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New Folk Competition it is just about New Folk, but it gives you an idea of how important a place New Folk and the support and encouragement for song- writers that exists at the festival has in that history. Rod references many of the names that have become familiar to so many that began their songwriting story at Kerrville. NEW FOLK COMPETITIONS AT KERRVILLE II (1977-1981) This is a series about the com- petition at the Festival and its rich history By 1977, financial losses from of songwriters that have become a part of numerous Kerrville and Austin area rain the festival during the past four decades. damaged performances we produced be- The list includes names like Lyle Lovett, gan to catch up with us. But, thankfully, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams, Lynn our fund-raising campaign to sign up 100 Langham whose song ‘Old Yellow Moon’ sponsors at $100 gave us the seed money we just won a Grammy for Emmylou Har- needed to launch our 6th festival. In addi- ris and Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Hal tion, our Van Cliburn concert and our West- Ketchum, Robert Earl Keen, James Mc- ern Swing Festival, both in Austin, did well Murtry and Shawn Colvin. Many of you and gave us additional cash to work with. are familiar with and attend the concerts Main stage artists over the May for the finalists and some have not even 26-29 four-day weekend included Bob- heard of this part of the Festival. by Bridger, Townes Van Zandt and Steve So I am beginning with the birth Young, all of whom served as 1977 New Folk of it written by the Founder Rod Kennedy judges, and the number of New Folk entries to give everyone a way to understand how grew to 85. and why this event came to have so much Finalists included San Antonio’s importance to songwriters and fans from Naomi Shihab, Lindsay Haisley, Doak Sneed all over the world. We have entries every and Tim Henderson, all of whom would year from almost every state and usually become main stage performers in coming several other countries. years. As we also celebrate the life of New Folk competitions were still Rod Kennedy, our Founder and Producer held at the Arts & Crafts Fair on the Sch - for 31 years who passed from the earth on reiner College campus. In addition, the six April 14 of this year, it is with great pride award winners received their $50 awards and some amount of sadness that I share at the Award Winners Concert on Sunday. his words about this part of the festival. While Peter Yarrow could not make the He did not complete the third review and festival, his spirit was ever-present as Allen look back, so that too is now mine to com- Damron and I co-hosted. Main stage high- plete. Here is Part Two which is as much a look at the Festival as a whole as Continued Page 57 6 Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country 7 . Continued From Page 6 Hubbard, Willis Alan Ramsey, Billy Joe Shaver, Gibson and Camp, Marcia Ball, lights at the ranch included appearances by Butch Hancock, Alvin Crow, and Towns Alex Harvey, Delbert McClinton, Tom Pax- Van Zandt. ton, Marcia Ball, Ed Miller, Robert Shaw, We also featured a reunion of Josh Graves with Roanoke and Guy Clark. Uncle Walt’s Band (Walter Hyatt, Champ 1978 saw 1977 New Folk Award Hood, and David Ball) along with staging Winners Eric Taylor, Rick Beresford, and the first of three “Great Harmonica Blow- Doak Sneed appearing on the folk festival’s Offs”. main stage along with established perform- The year1979 also included in ers like Jimmy Driftwood, Joe Ely, Gary P October, our first big on-the-road trip...6 Nunn, Townes Van Zandt, Buck White, Del- performances in 4 days. We hired a Grey- bert McClinton, eclectic classical compos- hound Bus and took Bobby Bridger, Mil- er-conductor David Amram, Peter Yarrow ton Carroll, Allen Damron, Steve From- and John Vandiver with the Shake Russell holz, Bill & Bonnie Hearne, Don Sanders, Band. Carolyn Hester, Robert Shaw, Kenneth The 1978 New Folk entry list had Threadgill and John Vandiver. increased to 105, and among the finalists We played at Texas State Univer- were Colorado’s Jon Ims, Austin’s Nanci sity, four shows at Houston’s Rockefeller’s, Griffith, and a young man named Stephen and the Temple Cultural Activity Center. Earle from Wimberley. We closed every concert with Bridger’s Others whose names would be “Heal in the Wisdom” first sung at the folk familiar soon included Jon Reed, Joseph festival on May 25. Brunelle, and Vince Bell. 1980, our ninth Kerrville Folk The competition continued to Festival, May 22-26, was our largest festi- play at the Arts & Crafts Fair