NEWSLETTERNUMBER 26 FALL 1993 she has grown up with all these past sumrners' AUGUST 18, AUSTIN, fi-Summer '93...Django was 12 and father goodbye to all the kids and son had a wild surnmer. We started off in June by flying to New last of JulY and the first of August, the kids went home but Dad rolls Mexico to see the Albuquerque Dukes play the Colorado Sky Sox' o-The Minor league games do twt lack for action' There's always a lot of We played a couple of shows in Minneapolis wi0r great.turn-outs, and hitting (aU thi good pitchers have gone to the bigs), lots of runs' The minor played a round of golf at Interlocken Country Club. Great cowse, nice league parks have such a great feel to them, yourre up close' the crowd is guys. th" players are young with promise, and the funue looks bright' r-ull, They told me Willie Nelson was supposed to play there, but a cab driver Next moming, we flew on to Taos to put in with the Far Flung Advenrure took his grouP to a public course two miles down the road. Willie got out folks, We whiG-water rafted, camped and sang songs under the stars' We and played right there. Holes is holes, and still is still movin' to me' in mountain hot springs' Our summer was off to a great start' bathed He probably had more fans at the public course. We played the 4th of July in Lubbock, Texas, then we flew on to The Gonzo Compadres spread joy and merriment in far-away places! Telluride, colorado. we spent a week there fly-fishing and riding horseback We took the show across the Big Pond. We did four shows in Helsinki' boys. We played two nighs in Telluride, wittr our friend Rowdy and his Oslo, Cambridge, and London. one big party for the locals and one '"* to see .:::',, l,ong ride, but it was fun for the whole town on the main stage $ ririii some friendly faces that have come in the park. There is something nice Jrt:, :,r-,-r all the way to Texas to seeus before. ilr. *- about a town with one main street, Turnabout is fair plaY' one park and one main stage, and and Dad finished out you can bicycle to all of it. Django summer witlt a trip to FenwaY Park. of I always have great memories We sat with Lou Gorman, the Red my time spent in Telluride. Special Sox owner, and watched the Sox making thanks to Terry and Cindy for beat the Yankees while we ate us feel so at home. FenwayFranks. I'll always remember the flYing We spent Susan's birthdaY in ponytails of the "Dancing Coaches" Maine with friends and children. joined us on of Telluride High, who Golfing and tennis with ttre kids is stage for the big finale. I understand hard-Dad wants to win too. It two generationsthat have that makes comes as a shock when You are beat joined J.J. on stage. And the really trying and they still beat you. goes on. But with a little luck, even ! can Jessie Jane spent Jwte at CamP beat Greg Norman! Champion in Marble Falls, in the 'Til next srxruner. Hill Country. That is the camp that Hondo Crouch (ofluckenbach fame) founded for "over-privileged children" many moons ago. Jessie was a senior carnper this Year and on the island of Manhattan, on Oct. 28' got to spend time with and saY hil6 VIVATE R LINGUA TU RNS TWENW A domino gamewas the Luckenbach Thereis one way to put a recordingcareer into mohair suits eager to water down the strum and dirrdobbers. Year's Eve in Times Square. perspective;that's when kids come uP to you at twang. equivalentof New your showsand ask you to sign albumsthat their Meanwhile in Texas, a crew of musicianswho So it was a landmark event when lerry Jeff paxentstunrned them on to. didn't know any betterwere running fast andloose, showedup with the Gonzos(who were then going Band") and a mobile That has been the casewith Jerry Jeff and his mixing up rock, country,blues, folh and anything as "The Deaf Cowboy It was Jerry Jeff's idea to use 1973 benchmark album, Viva Terlingua. Kids elsethey could get their handson. A passelof them recording ruck ambianceto inspire a sort who partied through high school and college to settledin Austin and went to work for Iocal pickers Luckenbach'stimeless hybrid that was the the raucous, loose-around-the-edgessound of like Willie Nelson, Michael Martin Murphey and of loose, funky musical sterile,calculated producL JerryJeffand the original Lost GonzoBand now (yep) Jerry Jeff, newly settledin Texas from Key antithesisof Nashville's havekids of their own who learnedthe words to West. And he did. "Genin' By," or "Up Againstthe Wall, Redneck" Jerry Jeff, in turn, stumbled(iterally) upon the This year, Jerry Jeff will re-assembleas much at their parents' knee. Those