It was voted number 563 in

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...

'' 3rd Edition (2000). The title track was released as a single by

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in March 1973 in the U.S., backed with "Lafayette Railroad" (WB 7689) and in February 1975 in the UK, backed with "Oh Atlanta" (K 16524).

Track listing

Lowell George sings lead on all tracks, except where noted: Side One #"Dixie Chicken" ( Lowell George, Fred Martin (Martin Fyodor Kibbee)) – 3:55 #"Two Trains" (George) – 3:06 #"Roll Um Easy" (George) – 2:30 #"On Your Way Down" (

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

) – 5:31 #"Kiss It Off" (George) – 2:56 Side Two #"Fool Yourself" (

Fred Tackett Fredrick O. Tackett (born August 30, 1945) is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat. In addition to his work with Li ...

) – 3:10 #"Walkin' All Night" ( Paul Barrère,

Bill Payne William H. Payne (born March 12, 1949, in Waco, Texas) is an American pianist who, with Lowell George, co-founded the American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other rock pianists, including Elton John, to be one of the finest A ...

) – 3:35 (lead vocals: Barrere, Payne) #"Fat Man in the Bathtub" (George) – 4:29 #"Juliette" (George) – 3:20 #"Lafayette Railroad" (George, Payne) – 3:40 (instrumental)

Deluxe edition

A remastered and expanded edition of ''Dixie Chicken'' was released on June 23, 2023. This new edition is a 2-CD set, with the original album on disc one, and bonus material on disc two, labeled as ''Hotcakes, Outtakes & Rarities''. Tracks 10 to 16 are a live recording from Boston, Massachusetts on April 1, 1973.

Personnel

Little Feat

* Lowell George – vocals, guitar,

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell (instrument), bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. ...

, flute *

– backing vocals, guitar, co-lead vocals on "Walkin' All Night" *

– backing vocals, keyboards,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, co-lead vocals on "Walkin' All Night" *

– bass *

Richie Hayward Richard Hayward (February 6, 1946 – August 12, 2010) was an American drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player. Hayward also joined with fri ...

– backing vocals, drums * Sam Clayton –

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

Additional personnel

– guitar, mandolin, trumpet * Bonnie Bramlett – backing vocals * Malcolm Cecil – synthesizer * Tret Fure – backing vocals *

Danny Hutton Daniel Anthony Hutton (born September 10, 1942) is an Irish-American singer, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night. Hutton was a songwriter and singer for Hanna-Barbera Records from 1965 to 1966. Hutton had a ...

– backing vocals *

Milt Holland Milton Holland (born Milton Olshansky; February 7, 1917 – November 4, 2005) was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist and writer in the Los Angeles music scene. He pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian perc ...

–

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

Gloria Jones Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul". She recorded the 1965 hit song "Tainted Love" and has wo ...

– backing vocals *Debbie Lindsey – backing vocals *

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

– backing vocals *Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals * Neon Park – cover art

Notes

External links

''Dixie Chicken'' – album review
at ''

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''
''Dixie Chicken''
at Discogs * – provided by

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* – provided by Warner Music Group {{Authority control 1973 albums Little Feat albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Lowell George Albums with cover art by Neon Park Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders