DR. HOOK: Cover to Cover

James Cecil Dickens (December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015), better known by his stage name, Little Jimmy Dickens, was an American country music singer and songwriter famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size (4'11" [150 cm]), and his rhinestone-studded outfits (which he is given credit for introducing into country music live performances). He started as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1948 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983. Before his death he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Dickens recorded many novelty songs for Columbia, including "Country Boy", "A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed", and "I'm Little but I'm Loud". His song "Take an Old Cold 'Tater (And Wait)" inspired Hank Williams to nickname him Tater.

Here's Little Jimmy Dickens with the song that hit #7 on the country charts in 1949:

To learn more about Little Jimmy Dickens, here's a short video:

In 1974, Dr. Hook played a concert in Freiburg, Germany, which was recorded and later played on the radio there. The following is a clip from that concert. Ray (Sawyer) is on lead covering Little Jimmy Dickens' “Take an Old Cold Tater and Wait”. (That's the voice of Dennis (Locorriere) with a final comment.)

Ray's version is not as detailed as Jimmy's. But the idea of the song is that the children are told to hold back on the expensive item on the table—the “chicken on a plate”—until the guests have had all they want. Until then, they should have some potatoes and wait. Of course, by the time the guests are having their second helping, the potatoes are a little cold. Jimmy tells us that on this occasion all that was left of the chicken “upon the china plate” were the feet and neck!

Thanks for listening. See you next time.

(The information used in this post is from Wikipedia.)

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