Artist:
Zac Brown Band
Bassist:
John Driskell Hopkins
About the song:
Chicken Fried was written by Zac Brown and Wyatt Durrette and was initially recorded in 2003. There’s a story behind that:
“We had this song Chicken Fried, we put it on a CD in ’05. This band, The Lost Trailers had called and said “We want to record Chicken Fried.” I was like “Well, I don’t have a problem with you recording the song, but this is our song. As long as you don’t release it to radio, if you want to have it on your record, I’m fine with that.” Then they get a record deal through Sony with this dude Joe Galante, who like, runs Nashville, basically. He said “THAT’S the single.” So The first time I hear “Chicken Fried” on the radio, it wasn’t us singing it. It was like, my worst nightmare. So I call my lawyer and was like “Dude, the fucking song is on the radio,” and then he says ya know, “Zac, what’s the deal with this?” He’s like, “You could get blackballed out of Nashville forever for not letting them record the song.” I was like, ya know “Fuck that, the dude told me he wouldn’t fucking do it, and then he did it!” So they had to call a cease-and-desist, they pulled it off the radio. I came to Nashville to play a show at 3rd and Lindsley and there was a dude in there, they were like “You know who that is? That’s the dude that’s had 40 Number 1’s with Alan Jackson and he’s like the dude, Keith Stegall. Keith had come out to hear me play. He sat down at the table, and he’s like, ya know staring down at his drink and he said “I had to meet the kid that told Joe Galante to fuck off.” And that was the beginning (of our relationship and commercial success).”
Zac Brown
John Driskell Hopkins laid down the solid bassline on the version from the 2008 album, The Foundation (produced by Keith Stegall). The combination of two feel and chromatic walks pushes the chorus beyond the simple long notes of the verses.
The transcription:
