See Wade Bowen’s Heartfelt Live ‘Death, Dyin’ and Deviled Eggs’

Texas country mainstay Wade Bowen tips a proverbial hat to the great Guy Clark in his new single, “Death, Dyin’, and Deviled Eggs.” Channeling the songwriting legend’s knack for detailed, literary storytelling, Bowen’s track turns a funeral scene into something alive with everyday magic, a phenomenon captured in a new performance video.

Premiering exclusively on Rolling Stone Country, the clip was filmed for Bruce Robison’s Next Waltz label during an intimate acoustic set at this year’s MusicFest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It finds Bowen – with a bit of mist in his eyes – describing a heartfelt scene in the same first-person style Clark made famous with songs like “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “L.A. Freeway” and more, its main setting focused on an after-funeral meal filled with casseroles, deviled eggs and a vivid sense of community.

“I was really sad when Guy Clark passed away last year,” Bowen said from the MusicFest stage, explaining he was able to co-write with Clark before he died, but remains too awestruck to call the icon a friend. “I cried like a baby the day he passed away even though we all knew it was coming.

“One of the things my producer said shortly after was ‘You know, you talk about Guy Clark being one of your heroes all the time, but I don’t really hear where you’ve tried to actually write like him,'” Bowen went on. “And that was a good point. … This song [‘Death, Dyin’, and Deviled Eggs’] was written about two weeks after. I had this idea – I really wanted to write a song that just steals from Guy Clark, maybe a little John Prine, too. This song is not about Guy Clark, but it is trying to imitate him, show respect, and show Guy Clark just how much I miss him.”

“Death, Dyin’, and Deviled Eggs” is available now as a single and as part of Bowen’s recent Solid Ground album. He and fellow Texas-country stalwart Randy Rogers will embark on their 11th annual Hold My Beer and Watch This Tour July 24th, with seven dates scheduled for Texas and Oklahoma.