Listen: When You Kill The Chicken, Save Me The Head

This week’s Diggin’ is Algia Mae Hinton’s “When You Kill The Chicken, Save Me The Head.” What struck me first about this song is the unusual request, but what kept me listening was Algia Mae’s deft 12-string playing.

She plays a great melody that has echoes of Etta Baker’s Railroad Bill and steadily inserts “Save Me The Head” throughout, as if the song has a particular message that she wants the listener to hold on to.

Why is Algia Mae saving the head? Recently, I was speaking with Algia Mae and she gave the following explanation: “When we were kids, my Momma used to cook the heads.  She’d make them into a paste and roll ’em out like dough, then she’d cook ’em up.”

Bon Appetit!

– Aaron