Waylon Jennings Once Asked Alan Jackson, “What The Hell Is A Chattahoochee?” & Here Is The Answer

You can always count on Waylon Jennings to tell is like it is.

A country music legend and pioneer of the “Outlaw Country” movement (even though he thought that title itself was a pretty corny marketing gimmick), Waylon was known for never shying away from what he thought and never doing something he didn’t want to do. And there are countless examples… storming out of Tom Snyder’s late night show in 1998, walking out on the “We Are The World” studio session, walking out on the CMA Awards, bailing on his Country Music Hall of Fame induction… if Waylon didn’t want to be there, he wouldn’t be.

And he was never afraid to speak his mind either, whether it be political in nature such a the idea of a female president, school shootings or even going to France. Or maybe something more trivial like roasting Johnny Cash for his American Recordings cover photos, calling out the country music machine, or whether or not Willie Nelson should be president. And aside from being authentic, honest and fearless, he was just downright hilarious.

Exhibit A… when “Chattahoochee” hit country radio in 1992, he couldn’t help but ask Alan Jackson straight up… what the hell is a “Chattahoochee?”

“I think Waylon said one time, Waylon Jennings, ‘what the hell is a Chattahoochee?'”

To be fair, unless you grew up near the Alabama/Georgia line, you’d probably have no idea as well.

Chattahoochee Meaning

For those of you that don’t know, it’s actually a river that runs across northern Georgia, along the Georgia/Alabama border, and down into Florida. And as it turns out, Alan was hesitant to release it as a single for the same reason.

“That’s why it was surprising to me when they decided to put ‘Chattahoochee’ out, I was reluctant because I said, ‘nobody is gonna know what that is.”

But according to Alan Jackson, Chattahoochee isn’t just a river, it’s a state of mind.

“The regular working people, the professional people, just trying to do the same things… make a living, raise a family, enjoy life. I learned that there’s a Chattahoochee everywhere.”

AKA, Chattahoochee isn’t just a river or a song… it’s a lifestyle. And it truly does transcend that river on the state line. I’ve had friends from all walks of life… country folks, city folks, European immigrants, anyone who hears “Chattahoochee” a couple times can relate to it. All you have to do is play the song for some people and you’ll see that there really is a Chattahoochee everywhere. Plus, “hoochie coochie” is quite a head turner.

The term actually originated as a proactive type of belly dance in the late 1800s, and of course Muddy Waters would go on to have a hit with “Hoochie Coochie Man” in 1954. But in the early 1900s, you find these controversial dancers at a number of local county fairs, and there was even an episode of the Andy Griffith Show where some of the women are concerned about this type of performance at the Mayberry carnival. As it turns out, they would sometimes turn into “strip shows,” and that’s what “Chattahoochee” songwriter, Jim McBride, confirmed.

McBride says folks in the industry, presumably radio stations, were always asking about it, calling to find out what it meant:

“We got so many phone calls that Alan got tired of them, and he said, ‘Call Jim.’ So I’m getting phone calls from all over the country wanting to know what a hoochie coochie is… [it’s] a county fair strip show.”

Some older folks will still use “hoochie coochie” to refer to a loose woman or exotic dancer (my grandma used to say that about women who were dressed rather provocatively), and as we all know, part of that phrase has taken on a slang meaning for a certain female body part. So, while Alan and Jim certainly have a timeless classic on their hands, you have to imagine that if the song came out today, the songwriters might try to come up with something else.

TURN IT UP.

The post Waylon Jennings Once Asked Alan Jackson, “What The Hell Is A Chattahoochee?” & Here Is The Answer first appeared on Whiskey Riff.