Other Nucci Mane
Lynyrd Skynyrd The Ballad of Curtis Loew

A young boy wakes up "before the rooster crows" and searches for soda bottles to cash in to give some money to a man named Curtis Loew, who buys wine and plays his Dobro guitar "across his knees" for the boy all day. Curtis is described as a "black man with white curly hair" who "looked to be sixty". The boy idolizes Curtis, returning to him, despite receiving beatings from his mama, to hear the old man play and clap along. The boy recalls "people said he [Curtis] was useless. Them people all were fools." He professes Curtis to be "the finest picker to ever play the blues". When Curtis eventually dies, the boy notes that nobody "came to pray". The song ends with a lament to Curtis: "I wish that you was here so everyone would know."

"The Ballad of Curtis Loew" is a song written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant and recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The song was first released on the band's 1974 album, Second Helping and again on their compilation, The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd and later on All Time Greatest Hits. It is on many of their compilation albums and before the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash, was performed once live on stage. Ed King says, "The original version of the band only played 'Curtis Loew' one time on stage. We were playing in a basement in some hotel and thought we'd try it. We never played it again until the Tribute Tour with Johnny Van Zant."