Let Me Take You To Chunky Town

If you scroll down you'll see on the right a little box that shows where visitors to this blog come from. Normally it shows the countries, but by fiddling around with the settings it comes up with a list of exactly which town folks are from. Being a bit sad and needy I look at this regularly and pretend that in some way you are real and not just imaginary friends.

Anyway, I am delighted to be able to say that yesterday we had a visitor from the town of CHUNKY in Newton County, Mississippi. I think that is one of the most fantastic place names I have ever heard.

Instantly infatuated by the name I explored further. Judging by Wikipedia and the Mississippi Magazine Chunky sounds like a sparsely populated piece of Heaven on Earth. It has gone straight to the top of my list of places to visit when I next get to the States (with the possible exception of Goggins, Georgia).

I look forward to strolling through town and visiting one of the two stores or the post office, picking some pumpkins at Lazy Acres Plantation, enjoying some fried catfish at Boyette's Fish Camp, maybe even kayaking on the Chunky River, before popping into one of the two Chunky churches to give thanks for these blessings.

And it turns out Chunky is slap bang in the middle of a real hot bed of musical talent. If you head north for about 20 miles you come to Collinsville, birthplace of Mr Jimmy Ruffin:

"I'll Say Forever My Love" - Jimmy Ruffin

Whereas if you head east for about 15 miles you come to Meridian, birthplace of any number of notable singers and musicians. The most famous of all would be Jimmie Rodgers, but others include Chris Ethridge (Flying Burrito Brothers and many others), Pat Sansom (Wilco), country star Ty Herndon and these three fellows:

"Willoughby Brook Road" - Al Wilson

"Bandy The Rodeo Clown" - Moe Bandy

"January 23-30, 1978" - Steve Forbert (about a visit to his old home town).

To finish us off, here's the flamboyantly attired Webb Pierce with his rendition of Jimmie Rodgers's "In The Jailhouse Now":



Look out Chunky, here I come!