NMissCommentor » Jim Dickinson and his new album of pop standards, in the Commercial AppealJim Dickinson and his new album of pop standards, in the Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal has a nice piece about Jim Dickinson and his new album, which is pop standards. It turns out that he’s always loved but never really tried to perform them until his stint in the house band on Thacker Mountain Radio. Folks who know him only through the radio show will get a bit of his background (the session playing with the Stones was on “Wild Horses,” and with Dylan was on Time Out of Mind, by the way).
August 16, 2009
Jim Dickinson and his new album of pop standards, in the Commercial Appeal » NMissCommentor
Chico Harris, Barry Hannah, the Continental Drifters, Jim Dickinson, and many of Oxford's finest
This is worth watching for the Barry Hannah part - Goner Message Board
Author Message ChicoHarris
MemberPosted: Dec 21, 2008, 10:56 pm Quote
24 years ago today, I was buying beer at Kroger in Tupelo and my buddy Craig C. Cannon walked up and said, "Hey Chico, let's go get the Christmas present I'm going to give you." We had been in the ghetto that morning about 3 o'clock and I figured we were headed back there, so I said, "Let's go!"
But, we didn't go back to the ghetto, we went to the white people neighborhood where his brother lived. I was led into a room where a dog, Sadie had given birth a few hours before. "You get pick of the litter. Merry Christmas."
The one I picked, I picked him right away and I named him Wayne.
Here's something for you to watch while you're at work and either bored or just feel like sticking it to the man. This is worth watching for the Barry Hannah part.
I had an accident April 5, 1997, the day Allan Ginsberg died. Wayne died that day in the accident and I came very close to doing so myself. Wayne the Dog was named for Wayne in "Darlington County," from Springsteen's Born In The USA record. I named him the day he was born, December 21, 1984. He was a favorite son of Oxford. I was with Wayne and we were crossing the street and got hit by this dude's car at a big rate of speed. Folks in Oxford had a three-day festival as a fundraiser for my medical bills and it was a memorial for Wayne. Cary and Laurie from Blue Mountain got the ball rolling with organizing and bands came to play from New York to New Orleans, there was three nights of music at Proud Larrys by ten bands. There was a art auction, a golf tournament, a frisbee gold tournament and a reading in which Larry Brown read poetry and American literary treasure Barry Hannah, a dog lover, wrote and read an incredible essay about Wayne. Stephen Bransford and his crew made a documentary about the three days and here for you is the short version, at about only 15 minutes. I think Steve won some award or such for this in Savannah...I know the editing is superb, especially regarding Hannah. This version on Vimeo is kind of dark visually but does have a button to watch in high def but doesn't have captions, so I'll list them after the link:
http://www.vimeo.com/2436881
In the documentary, in order of appearance:
Barry Hannah, novelist and Ole Miss writer-in-residence, reads his essay about Wayne in segments throughout the film.
Chico Harris - the cause of all this.
Jim Dees - local writer and media personality
Mitch Ulrich - owner, Uncle Buck's Records on the square in Oxford. He worked on organiztion of the festival and he's sitting beside a statue of Faulkner on the Oxford square.
The Voice of Jamo - talking about Wayne as camera shot goes inside my then house.
Ron Shapiro - Owner of the Hoka and local shaper of Oxford culture from 1970s to the present.
Jim Dickinson - Musician, Yalobushwackers, Mud Boy and the Nuetrons, Rolling Stones, etc. Producer, Beanland, Alex Chilton, Bob Dylan etc. Father, 2/3 of the North Mississippi All-Stars.
Barton - Oxford character
Scott Caradine and Michael Nichol - Caradine is founder and owner of Proud Larrys, where the festival music was over three nights and Nichol is an Oxford musician. At the time and here in the film they were hosting an Ole Miss sports radio show.
Larry Brown with Dees and Hannah at the Square Books reading.
Where Wayne is buried.
Performance by the Continental Drifters at Proud Larrys (List of other bands at end of this list).
(Continental Drifters were a New Orleans band consisting of Vicki Peterson, Susan Cowsill, Peter Hosapple, Robert Mache, Mark Walton and Russ Broussard)
Russ Broussard
Dave Woolworth (Kudzu Kings bassist)
T-shirt and poster festival art by folk artist Blair Hobbs
1985 picture of me and Wayne on our way back from Jazz Fest in New Orleans.