tunes,along with hamlet of Luckenbach, which had recendy been of the original I4 cast of charactersas he can "London HomesickBlues," "SangriaWine" and purchasedlock, stock and dancehall,by self- reach, for a new recording project, in order to days. "Little Bird" remain among Jerry Jeffs most- described"imagineer" Hondo Crouch and a few rekindle someof the spirit of thosehalcyon requestedconcert numbers. other Lone Star iconoclasts.Jerry Jeff had moved Think of it not as a sequel, but as a deferred creativespirit To understandwhyVivaTerlingrza has enjoyed to Texas,in part, to get a handle on a more laid- continuationofan enduring suchan enduring hold on thepopular imagination, back lifestyle. Luckenbachimpressed him as the In the meantime,Ierry Jeff still sings the songs it helps !o understandthe context in which it most laid-backplace he'd ever seen.Hondo spent ttrat he laid down in that decades-olddancehall' was released.In the early 1970s,counry music most of his time singing Mexican folk songsand and parents and kids alike all dance to the same in Nashville was being held hostageby guys in writing poems about the moon and the wasp-like TexasHill Country soundtrack. I ONLY YOU KNOW AND RHINO: Rhino Records,the Califomia label that specializesin archival CD reissues,will be re-releasingJerry Jeff's 1968Atco album,Mr. Bojangles, in December. Long out of print, this album was produced by Tom Dowd (of Joni Mitchell fame) and features an A-list of sessiqr musicians, including David Bromberg, Ron Carter and Jody Stecher. It also features the first rccordings of Jerry "Maybe and f TAKN' ruRKFYlN THEBIG EASY: Whqt o qr€ot$,qv to kick off the holidov Jeff classics such as the title track, Mexico," "Gypsy Songnan," c€oson:ln l.,lenrOrleons. Wrh Jerrv Jefi ond thl bond dt th. fo-ou. Tipitino/r "Little Bird." Look for Mr. Bojangles on Rhino CD around Ckistrnas timel club, no lesrl J€rryJ€ff will be dovim ot np's on Sot.,Nor', 20, theweeli before I PRODIGAL SONS: Hey, Prodigy fansl Jerry Ieff and Tried & True are now Thonksoivino.on'd we're enodurdoiio bni hom oll orer trr come ond mokeo listed qr the Prodigy computer bulletin board. PC owners wbo subscribe to the yeor rre*eri3 ofr-i. M""nrb.r ir o beo-uriElfime of to visit the CrescenlCitr- service can now get tour &te updates and swap questions and news with other ilr o greot ploceto eot like cool ond ferrrertourish, Additionolly, lwe Warriors through the miracle of electronics. l,ook for the "Jerry Jeff Walker'' entry Emeril'r-eolherin th€ Arb Dishicl,Borcm'r, whichii ocrossFom tlie DouphineOrleons hotd, ond t'lothCr *hidr 6or the best po-boys in tornl, ond do holidoy under the'Country MusiC' billboard. shoppingin the FrenchQuorter-Greot stuffl I BIRTHDAY'94 UPDATE: We'rc moving the dates of the 1994 BIRTHDAY lf vou'd like to mokeo weekendo[ it, we hovereserved o bloc of 50 .oornrfor WEEKEND up a little bit, !o help ensure warmer weather, more flowers and other Oct I g-20 ot theDquphine Orleons (415 DouphineStl, o greotlitde hotel in the good stuff. Fr_e1chQuorter. To mdkerqpewolions, coll 80d/521-Zl I l-ond oskfor theJerry JeffWolker Concertbloc of rooms. Pleasebe advised that the dates of the '94 Birthday Weekend are MARCH 25- 27. We rrill have complete details in the next newsletter. In the meantime, Ameri- (For informotionon the Tipitino'r show,coll 504/895-8477; For hcurist can Airlines will once again be our Official Birthday Airline. For the available Convenlionond VisitorsBureou, best informolion,coll the New-Orleons (800/433-1790) 504/566-5068.1 fares, call American and ask for Star # S0134P8. f UVE(AND UNPIU@ED} AT UVEOAK: Auslin'sLive Ook Theotre,o horen As for activities, we are currently sticking with what so many fans told us they fgr Texosploprights ond indepen&ntproducfions, is o hied-ond-truelororiha enjoyed about last year's Birthday Weekend; namely more Jerry Jeffl o[ JerryJeFr'onJSuron'r. We are planning on kicking things off on March 25 with a Jerry Jeff show and q So, or contribufionlo UveOok's oufumnHorvesl Festivol of Nar Ploys, dance at everyone's favorire honky+onk, The Broken Spoke, followed by Saturday queslsl p.m. JerwJdI is olqvinoo rore rolo showlwith oossiblespeciol ot 8:00 night's concen at the Paramount Theatre. On Sunday, we'll be taking folks out to Admiisionis o on trAon.,Oct.'l l-in the intimote,200-seh theorel $50'tox- the Backyard, a beautiful new outdoor venue just outside of town, Morday, we'll deductiblecontribution ro live Ook Tlreotre.The odmission price olso includes o pre-showwine ond horsd'oewre portyot 7:00 p.m.