Willie Watson Takes Aim At Racism With ‘Slim & The Devil’ Single

Old Crow Medicine Show co-founder and former member Willie Watson shared a new single, “Slim and The Devil.” Watson was moved to write the song after the white nationalist march in Charlottesville and subsequently reading Sterling Brown’s poem “Slim Greer in Hell.”

“Slim and the Devil” is the opening track on Watson’s upcoming self-titled debut album, due out on September 13 via Little Operation Records/Thirty Tigers. The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist previously shared the single, “Real Love.”

Watson shared the story that led to his latest single, “Slim and The Devil.”

“I was disgusted by the imagery of white nationalists taking over the streets of Charlottesville. I pulled a book of poems off the shelf called ‘The Black Poets’ and the first page I opened was Sterling Brown’s poem ‘Slim Greer In Hell.’ The story is second to the honor aimed at the poet himself because history has told me that all the people in his position have been robbed by white folk artists and completely cast aside.

Sterling A. Brown was a professor at Howard University and was one of the great Black poets of the 20th century. He was the first poet laureate of Washington D.C. Watson’s “Slim and the Devil” adapts Sterling Brown’s 1930 poem “Slim Greer in Hell” to music.

Watson plays guitar and sings on “Slim and The Devil” alongside Jason Boesel on drums, Paul Kowert on bass, and Sami Braman on fiddle. Listen below:

Catch Willie Watson on tour. Scroll down for itinerary and ticket info.