Partial list of bands:
The North Mississippi All-Stars with Jim Dickinson and Jimbo Mathus
Blue Mountain
Continental Drifters
Kudzu Kings
Kate Jacobs
Amy Rigby
Cardinal Fluff
Wobitty
The Jazz Gestapo
The Ole Missbehavin' Choir
Scott Rogers was in no way harmed during, in, or by the making of this film.michael baker
MemberPosted: Dec 22, 2008, 7:01 am Quote
i met hannah a few times in the 80's; one time in a wild period of his, one time in this mode: compassionate, caring, funny. anyone who pretends to know the south, contemporary lit, or the pain of loss and who has not read Airships is doing a disservice to those three fields of knowledge. it is a great great book.michael baker
MemberPosted: Dec 22, 2008, 7:09 am | Edited by: michael baker Quote
hey
that clip has cowsills' ex holsapple and an interview with her present beau, broussard (i think)
i love that cowsills song about the park...ChicoHarris
MemberPosted: Dec 22, 2008, 9:17 am Quote
her present beau, broussard (i think)
Correct about that and Airships. Some Oxford DJs have named themselves Airships in honor.
Cowsills were a cool American band...Miss Faye
MemberPosted: Dec 22, 2008, 12:01 pm Quote
How is Dees these days?ChicoHarris
MemberPosted: Dec 22, 2008, 12:36 pm Quote
How is Dees these days?
Very well. He's got two great dogs, good looking women chasing him, recently released a new book, Lies And Other Truths,
http://www.lemuriabooks.com/index.php?show=book&isbn=WFES980016444
is host of a very cool live-audience radio show, Thacker Mountain Radio,
http://www.thackermountain.com/index.php?range=past
and writes a very cool column in a very un-cool newspaper, Oxford Town (so lame it doesn't even have a Web-site).
http://www.oxfordeagle.com/OT801.pdfMiss Faye
MemberPosted: Dec 23, 2008, 9:53 am Quote
So he hasn't changed a bit. Good to know!
Oddly enough, after asking about him, I came across him on facebook. I'll have to check out his book--he's one hell of a witty guy.
Memphians Take a lot of Music for Granted (with good reason), but Not Jim Dickinson (with good reason)! - Read the Local Comments from Preceeding Article - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Memphis musician Jim Dickinson dies at 67 : Local Obituaries : Memphis Commercial AppealPosted by giggity on August 15, 2009 at 11:14 a.m.
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Thank you for your contributions, sir. Now, enjoy your rest.
Posted by neondragon on August 15, 2009 at 11:16 a.m.
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A real loss, he will be greatly missed.
Posted by BigBup on August 15, 2009 at 11:26 a.m.
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My thoughts are with his family.
Posted by SamGould on August 15, 2009 at 11:27 a.m.
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I had the priveledge of meeting Mr. Dickinson last year at a film premiere, a kind, gracious man. Was he a part of Mud Boy & the Neutrons? R.I.P. Mr. Dickinson
Posted by Nighthawk on August 15, 2009 at 11:35 a.m.
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I will forever hold dear my recording at the Zebra ranch with the master himself on the scene. What a great guy and a wonderful musician. God bless you Miss Mary, Cody and Luther.
Posted by Mr_Kite on August 15, 2009 at 11:40 a.m.
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A true artist... JD had a hand in some of the greatest music... The respect of some of the greatest stars and musicians... and was humble enough to still play on local boys recordings that he liked, even if they were unknowns. An artist's artist.
R.I.P. JD.Posted by amphotography on August 15, 2009 at 12:06 p.m.
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This is truly a sad day for Memphis. Prayers go out to the family and friends.
-Amanda & Jonathan
Posted by Pippin on August 15, 2009 at 12:29 p.m.
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So sorry for Cody, Luther, and Mary.
Rest in Peace, we'll miss you so much. I am just so saddened by this.
SamGould, yes he was a member of MudBoy and the Neutrons.
Posted by Nightcrawler on August 15, 2009 at 12:31 p.m.
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My condolences to the Dickinson family for their huge loss.
Rest in peace Jim
Posted by billy2748 on August 15, 2009 at 12:39 p.m.
