It's not often that a song about marijuana cracks the Top 10. Brewer & Shipley did just that in 1971 with "One Toke Over the Line," which peaked at No. 10.
Sadly, Mike Brewer passed away at 80 on Dec. 17. Tom Shipley, 83, noted at Facebook that Mike "battled multiple illnesses for the past 3 years," adding:
"My friend of 65 years and music partner for over 60, had to go. They took him home on Sunday and his wife Scarlett called this morning to tell me he was gone. So tonight I will raise a glass to Michael and drink to all those years, all those miles, all those songs, and all the heavenly audiences we played for."
Both from Missouri, the duo met in Los Angeles and started writing songs together. In 2022, Brewer said about their most famous song, from the Tarkio album:
“We wrote it literally entertaining ourselves and to make our friends laugh. We were getting ready to go onstage for our fourth set, and a friend came by with some really good Lebanese hash. We stepped out back and took a couple of tokes and came back in to tune up for our last set, and Tom said, ‘Man, I’m one toke over the line.’ And I just cracked up."
He told Rockcellar in 2012:
"Just right on the spot, I started singing, 'One toke over the line, sweet Jesus' and then we went on stage. The next day we got together and we were sayin’, 'What was that we were messin’ with last night?' In about an hour we had a song, just entertaining ourselves."
One toke over the line, sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sitting downtown in a railway station
One toke over the lineWaiting for the train that goes home, sweet Mary
Hoping that the train is on time
Sitting downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
They recorded four more albums, then disbanded in 1980. Seven years later, Brewer & Shipley reunited. I saw them perform in 1987 at New York's Bottom Line and interviewed Brewer after the show. "Never bought pot," he noted. "People would just throw it on stage."
About "One Toke," Brewer explained:
"I didn't think it was one of our better songs. We weren't trying to cause any trouble. It was so ridiculous that it was banned."
Then VP Spiro Agnew President Spiro Agnew called "One Toke," the Byrds’ "Eight Miles High" and Jefferson Airplane’s "White Rabbit" “blatant drug-culture propaganda” that “threatens to sap our national strength.” Brewer & Shipley were added to Pres. Richard Nixon's "enemies list."
"But the funny thing is that" conservative variety program host "Lawrence Welk performed it on his show," Brewer exclaimed. "He thought it was a gospel song!" Actually, a very square-looking duo, Gail and Dale, sang the cover version.
In 1998, Brewer & Shipley re-recorded "One Toke" with fellow Missourians the Rainmakers for the NORML benefit album, Hempilation 2: Free the Weed,
We list "One Toke" as the No. 7 Classic Stoner Song of All Time.
MORE CLASSIC HIGH TUNES
• Jimmy Buffett's "A Priate Turns 40"
• John Prine's "Illegal Smile"
• B.J. Thomas' "Hooked on a Feeling"
