Pickers and Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas

John and Robin Dickson Series in Texas Music

by Craig E. Clifford (Editor), Joe Nick Patoski (Contributor), Robert Earl Hardy (Contributor)

Many books and essays have addressed the broad sweep of Texas music—its multicultural aspects, its wide array and blending of musical genres, its historical transformations, and its love/hate relationship with Nashville and other established music business centers. This book, however, focuses on an essential thread in this the Texas singer-songwriters to whom the contributors refer as “ruthlessly poetic.” All songs require good lyrics, but for these songwriters, the poetic quality and substance of the lyrics are front and center.

Obvious candidates for this category would include Townes Van Zandt, Michael Martin Murphey, Guy Clark, Steve Fromholz, Terry Allen, Kris Kristofferson, Vince Bell, and David Rodriguez. In a sense, what these songwriters were doing in small, intimate live-music venues like the Jester Lounge in Houston, the Chequered Flag in Austin, and the Rubaiyat in Dallas was similar to what Bob Dylan was doing in Greenwich Village. In the language of the times, these were “folksingers.” Unlike Dylan, however, these were folksingers writing songs about their own people and their own origins and singing in their own vernacular. This music, like most great poetry, is profoundly rooted.

That rootedness, in fact, is reflected in the book’s emphasis on place and the powerful ways it shaped and continues to shape the poetry and music of Texas singer-songwriters. From the coffeehouses and folk clubs where many of the “founders” got their start to the Texas-flavored festivals and concerts that nurtured both their fame and the rise of a new generation, the indelible stamp of origins is inseparable from the work of these troubadour-poets.

Contents

Introduction, by Craig Clifford and Craig D. Hillis | 1

Part One. The First Folksingers, Texas Style
Too Weird for The Darker Side of Texas Music | 17
Craig Clifford
Townes Van The Anxiety, Artifice, and Audacity of Influence | 27
Robert Earl Hardy
Vignette—The Ballad of Willis Alan Ramsey | 36
Bob Livingston
Guy Old School Poet of the World | 39
Tamara Saviano
Kris The Silver-Tongued Rhodes Scholar | 49
Peter Cooper
Vignette—Don Literature, Land, and Legacy | 59
Kathryn Jones
Steven Fromholz, Michael Martin Murphey, and Jerry Jeff Poetic in Lyric, Message, and Musical Method | 61
Craig D. Hillis
Vignette—Kinky The Mel Brooks of Texas Music | 83
Craig Clifford
Billy Joe Sin and Salvation Poet | 85
Joe Holley
One Man’s Vince Bell | 92
Joe Nick Patoski
Vignette—Ray Wylie Grifter, Ruffian, Messenger | 101
Jenni Finlay
The Great Progressive Country Scare of the 1970s | 103
Craig D. Hillis (interview with Gary P. Nunn)
Plenty Else to Lyrical Lubbock | 109
Andy Wilkinson
Roots of The Poetic Grace of Women Texas Singer-Songwriters | 115
Kathryn Jones
From Debauched Yin to Mellow A Circular Trip through the Texas Music Festival Scene | 136
Jeff Prince
Vignette—Bobby “Heal in the Wisdom,” Creating a Classic | 145
Craig D. Hillis (interview with Bobby Bridger)
What Do We Do with Willie? | 148
—I. Willie (An Early Encounter) | 148
Craig D. Hillis
—II. Willie (On Everything) | 151
Craig Clifford and Craig D. Hillis

Part Two. The Second Garage Bands, Large Bands, and Other Permutations
“Gettin’ Tough”: Steve Earle’s America | 161
Jason Mellard
Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Cosmic Aggies | 166
Jan Reid
Vignette—Walt Spirituality and Generosity | 174
Craig Clifford (interview with Tim Jones)
Lucinda Poet of Places in the Heart | 176
Kathryn Jones
Rodney Looking Inward, Looking Outward | 185
John T. Davis
Vignette—Sam Short Stories in Song | 192
Robert Earl Hardy
James Too Long in the Wasteland | 193
Diana Finlay Hendricks

Part Three. Passing of the Torch?
Drunken Poet’s Hayes Carll | 203
—I. Good Enough for Old Guys | 203
Craig Clifford
—II. Good Enough for Young Guys | 207
Brian T. Atkinson
Roll Terri Hendrix | 209
Brian T. Atkinson
From Riding Bulls to Dead Ryan Bingham | 212
Craig Clifford (interview with Shaina Post)
Bad Girl Miranda Lambert | 218
Craig Clifford
Challenge to Bro Kacey Musgraves | 221
Grady Smith
Beyond the Rivers | 224
Craig Clifford

Notes | 231
Selected Sources | 233
Contributors | 243
Index | 251

Genres: Music, Poetry, Cultural

280 pages, Hardcover

Published December 24, 2016

Reviews

[Colin]

73 times they say, “Ruthlessly poetic”. I looked it up. It went from a nice turn of phrase to a catchphrase which, ironically, slightly homogenised the heroes of this book - the Texan songwriters themselves.

