After Decades of Loss and Changing Lineups, Little Feat Returns With “Too High To Cut My Hair”

Little Feat returns with a new album, Strike Up The Band, on May 9. It follows last year’s Sam’s Place—the group’s first studio album since Rooster Rag in 2012. The album’s first single “Too High To Cut My Hair” was released just last week and finds the critically acclaimed band having fun after so many years of loss and changing lineups.

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Strike Up The Band includes collaborations with Grateful Dead’s Robert Hunter, Molly Tuttle, Larkin Poe, and Nashville producer and engineer Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White).

A Tale of Survival

Little Feat’s swampy new tune uses a haircutting metaphor that may explain the struggle and endurance of the band. The Los Angeles group found success in the 1970s but never reached the heights of contemporaries like the Allman Brothers Band or Grateful Dead. Still, Little Feat persisted in the face of tragedy and found fans in Bob Dylan, Phish, and The Black Crowes.

But the biggest blow arrived when Little Feat lost its driving creative force, Lowell George, who died of a heart attack in 1979, caused by an accidental heroin overdose. He was 34.

“We’ve traveled this whole world to where the mountain meets the sea
And sometimes it’s so hard to face reality
We made it through the lice, we made it through the lies
But when I see you dancing, you know, baby, I realize.”

The second verse mentions the biblical characters, Samson and Delilah. It may also be a nod to the Dead’s “Samson And Delilah” from Terrapin Station. Perhaps Samson’s haircut and subsequent loss of strength are yet another metaphor for Little Feat’s own losses.

The Real Story

That’s the philosophical interpretation, but the real story goes like this: Multi-instrumentalist Fred Tackett and his wife Patricia were in a New Orleans hotel room, and Fred needed a trim. But he thought better of the situation when he realized Patricia was too high to cut his hair.

The wry track showcases the looseness of a well-worn jam band now more than 50 years into its career. Meanwhile, “Too High To Cut My Hair” benefits from countless miles of touring and Powell’s raw production.  

Many Changes

Tackett wrote the song with singer and guitarist Scott Sharrard. The track also features Bill Payne on keys, percussionists Sam Clayton and Tony Leone, and bassist Kenny Gradney.

Payne co-founded Little Feat in 1969 with George, bassist Roy Estrada, and drummer Richie Hayward. Both Gradney and Clayton have been in the band since its classic lineup from 1972. This lineup also included guitarist and singer Paul Barrere, who died in 2019.

Little Feat is best remembered for early 1970s songs like “Spanish Moon”, “Willin’”, and “Dixie Chicken”, which feature George’s voice and virtuosic guitar playing.

The band was effectively over just before George’s death, marking the end of its classic era. Little Feat reformed in 1987 and has continued since with a revolving door of musicians. But the current lineup has been in place since 2020. And “Too High To Cut My Hair” displays a group enjoying its survival.

Photo by Fletcher Moore