"Catfish John" is a song written by

Bob McDill Robert Lee McDill (born April 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000. During his career he wrote or co-wrote 31 number one country hits. His songs were also recorded by popular artists of the 1970s, 1980s ...

and

Allen Reynolds Allen Reynolds (born August 18, 1938) is an American record producer and songwriter who specializes in country music. He has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Biography Early ...

first released on McDill's album ''

Short Stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

,'' and subsequently recorded and released by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist Johnny Russell. It was released in November 1972 as the fourth single from the album, "Catfish John"/"Chained".Edward Morri
Songwriter Bob McDill Talks About His Many Hits
Legendary Tunesmith Submits to Rare Interview at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum July 4, 2008 CMT News The song is credited with propelling Bob McDill into the front ranks of country songwriters. The song has also been performed by

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

(Jerry Garcia Band,

Old & In the Way Old & In the Way was a bluegrass group formed in 1973. It was composed of Peter Rowan (guitar, vocals), Vassar Clements (fiddle), Jerry Garcia (banjo, vocals), David Grisman (mandolin, vocals), and John Kahn (string bass). When the group was for ...

), as well as other musicians.

Toots Hibbert Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert, (8 December 1942 – 11 September 2020) was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals. A reggae pioneer, he performed for six decades and ...

recorded the song on ''Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead (Pow Wow)'', a Grateful Dead tribute album. It has also been performed and recorded by

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

and

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), also known as the Dirt Band, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and voc ...

. Australian country music band The Hawking Brothers released their version in 1973 reaching 32 on the charts.

Content

The song is a story about a former slave, which emphasizes difficulties of the everyday life for Black people at the time, and about the singer who, in boyhood, found him an inspiration and source of

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

culture.

Chart performance

References

1972 singles Johnny Russell (singer) songs Songs written by Bob McDill Songs written by Allen Reynolds Grateful Dead songs RCA Records singles 1972 songs {{1970s-country-song-stub