THE ‘FEEL LIKE I’M FIXING TO SUE RAG’
THE ‘FEEL LIKE I’M FIXING TO SUE RAG’
BERKELEY, Calif. (Wireless Flash) – A war may soon be waged over one of the best protest songs of the 1960s: “Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag” by Country Joe McDonald. Babette Ory, the daughter of New Orleans jazz great Kid Ory, is suing McDonald because she claims the anti-war melody is “68 percent similar” to her father’s 1924 hit “Muskrat Ramble.” Kid Ory died in 1973 but Babette says his dying request was that she “nail that bastard, McDonald” because he hated the song’s anti- war stance and profane lyrics. McDonald admits he was inspired by “Muskrat Ramble” but insists his melody is completely different. He says he and Ory have mutual acquaintances but no one has ever accused him of stealing until now. McDonald says recent events are inspiring parody versions of his song and he suspects that’s why Ory’s daughter filed her suit.
Thu 10-04-01