# RIP Tom T Hall. He's pickin with Clayton Delaney now **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 21, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277 "2021-08-21T14:49:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/1 "2021-08-21T14:49:18Z")
Tom was a gifted songwriter and performer. He wrote _Harper Valley PTA_. A huge hit for Jeannie C. Riley. Alan Jackson had a early hit with _Little Bitty_, another song written by Tom. Tom wrote and recorded several hits himself. _Old Dogs, Children And) Watermelon Wine_ and _The Year That Clayton Delaney Died_ are two of my favorites. RIP Tom and thanks for the music. > **[Tom T. Hall: 10 Essential Songs](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/tom-t-hall-best-songs-1215056/)** > > From the love story “That’s How I Got to Memphis” and the bittersweet “Homecoming” to the radio hit “Harper Valley P.T.A.” ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/2 "2021-08-21T14:53:52Z")
That list omits [“I Can’t Dance,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c8X2-8t2Cw) which was covered by Gram Parsons, which certainly lends it a modicum of respect. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/3 "2021-08-21T14:59:13Z")
He also made big bucks by coming up with "We love baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet. " Old Dogs was probably the best of his “serious” songs, but you don’t have to I very deep into his work to see how much he deserved his title of The Storyteller. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/4 "2021-08-21T14:59:15Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > That list omits [“I Can’t Dance,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c8X2-8t2Cw) which was covered by Gram Parsons, which certainly lends it a modicum of respect. That is a good one. I’m sure Tom wrote dozens of songs that appear on other artist’s albums. He was primarily a songwriter that occasionally recorded & performed. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/5 "2021-08-21T15:06:39Z")
“Fox on the Run” was one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/6 "2021-08-21T15:44:34Z")
Music City Roots (YouTube) has 3 performances from Nov 16, 2011.Tom was retired but appeared on their stage for Tom T Hall Night. He still sounds pretty good at 75. He starts singing at 2:26. There’s two other videos that are really good. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NW1KPWrQJeI/maxresdefault.jpg "Tom T. Hall "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW1KPWrQJeI) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/7 "2021-08-21T15:54:43Z")
I like _A Week in a Country Jail_. Delightful story of being caught in a small-town speed trap. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/8 "2021-08-21T23:17:05Z")
When I was a kid, my favourite album in my dad’s country music library was “In Search of a Song”; I loved “Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs”. I kind of forgot about him until a couple of years ago when I started listening to more of his stuff. My current sentimental favourite is “Ode to Half a Pound of Ground Round”, the funniest song I’ve ever heard about being hungry. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pgwNJZw8qAs/hqdefault.jpg "Tom T. Hall "Ode To A Half A Pound Of Ground Round"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgwNJZw8qAs) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/9 "2021-08-22T01:34:37Z")
Bittersweet for me, he was my dad’s favorite and I grew up with his music, but he (dad) was an alcoholic asshole so the music takes me to some dark memories also. My favorite is Sneaky Snake ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/10 "2021-08-22T01:48:48Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > My favorite is Sneaky Snake Sneaky Snake! I honestly couldn’t remember who wrote that. I’ve always found it such an amusing/surreal tune. Ah, RIP Tom T. Hall [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9EYPxlW-luw/maxresdefault.jpg "Tom T. Hall - Sneaky Snake 1974 HQ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EYPxlW-luw) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/11 "2021-08-22T02:18:40Z")
No disrespect, but: [Ballad Of Forty Dollars~Tom T.Hall.wmv - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx5te3VkTtQ) ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tom-t-hall-hes-pickin-with-clayton-delaney-now/949277/12 "2021-08-22T13:36:21Z")
“Pay No Attention to Alice” is the most grimly realistic portrayal of living with an alcoholic family member that I’ve ever heard.