Blackjack County Chain
"Blackjack County Chain" is a song written by Red Lane. The song was initially rejected by Charley Pride, who considered at the time the lyrics controversial.
| "Blackjack County Chain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Willie Nelson | ||||
| B-side | "Some Other World" | |||
| Released | May 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 at RCA Studio B (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Red Lane | |||
| Producer(s) | Chet Atkins | |||
| Willie Nelson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was ultimately recorded by Willie Nelson, whose version enjoyed success until it was banned by radio stations.
Overview
"Blackjack County Chain" was written by country music artist Red Lane. The song depicts the killing of a Georgia sheriff by members of a black chaingang, as recounted by one of them. Lane offered initially the song to Charley Pride, who anticipating a possible controversy refrained from recording it.[1]
Lane then offered the song to his friend Willie Nelson. Nelson had recently a hit single with "The Party's Over", that peaked at twenty-four in Billboard's Hot Country Singles. Nelson's version of "Blackjack County Chain" was released with a cover of Floyd Tillman's "Some Other World" on the flipside.[2] The single debuted in May 1967. RCA Records published a full-page advertising promoting the single on Billboard.[3] On its review, the publication praised the work of producer Chet Atkins, while it declared "(Nelson's) moving rendition [...] should be working its way up to the top".[4]
The song met instant success, reaching number twenty-four on the country singles chart. At the time the song's popularity was growing, most of the radio stations banned it from airplay due to its content.[2] Nelson re-recorded the song as a duet with Waylon Jennings for their 1983 collaboration Take it to the Limit.[5]
Chart performance
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Country Singles | 21 |
Cover versions
Studio versions
Irish folk singer Christy Moore covered "Blackjack County Chain" on the album Smoke and Strong Whiskey released in 1991. Charley Crockett is an American blues, country and Americana singer, guitarist, and songwriter who also covered the song, releasing his version in 2020 on his studio album Welcome to Hard Times.
Footnotes
- Pride, Charlie & Henderson, Jim 1994, p. 144.
- Patoski, Joe Nick 2008, p. 188.
- Alamo Promotions 1967, p. 55.
- Billboard staff 1967, p. 16.
- Patoski, Joe Nick 2008, p. 372.
References
- Alamo Promotions (1967). "Chain Breaking". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- Billboard staff (1967). "Country Spotlight". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- Patoski, Joe Nick (2008). Willie Nelson: An Epic Life. Hachette Digital. ISBN 978-0-316-01778-7.
- Pride, Charlie; Henderson, Jim (1994). Pride: the Charley Pride story. W. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-12638-4.
