Seems I'm not the only person in the world who didn't know what the Chitlin Circuit was/is ...
Back in the early 70's I happened to meet Mighty Joe Young and Willie Dixon in my home town. We (the band and 2 of my girlfriends) - were just sitting around in the bar having a coctail or two and some conversation ...
When I asked Joe if he had been to my Country/City before he said no - he usually "just played the Chitlin Circuit."
And with that the band went back on stage ..
I was sure I had heard that ALL wrong ... he couldn't have said 'chitlin' .... must be the American accent I'm thinking ....
I scratched my head and looked at my 2 friends and said "What did he say" They looked sort of dumbfounded as well.... So I thought I had heard wrong ...
At the end of the set a couple of the younger band members came and sat back down ...
And I was laughing saying - so how is the Chitlin Circuit. (Just didn't want to say that I couldn't believe my ears - is all - nor admit that my U.S. geography was that bad or that I was that stoopid!!) - and Butch Dixon (Willie's son) explained it all in great detail .... IT sure wasn't an expression I had ever heard before - I was still grossed at what chitlin's were and the fact that people ate them ..... Probably because my first full time job was in a meat packing plant - and after the tour of the place I didn't eat meat again for about 3 years ....
Anyway, here is a handy link if you want to do some research:
http://www.southernsoulrnb.com/
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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1 comment:
Interesting post. And funny too. I'm posting from area in the circuit...in Tennessee. If you could earn a living playing it, you were pretty good and usually had a cult following. They called it..."Just paying dues".
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