|
 The
Magic of Luckenbach
Re-visited
Palo Duro Releases
Luckenbach! Compadres! (Songs of Luckenbach, Texas)
Time warps at any given moment you drive down the dirt road into Luckenbach,
that is, if you haven’t blinked and missed it. The tiny but infamous town is
tucked tidily away in the back-roads of the Texas Hill Country. Once there
you’re instantly transported back in time when life was much more simple; when
it was about having friends, sharing good times and above all else the music.
While most of this
generation associate Luckenbach with Waylon Jennings’ mega-hit of the same name,
luring its listeners to the laidback, rustic simple-ness to recapture the basics
of love, it was Jerry Jeff Walker that first put Luckenbach on the map with his
now legendary “Viva Terlingua” album in 1973. It’s reported that Walker
deliberately chose Luckenbach as the background because of its laidback
aesthetics.
 Taking
over the town for those infamous sessions, Walker and his band stacked hay bales
for sound baffles and sat around writing songs during the day. Each night, they
recorded in the dancehall and the end result was nothing short of magic.
The album spawned numerous Texas
cult classics including Sangria Wine, Desperados Waiting for the Train, London
Homesick Blues and Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother.
On the album’s 20th
anniversary Walker once again returned to Luckenbach and recorded “Viva
Luckenbach” as a follow-up.
Today the town’s
almost-mythical ambiance and familiarity still readily reaffirms the sentiment
that “everybody’s somebody” in Luckenbach. January 19 and 20th in the
tiny hamlet of Luckenbach, Texas Palo Duro Records set out to recapture the
magic of 1973.
Although they
recaptured the magic they were smart enough to try to not recreate it. A stellar
roster of new generation Texas artists and bands paid homage to the album that
influenced many of their careers while steadfastedly maintaining the independent
creative edge that they wear with unabashed Texas pride.
 Two
Tons of Steel brought the crowd front and center into Sangria Wine while taking
the classic and adding their own hallmark touch of energy infused swing. The
magic of Cory Morrow’s rendition of “Red Neck Mother” was captured superbly and
the Derailers nailed “London Homesick Blues” for a new generation of music fans
and their Palo Duro label mates Morrison-Williams were joined by Gary P. Nunn
for “That’s What I Like About Texas.”
Thanks to the innovative creativeness and vision of Palo Duro records another
generation of country music fans will experience the magic of those infamous
nights in 1973. Viva Luckenbach!
Laurie Joulie Take Country Back
October 2006
Photo credit: R.W. Shamy, Jr. and Chris Thomas |