"The Motorcycle Session" - excerpted from Knox Phillips' remarks at the Jim Dickinson Brass Note dedication on Beale St., 4/3/20

A lot of you probably know about our “motorcycle” session. We were doing an album on Dan Penn---if you don’t know who he is, he’s probably the premier---in my mind’s eye---singer-songwriter-producer in the South today, and has been for years and years and years, the greatest voice. Great voice, great writer. Jim was producing an album for him. He produced the best album on Dan that Dan ever did in my mind’s eye.

I talked to Jim that afternoon, we were coming in that night, Jim said, “Dan wrote this song ‘Tiney Hineys and Hogs’”, obviously a motorcycle song. I said, “Jim, great,” and he said, “I want two live motorcycles on the floor running at the session while track is being cut.” I said, ok. So [we got] two ’74 Harley Davidsons into the studio and got them all set up. I mic’ed ‘em, tried to bounce them off a little bit. But I also had these great new red Koss headphones that just came in that day. They put on the headphones, the motorcycle guys did, they cranked up their motorcycles, Gene Chrisman was playing drums. Jim’s idea was to get the motorcycles to idle on the beat.

Now the deal is that in those days motorcycles had carbureators, maybe they still do. There’s an idle screw, you turn the idle up a little bit to increase the speed of the idle, and turn it down to decrease it.

What Jim was trying to do was get the beat and the motorcycles in time. We finally got all that, did a couple of cuts, as the song ended it builds up dynamically. Well, to build the song up dynamically, you have to gun it.

Toward the end of the song they’re gunning the motorcycles. We had to all run out of the room.

I’d shut the door, I’d turn the air conditioner on “suck.” We’d go out to the lobby or the lounge and wait thirty minutes and go back in and do another cut.

The point of that story is that where else but Memphis could that happen and in whose brain but Jim’s could that be invented?

by Glenn Goodman

Unveiling Jim's Brass Note on Beale Street

On hand for the unveiling of Jim Dickinson's Brass Note on the Beale Street Walk of Fame were his wife, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, sons Cody (on left) and Luther Dickinson and his wife Necha, and their daughter, Lucia.

Speaking to the crowd, Knox Phillips said he was sure that if Jim was there, he would say, "It's about time." Knox praised Jim's "independent and maverick spirit." With the emphasis on "maverick!"

"You couldn't want a better friend or professional colleague," said John Fry, Ardent Studios' Owner.

"We're fortunate he came our way," said U.S. Representative Steve Cohen..

I'm his wife, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, and I said to the crowd, "God is love. Love is eternal. Jim is with God, co-heirs to God's Kingdom with Jesus. Jim loved us then; he loves us now, still, always, and forever." And in the words of John Fry, "If this offends your political correctness, contact me and I'll forgive you."

"I no longer think only of Jim Dickinson as a guy who makes music like no one else, though that's sure enough true. I think of him and the music he makes as something a lot bigger."

-Nick Tosches

Sweet Peace Within

Beginnings of the Dickinson Musical Family

"I think of Jim often. I don't think I understood that every time he told a story, it was a parable--a lesson that we needed to hear. The stories were so wonderful, I had no idea I was learning something important--about energy, creativity, or taking care of the artists around you. Those lessons follow me wherever I go."

This comment was made recently by our family friend, Kirt Gunn, who was best friends with Luther when he was three years old and Kirt was seven. Luther is three in the picture above and I'm pregnant with Cody. We are soaking up the music Jim is playing at Ardent Studio.

Monkey Man