Hall's great song "Old Dogs" was only one of many. Just a relative handful of his compositions became hits, but the rest were known to committed fans of his in country and later in bluegrass. He started playing in BG bands -- the first song of his I heard, the folkish ballad "The Last Public Hanging West Virginia," was on a mid-1960s Flatt & Scruggs album -- before he found success in mainstream Nashville.

Somebody spelled it "Old Dawgs," which was not the title. Dog is spelled "dawg" in country music only when the writer is affecting a hillbilly personality, almost always for comedic purposes. "Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine" is anything but a funny song. It's a meditation on ... well, a lot of things.