As an Aussie, I only put 2 and 2 together after some time. The penny dropped. A bunch of the singer/songwriters I loved were from…Texas. Lyle Lovett. Guy Clarke. Steve Earle. James McMurtry. Of course, Texans had noticed this before me. And they wrote a book about it.

I guess like any music-based book, familiarity with the music itself is probably a prerequisite. So I found the chapters on songwriters I knew the most interesting in this book. As time went on, I found myself skimming or skipping less relevant chapters.

As a collection of essays and interviews by various contributors it’s not surprising some chapters are better than others. I found the chapters on the writers I love too brief - I suppose a book like this is fraught with that problem.

I have generally found books based around music and musicians surprisingly disappointing. Is it that they have something to live up to - namely, the music? Is it that creative skill in music doesn’t necessarily transfer to literary skill? Is it the abundance of fans - boundless enthusiasm but not necessarily the ability to craft that into a story? I also reflect that music generates a lot of promotional verbiage. Again, not necessarily the best raw material for a book - at least, not a book that doesn’t feel like a big generic newspaper feature article.

This book is the product of a mix of musician peers, academics and writers. It feels a bit “in” at times - like Texans will get it best. And I wish they’d backed off a tad on the whole “ruthlessly poetic” thing…

But maybe, if you got this far, here’s your take-home: go and listen to the top 5 songs of Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett and James McMurtry. That would be a win for Texan singer/songwriters.

[Herzog]

If you enjoy any of the singers covered in this book and are not familiar with the others, by all means, read this book and take notes. I don't think that the authors miss any significant Texas singer-songwriters in their discussion. I think that some are not covered as thoroughly as they should have been (Ray Wylie Hubbard) or as I would have liked them to (Eliza Gilkyson, Carolyn Wonderland); but the articles on many such as James McMurtry and Lucinda Williams are just superb and the bonus of learning of John Fullbright make the book indispensable.

[John]

A fine collection of insights into what I believe is the birthplace of modern American songwriting. The tradition of songwriters in Texas and Oklahoma, starting in the 1960s, paved the way for what is now "Americana" music, and those songwriters--people like Guy Clark, Townes van Zandt, David Rodriguez, Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett, Steven Fromholz, and many others--are presented by various writers and peers in a remarkably consistent fashion. Books like this--collections of views from various artists--sometimes become awkward and unwieldly because the quality of prose, and the consistency of ideas becomes unmanageable for the editor(s). Hillis and Clifford to a spendid job in picking the right authors to tell these stories.
And this isn't just a compilation of a bunch of road stories, although there are a few. It's not about the artists, though some of them were. It's about the songwriters. Instead of focusing upon stars and celebrities, it gives insight into the process itself, and shines a light upon those who followed their muses and created the amazing legacy of Texas songwriting that we have today.

If you're a fan of songwriters, you'll love this book. If you fancy yourself one, you need this book.

[Clare]

This is the best book I've read on music in a very long time. It helps that they're writing about the music I listen to, definitely. Collections of essays can be disjointed and feel like someone gathered up some columns and put a binding on. This book is much more than that. The unifying them is "ruthlessly poetic singer-songwriters of Texas" and the authors are (mostly) clear about what that means to them and carry it through their examination of their subjects. I am madly making lists of things to listen to that I've missed, and yet by the end of the book when they examine the up and comers (and the non-Texans) I found myself nodding excitedly because they're ALL on heavy rotation in my own music collection. I would be delighted to find that someone had already made a playlist based on this book, but so far I can't find one. It may be my next project.

[Cory]

I’m not sure I can do this book justice with a review, but I’ll start by saying it’s simply brilliant. 6-star book. All-time favorite.

Take a couple guys who have lived the subject, are obviously passionate about it, and well-educated… let them write a book with a very approachable format and wide talent pool to pull from… and just Ike that you’ve created something special.

If you like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Willie and the gang, Lucinda Williams, Hayes Carll, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Bingham, and Jason Isbell, you’ll find something to love here.

Take your time. Keep YouTube handy. Listen to anything you’ve never heard along the way. And thank me later.

[Willis Froetschel]

I loved that this was just a collection of different writer’s views following the prompt of “ruthlessly poetic songwriters in Texas”. A lot of good opinions, some hot takes, and found some new- old artists!

[Alton]

A fun read regarding the Texas country music scene. It focuses on the Texas singer-songwriter, not on what country music stations tend to play... at least not those in the Dallas area. It was fun to listen to the music while reading interviews with or essays about the songwriter.