Old Crow Medicine Show and Sierra Ferrell enter the ring for an unexpected battle in the playful new music video for “Belle Meade Cockfight.” Released today (July 18), the lighthearted clip finds Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor playing the role of his alter-ego, “Belle Meade Dandy,” while Ferrell is introduced as the “Winsome Coquette.” Viewers journey along with the pair as they enter into the fictional “Belle Meade Fish & Game Banquet & Raffle,” where plenty of hijinks ensue.
Videos by American Songwriter
“My hometown is the self-proclaimed poultry capital of the world, smack in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia,” Secor says. “I love chickens, have raised ’em from under the lightbulb to the brooder box, and I see their grace and beauty. Poultry makes fantastic fodder for song, always has. I can’t admit to having regularly attended cockfights, only that chickens are in my blood. But songwriting lets you travel the seven seas without leaving your porch swing, or in this case the cockfight ring, so I composed this ditty after extensive research and hope I’ve done right by the scholars of the sport.”
When it came time to choose the perfect collaborator for this specific and somewhat unconventional songwriting focus, Ferrell was top of mind.
“I called up Sierra Ferrell and told her I had a ‘cockfight love song’ and needed a sparring partner,” Secor continues. “Not surprising, she was game. She’s from just over the line in West Virginia and knows a thing or two about the joys of chickens. We dedicate this one to Sarah Cannon, the opulent southern dame behind Minnie Pearl’s folksy persona. Sarah embodied class duality in country music as only a Shakespearian actress-turned-hayseed-rib-tickler could. The only thing I can think of that better exemplifies country music’s ability to be at once ‘highfalutin’ and ‘for the people’ would be if they started holding cockfights on Saturday nights in old Belle Meade.”
The jaunty “Belle Meade Cockfight” serves as the latest preview of Old Crow Medicine Show’s upcoming album Jubilee, which is set for release on August 25 via ATO Records. The 12-track LP, which serves as a companion piece to the band’s 2022 record, Paint This Town, also includes a collaboration with soul legend Mavis Staples and the band’s first recording with founding member Willie Watson since he departed the band in 2011.
Calling all music lovers! Get ready for the Sierra Ferrell Tour! Don’t miss the chance to witness Sierra Ferrell’s extraordinary talent and mesmerizing performances.
Photo Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins
