''Chippy'', also known as ''Songs from "Chippy"'', is an album by Terry Allen, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock,

Robert Earl Keen Robert Earl Keen (born January 11, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and entertainer. Debuting with 1984's ''No Kinda Dancer'', the Houston native has recorded 20 full-length albums for both independent and major record labels. His songs ha ...

Wayne Hancock Thomas Wayne Hancock III (born May 1, 1965, in Dallas, Texas) better known as Wayne "The Train" Hancock, is an American singer-songwriter. Hancock is known as "The King of Juke Joint Swing," because his sound is unique, as he incorporates jazz ...

Jo Harvey Allen Jo Harvey Allen is an American writer, actress, and artist. Education Allen was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, to a dress shop manager mother and a carpenter father. In 1961, she married artist and singer Terry Allen and moved to Los Ange ...

, and

Jo Carol Pierce Jo Carol Pierce (July 20, 1944 – December 2, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, playwright, and screenwriter who lived in Austin, Texas, from 1970. In 1993, Karen Schoemer described Pierce as "an official local hero in her adopted hometo ...

. It contains original music from the musical, ''Chippy'', which was written by Jo Harvey and Terry Allen and commissioned by the American Music Theater Festival,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where it received its world premiere in 1994. The setting of the musical is

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwe ...

in the 1930s.

Production

The album was recorded at Joe Ely's home studio. It was produced by Ely and Terry Allen.

Critical reception

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' called ''Chippy'' "one of the best albums of the year in country music, or any other genre," writing that "crusty singing voices abound, and they are utterly persuasive in creating the illusion that we are listening to people who moved across a landscape of barrooms and oil fields more than 50 years ago." The ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' wrote that "it's particularly wonderful to hear Ely back in an acoustic country vein, especially with his former bandmate Lloyd Maines on steel guitar and dobro." '' Spin'' deemed it "a dusty grab bag of gritty and smart West Texas tunery." ''

The Santa Fe New Mexican ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' or simply ''The New Mexican'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dubbed "the West's oldest newspaper," its first issue was printed on November 28, 1849. Background The downtown offices for ''T ...

'' opined that "even without the benefit of the dialogue and sets, however, the ''Songs From Chippy'' set makes an evocative, moving collection centered on our particularly American obsession with the open road." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' wrote that it "captures the uneven stage show's high points; spoken-word snippets are inserted between the best songs."

Track listing

#"Goodnight Dear Diary" ( Joe Ely) #"Across the Great Divide" (

) #"Chippy Narration" #"Buildin' More Fires" (Joe Ely) #"Wind's Gonna Blow You Away" ( Butch Hancock) #"Gonna California" ( Terry Allen) #"Thunderstorms & Neon Signs" (

) #"Fate with a Capital F" (Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Terry Allen) #"The Way I Was Raised" (

) #"Cup of Tea" (Joe Ely, Jo Harvey Allen) #"Tongues" #"Low Lights of Town" (Butch Hancock) #"I Blame God" (Jo Carol Pierce) #"Oil Wells" #"Cold Black Hammer" (Joe Ely) #"Boomtown Boogie" (Butch Hancock, Terry Allen, Joe Ely, J. Allen) #"Back to Black" (Terry Allen) #"Just Dancin" #"Whiskey and Women and Money to Burn" (Joe Ely) #"Morning Goodness" (Butch Hancock) #"Angels of the Wind" (Terry Allen) #"Roll Around" (Butch Hancock) #"Goodnight" (Joe Ely)

Personnel

* Terry Allen * Joe Ely * Butch Hancock *

* Lloyd Maines *Davis McLarty *Richard Bowden *Glenn Fukunaga *John Ely *Dee White *Barry Tubb *T.J. McFarland *Sharon Ely *Marie Elena Ely *Kimmy Rhodes *Roggie Baer

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums Joe Ely albums Terry Allen (artist) albums Hollywood Records albums