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When I was in college in the 70s my roommate and I drove up from Mississippi to see Muddy Waters at one of the Labor Day festivals they used to have on the downtown mall back then.
When he was finished we walked down the mall and came upon a band that had a keyboard player who was playing like a madman and he was wearing levis that had been patched up with duct tape. That was the first time I ever saw Jim Dickinson.
Hate to sound cliche but this is true - he was the man.Posted by rjgwork on August 15, 2009 at 12:47 p.m.
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World Boogie Is Coming.
Posted by scottp33 on August 15, 2009 at 12:49 p.m.
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Jim Dickinson was truly one of the great Memphis musical icons. I had the pleasure knowing Jim, and attending his 50th Birthday Bash at Phillips Studio on Madison St. His stature is reflected in the people who paid tribute to him that night, including the great Mr. Sam Phillips. Without Jim, much of the Memphis Sound would not have been captured. The author, Robert Gordon encapsulaed much of Jim's contribution in his great book, "It Came From Memphis;" a must read for anyone interested in the history of Memphis music. I met Jim through another great Memphis musical legend, my cousin Mark Unobsky, also of blessed memory. I got to be the fly on the wall during some of their lengthy pickin' & smokin' sessions. Outside of his impressive name-dropping resume, Jim was a great creator and producer in his own right. Without Jim Dickinson, we would not have Big Star, Mud Boy & the Neutrons and of course the North Mississippi All Stars. When Cody and Luther were kids, they joined with Steve Selvidge, son of Sid, to amuse themselves playing their daddies'(Mud Boy) songs, and became a memorable band in "Big A__ Truck." Jim was link to the original Sun Studio, where he served as a studio musician. Another lasting memory is a very sad one: When Lee Baker died in 1996, Jim led the surviving members of Mud Boy in a musical tribute at the funeral for Lee and his Aunt Sally, who was murdered with him. THAT was some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard, and the composure the guys showed on that tragic day was amazing. Like most of the attendees, I was a basket case that day, but Jim and the guys on stage were almost stoic as they played. Needless to say, Jim is worthy of such a tribute, and I regret not being able to be there to participate. My deepest condolences go out to Mary Lindsey, Cody, Luther and other members of his blood and musical families.
H. Scott Prosterman
BerkeleyPosted by candisekola on August 15, 2009 at 1:24 p.m.
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MUCH love and deep sympathy to the Family D.
I shall celebrate Jim's life for you today (and always).
Posted by Winter_Maiden on August 15, 2009 at 1:25 p.m.
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He once said, of his role as producer, something like "The artists can do what they want with the music, but the silence is mine." I have no idea what that means, but it sounds wonderfully Zen. I admired that man so much. A really terrible loss for Memphis (and American) music.
Posted by dirtysmelly on August 15, 2009 at 1:25 p.m.
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Everyone who played with Jim Dickinson played better that day, and no doubt thereafter.
Posted by OICUR12 on August 15, 2009 at 1:44 p.m.
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I went to high school with Jim, and one of my most favorite memories of him was when he played and sang in the White Station HS talent contest and brought the house down with his screamin shakin style. His antics on stage got him disqualified, but he became a local cult hero afterwards. He leaves behind a rich legacy and will be missed.
Posted by pay_attention on August 15, 2009 at 1:56 p.m.
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What a HUGE loss for the Memphis music scene. Prayers for his family.
Posted by mkjpottscamp on August 15, 2009 at 2:07 p.m.
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man, what a terrible loss. Never had the pleasure of meeting him, sorry to say. My condolences to his family.
Posted by AllMemphisMusic on August 15, 2009 at 2:13 p.m.
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Jim will always be heard on All Memphis Music.
Our prayers to the family.Posted by bornin47 on August 15, 2009 at 3:36 p.m.
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Had the pleasure of working with Jim on a couple of occasions, and he was the consummate professional.
An architect of Memphis music has gone, but he left behind one hell of a legacy.Posted by willie_watkins on August 15, 2009 at 5:32 p.m.
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"You're all gonna be wearin' gold plated diapers."
- Jim Dickinson
Posted by tiger4life on August 15, 2009 at 6:04 p.m.
