‘One Toke Over The Line’ – The Story Behind The Song
One of the most famous songs about drugs, mainly marijuana, “One Toke Over the Line” by Brewer & Shipley has a truly unique story. From the inception of the song…
In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, photo, cannabis is grown at Revolution Global’s cannabis cultivation center in Delavan, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
One of the most famous songs about drugs, mainly marijuana, "One Toke Over the Line" by Brewer & Shipley has a truly unique story. From the inception of the song (a night when they had gone one toke over) to folk singers on Lawrence Welk innocently performing the song, sweet Jesus, what a history this song claims in the world of rock and folk.
In discussing the origin of the song on brewerandshipley.com, Brewer & Shipley had this to say:
"When we wrote 'One Toke Over the Line,' I think we were one toke over the line. I considered marijuana a sort of a sacrament... If you listen to the lyrics of that song, 'one toke' was just a metaphor. It's a song about excess. Too much of anything will probably kill you." - Tom Shipley
"We wrote that one night in the dressing room of a coffee house. We were literally just entertaining ourselves. The next day we got together to do some picking and said, 'What was that we were messing with last night?' We remembered it, and in about an hour, we'd written 'One Toke Over the Line.' Just making ourselves laugh, really." - Mike Brewer
The Night B&S Went One Toke Over The Line
The coffee house Mike speaks of is the Vanguard in Kansas City, Missouri. According to Shipley, he was given a block of hash and told to take two hits. Instead, he took three. Shipley says in The Vinyl Dialogues, "I go out of the dressing room - I'm also a banjo player, but I didn't have one, so I was playing my guitar - and Michael (Brewer) came in and I said, 'Jesus, Michael, I'm one toke over the line.' And to be perfect honest, I don't remember if Michael was with me when I took that hit or not. I remember it as 'not'; I think Michael remembers it as 'yes.' And he started to sing to what I was playing, and I chimed in and boom, we had the line."
The Lawrence Welk Factor
In 1971 one of the most amazing "You don't know, do you?" moments in history, happened when the song was performed on the Lawrence Welk Show. Gail Farrell and Dick Dale, performed the song. Lawrence Welk, at the end of the performance, said, "There you've heard a modern spiritual by Gail and Dale." NO ONE... not Gail and Dale, nor Welk seemed to get that they are singing about marijuana, not Jesus. The picture is grainy, but the sound quality is great.
Check out more stories behind the songs when you CLICK HERE.
10 Celebrities with Marijuana/CBD Brands
Legalized marijuana and CBD have been yielding very impressive profits, so it's no wonder a number of celebrities from various parts of the entertainment world have been trying to get in on the action.
Here are just ten celebrities with their own marijuana/CBD brands.
Carlos Santana - Mirayo by Santana
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesIn October 2020, Carlos Santana announced his cannabis line Mirayo by Santana, which offers tins of five 1/2-gram pre-rolls and 7-gram jars of whole flower. The brand consists of four different cannabis strains: Sativa, Hybrid, Indica and CBD.
Willie Nelson – Willie’s Reserve
Liaison/Getty ImagesIn addition to actual marijuana, Willie’s Reserve also sells cannabis-infused chocolate and hard edibles.
Whoopi Goldberg – Whoopi & Maya
Larry Busacca/Getty ImagesThe Academy Award-winning actress and co-host of 'The View' got into the medical marijuana business in 2008 along with Om Edibles founder Maya Elisabeth. Their Whoopi & Maya line of bath products, body balms, tinctures and edibles is marketed toward women looking for natural relief of painful menstrual cycles.
Bob Marley - Marley Natural
Express Newspapers/Getty ImagesNot only does Marley Natural sell its own “legal herbs,” it also features a whole line of high-end pipes and storage containers.
George Harrison - Collaboration with Dad Grass
Dove/Daily Express/Getty Images; Dad GrassDad Grass, a federally legal brand of 100% Organic hemp CBD & CBG pre-rolled joints, has partnered with the estate of George Harrison for a collection honoring his classic album 'All Things Must Pass.' The collection's name? "All Things Must Grass," and it features a number of items including rolling papers, an ashtray, a rolling tray and other merch offerings. However, the highlight of the collection is the Special Blend George Harrison Dad Grass Five Pack, which is "...a pack of pre-rolled joints crafted from a mix of organic CBD and CBG hemp flower responsibly grown right here in the USA."
Rob Gronkowski - CBDMedic
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty ImagesGronk announced that he has partnered with Abacus Health in launching a new line of CBD products called CBDMedic. The former New England Patriots tight end said he “...immediately made CBDMedic part of my recovery. And now for the first time in more than a decade, I am pain-free. And that is a big deal.” He hopes the NFL will allow players to use CBD in the future to help with pain management.
Melissa Etheridge – Greenway Wine
Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesEtheridge used medical marijuana when she was battling cancer in the early 2000s, and since then she’s partnered with Greenway Compassionate Relief to create Greenway Wine, a wine infused with pot.
Ivan Moody - Moody's Medicinals
Photo by Erik AratariThe Five Finger Death Punch frontman has his CBD company, Moody's Medicinals, which launched in June 2019. The line includes CBD throat sprays and CBD water. Moody expanded the line in 2022 in a partnership with the Las Vegas-based Exhale Brands and Exhale Dispensary. The new line is called Greenings by Moody's Medicinals, and it features three different kinds of cannabis flower that's also available in pre-rolls. The line also includes edible gummies that contain 10 mg THC.
Tommy Chong – Chong’s Choice
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesThe comedian’s product line is available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon and Washington and includes pre-rolled joints to THC breath strips. Chong's Choice has also expanded to include various CBD products, including vape pens, edibles and tincture.
Carey Hart - HartLuck CBD
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty ImagesMotocross athlete/P!nk's husband Carey Hart recently announced his CBD brand, HartLuck CBD, which features tinctures, salves, and gel capsules.
