The performer is Ted Hawkins (October 28, 1936 -- January 1, 1995) who was an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, United States. Hawkins was an enigmatic figure through most of his career; he split his time between his adopted hometown of Venice Beach, California where he was a mostly anonymous street performer, and Europe, where he and his songs were better known and well received in clubs and small concert halls. This song was written byJesse Winchester. Born James Ridout Winchester; May 17, 1944 he is a musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the southern United States. To avoid the Vietnam War draft he moved to Canada in 1967, which is where and when he began his career as a solo artist. His highest charting recordings were of his own tunes, "Yankee Lady" in 1970 and "Say What" in 1981. He became a Canadian citizen in 1973, gained amnesty in the US in 1977 and resettled there in 2002. Winchester is probably most well known as a song! writer, with his works being recorded by many notable artists, including Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, The Everly Brothers and Emmylou Harris.A number of these recordings have had success on various charts.
