Randy Newman doing "Rednecks."

[CTyankee]

He talks about the history of the song for a little bit first...but then he sings it...

[spooky3]

1. I had a sweet encounter with Mr. Newman many years ago.

I was volunteering at a festival at which he was to perform. My dad was a big fan of his and was driving 3 hours to attend the performance later that day. To my surprise, that afternoon, Newman and a companion entered the area where I was working. I went up to them and told them about my dad’s admiration, etc. She smiled kindly and Randy graciously asked me if my dad had a favorite song, and said he would dedicate the song to him that night. I scrambled to choose one song—Dayton, Ohio.

Sure enough, despite my dad’s unusual last name, at the performance, Randy did dedicate the right song and did his best to pronounce Dad’s name. We all enjoyed it. I have a terrible memory but will never forget it.

By the way, he’s very tall.