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OH, NO !!!!!!!
well, i'm sure Lee Baker was there to cross him over, they're probably ripping into some 'Walkin' Blues' as i type....Jim always missed Lee so tremendously so
i'm tore down, tearful tore down....Jim was my Hero
i'm privileged to have shared many a private moment of conversation with Jim (discussing our favorite subject, memphis music), he will forever speak through my words
courage Luther, Cody...and prayers for Ms Mary
Lord Have Mercy :(
Posted by tiger4life on August 15, 2009 at 6:10 p.m.
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in response to Winter_Maiden
yes, that is truly something Jim would say....Jim owned the 'pause' between the 'notes'
his engineering technique was/is unmistakable, unique, and revolutionized the recording industry
a master of the mix
Posted by davidsweeney on August 15, 2009 at 6:14 p.m.
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We well miss you, Luther.
Posted by PDCMem on August 15, 2009 at 6:17 p.m.
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Three of the greatest concerts I ever attended were performances by Mud Boy. One was outside on the Mid-America Mall downtown and they had these strippers dancing on the stage with them and the band was playing for the devil. Pretty soon someone from the city came round and had the power turned off to the stage in midnote. Mud Boy finished the set still playing electric (though silent) guitars.
The next was inside at the Orpheum,before it was cleaned up. One of the guys started cutting up a guitar with a chainsaw. It was during that concert that a la Paul on the road to Damascus, Lee Baker was a god.
The last was was outside on a field near Beale in the evening. After a long and terrific set, Mud Boy settled into Bo Diddley's groove, led by Jimmy C on a bass drum, the type they used to roll down the street to welcome the circus to town. It was massive and its beat levitated the entire crowd as the sunset over the city.
Sorry to hear of Mr. Dickinson's passing , but at least Lee now has someone to play Memphis rock and roll with up in heaven.
Posted by MidtownLisa on August 15, 2009 at 8:33 p.m.
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Huge loss for Memphis and for the rest of the music world as well. Our condolences to the Dickinson family. Cody and Luther....please make sure the light of your Dad's genuis keeps shining on and on and on........
RIP Jim.
Posted by tubo on August 15, 2009 at 11:12 p.m.
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Losing Jim Dickinson is something that's going to take a long, long time to get over.
I just can't understand how this jive old world can keep on turning and the laws of gravity still apply.
We lost a giant, Memphis.
The legend that will always be Jim Dickinson lives on and his spirit continues to maintain the ultimate groove.Posted by ben_n_tn on August 15, 2009 at 11:21 p.m.
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The article failed to mention his work as the leader of the Yalobushwhackers. I will remember all of his Thacker Mountain Radio performances fondly. In fact I shook his hand after his very last one. And I'll always love his dirty raspy performance of "Down in Mississippi" on the North Mississippi All-Stars' Hill Country Revue:Live at Bonnaroo CD. I love that song and that CD.
RIP Mr. Dickinson!
Posted by BobMehr on August 15, 2009 at 11:32 p.m.
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in response to ben_n_tn
I wanted to include something about Jim's work on Thacker Mountain Radio, as he was especially proud and gratified by the experiece, but obviously, there were so many things Jim did and not enough space to cover them all.
However in the article I wrote on Jim's album from May, it was discussed prominently, and with his unique sense of humor:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/...
Over the past few years, Dickinson finally got his chance to dig into those styles while playing on the Oxford-based "Thacker Mountain Radio" show, which broadcasts live from the city's Off Square Books.
"I really love playing on the radio," says Dickinson. "We've developed an interesting following of little old ladies, college students and homeless people, who really didn't know me or my background at all.
"One lady told me: 'We just thought you were some old man who liked music'. Well, that's pretty much what I am," says Dickinson, laughing.
Posted by ben_n_tn on August 15, 2009 at 11:52 p.m.
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in response to BobMehr
Hey Bob, I didn't mean that as a slam on your article. It was a good piece. I just happened to have an affinity for Thacker Mountain Radio, so it jumped out at me. Jim Dickinson did so much there would be no way to cover it all.
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Posted by memphisheart on August 15, 2009 at 11:12 a.m.
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I'm so sorry to read this - Sorry for his wife and Cody and Luther - and all those who were influenced by him. He was another musical gem that Memphians can always take great pride in.