If you mention Lowell George to the average person, you'll get a blank look. Ask about Frank Zappa, and you might catch a spark of recognition. But if you start belting out the chorus of "Dixie Chicken," people will probably join in before you're done. George, the former Mothers of Invention guitarist and Zappa disciple, was on to something when he formed Little Feat to create a mixture of blues, rock, country, R&B and psychedelic pop. Yet even the 1973 classic "Dixie Chicken" wasn't enough to keep George from the downward spiral that eventually led to his death in 1979. The rest of the band, which reformed 8 years after George died, has spent the past 17 years reaffirming its identity as a stage act with serious chops, one show at a time -- a feat that's not so small after all.