and judging val to date with the audience growing to were Gary P Nunn, Steven Fromholz, and 13,000 for the five days. Don Sanders. We had daily opening sets by Our New Folk judges in 1979 Austin’s Eagle Bone Whistle and “Singing were Milton Carroll, Peter Rowen and B.W. Circus” for the kids. Stevenson and the entries totaled 104. Our New Folk entry list had Peter Yarrow was absent but Allen grown to 132 entries and our judges were and I co-hosted. Among the finalists were Bob Gibson (who wrote “Abilene”), New Tish Hanley (Hinojosa) from San Antonio York ragtime pianist-composer Terry Wal- and repeat competitors Joseph Brunelle, Jon do and Guy Clark. Ims, and Bill Oliver who became winners The competition was still at the this year. Arts & Crafts Fair and while Peter Yarrow From the beginning, New Folk couldn’t make the show his impact was ev- rules read that writers could enter 2 years in ident everywhere as everyone was greeted a row so long as they skipped the next year by a hug. then they could enter again. 1980 had some remarkable writ- We recall that Bill Oliver entered ers as finalists including Sid Hausmanof more than a half dozen times over the years. New Mexico, Lyle Lovett, James Durst, and John Ims became a great favorite nationally Jamie DeFratis from Florida. Among the as did, of course, Tish Hinojosa. award winners were David Halley of Lub- On the five day May 24-28 festival bock, Jan Marra from Minneapolis, San main stage we saw Nanci Griffith debuting Antonio’s Dow Patterson, and Allen Ross along with the appearances of B.W. Steven- from Carthage, MO. among others playing son, Guy Clark, Gary P. Nunn, Ray Wylie the Memorial Day Winners Concert at the 56 Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country Arts & Crafts Fair. come. A strong line-up of main stage Our audition process annually artists at Quiet Valley Ranch included for- revealed more promising writers unknown mer New Folk Tish Hinojosa, Tim Hen- to us who did not make the finalists list. So derson, Lucinda Williams, Butch Hancock, we added 5 or 6 more prospects, most of and Jon Ims joining headliners like Spider whom were Texas writers, who would now John Koerner, Gary P. Nunn, Townes Van appear to sing one song at the Ballad Tree Zandt, the Shake Russell-Dana Cooper on Chapel Hill. Among the 6 to appear Band, B. W. Stevenson, Guy Clark, Jimmy there by invitation in 1981 was a youngster Driftwood, Bob Gibson, Joe Ely, Uncle from Austin named Robert Keen. Walt’s Band, Kenneth Threadgill, Carolyn The tradition of celebrating Hester, Peter Rowen and 22 others includ- each five-year anniversary with an es- ing the Masters Four southern gospel quar- pecially outstanding main stage line-up tet and Tom Uhr’s Shady Grove Ramblers was reinforced on our expanded 1981 with their beautifully harmonized original 8-day -2-weekend festival. We added the songs, blue grass, and Sons of the Pioneers long-desired second weekend: to the first favorites. Friday, Saturday and Sunday May 21-25 The 1981 New Folk competition and added May 29-31. The line-up of an- was moved from the Arts & Crafts fair- nual favorites was brightened by a group grounds to the ranch in order to eliminate of first-time standouts like “Gatemouth” the distraction of hundreds of fair-goers Brown, Jimmie Gilmore, Odetta, Red Riv- walking through and past and around our er Dave, Riders in the Sky, Beto y los Fair- audience going from exhibit area to exhibit lanes, Lisa (Eliza) Gilkyson, Turk Pipkin, area, and to finally, bring all our songwriter Cypress Swamp Stompers, The Gypsies, events to our own site. Instead of attracting Dan McCrimmon, Mariachi Infantil Gua- at the fair, 300 or 400 casual in-out listen- dalupe and Robin and Linda Williams to ers, we instantly had a focused audience increase our roster to 60 performers. of more than 1000 for our 1981 New Folk The 2-weekend anniversary event and eliminated all the running back increased the number and variety of per- and forth on a 20 mile round trip to the fair formers we could showcase while decreas- and back. ing the crowded conditions of a single Judging the 1981 New Folk were weekend event. We wanted to preserve Tom Uhr, Butch Hancock, and Bill Hearne. the ambience of our intimate festival while The number of New Folk entries continued increasing our performer roster to reduce to grow steadily year by year and by 1981, our ever-growing waiting list. Our first our 10th Anniversary, we had 177 entries attempt at expansion while experiencing from Texas, 12 other states and from as dis- growth at the gate, accommodated families tant as England and Australia.
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