Jerry Jeff Walker, Texas troubadour

 

A loss to all of us

Jerry Jeff Walker was a singer, guitar picker, songwriter, rogue and genial ne-er-do-well. He also was a Texas legend and one of the original cosmic cowboys, a pioneer and gifted practitioner of so-called outlaw country.

He died Friday at 78 after a long battle with cancer. And we all are the lesser for it.

I first saw him in 1973 at the legendary Luckenbach World’s Fair in the miniscule burg 13 miles outside of Fredericksburg, Texas, that Jerry Jeff made famous with his peerless 1973 album “Viva Terlingua,” which was recorded live in the venerable Luckenbach Dancehall.

The World’s Fair was the brainchild of the co-owner of Luckenbach, a bearded, white-haired rapscallion named Hondo Crouch – master storyteller, flamboyant “character” and instintive marketing genius.

What started as a local gag to drum up business for the Dancehall, the music venue located next door to Hondo’s general store (bar), instead drew hundreds (thousands?) of music fans, college students and Hill Country folk just looking for a way to pass a summer afternoon.

They included a delegation from the University of North Texas that included me and a half-dozen or so of my friends and fellow journalism students on a never-to-be-forgotten odyssey organized by Ken Molberg, a Fredericksburg native and now a state appellate judge..

We came to drink beer, listen to music, drink beer, kick back in the Hill Country sunshine and drink beer. The main draw for the World’s Fair was Willie Nelson, well-known in Nashville, mostly as a songwriter, but not yet the national phenomenon he was soon to become.

Jerry Jeff also was on the bill. I had heard the name, but only because he wrote “Mr. Bojangles,” a national hit by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. (I firmly maintain that no one sings that song better than Jerry Jeff. His version will bring tears to the most jaded of eyes.) However, in 1973, I wasn’t familiar with his other songs, the melancholy ballads and foot-stomping, beer-chugging anthems that would make him – like Nelson – beloved from coast to coast.

Nelson performed first and played a solid two hours without a break. He was then as he is now – simply magnificent. “Shotgun Willie,” the album that made him a national music legend, would be released later that year. It is a matter of great personal pride that I saw Willie Nelson perform on a makeshift stage in the Texas Hill Country before he became famous.

A Texas giant

When it came time for Jerry Jeff to appear, there was a lengthy delay. Word filtered through the crowd -- which was growing restless as the magical glow cast by Nelson faded -- that Jerry Jeff was  too drunk to perform, and desperate attempts were underway to somber him up. True or not, I choose to believe the story. Given Jerry Jeff's prodigious fondness for alcohol, it's not that far-fetched.

 When he finally did appear, he didn’t look particularly worse for wear, even though he did forget the words to the new song he said he was debuting at Luckenbach. It was called “Sangria Wine.” It would appear on “Viva Terlingua” and become a national hit.

Over the years, I’ve seen Jerry Jeff and Willie Nelson several times, but nothing can compare to the memorable performances they gave at the Luckenbach World’s Fair on that hot, sweaty day in 1973.

It’s hard to pick my favorite Jerry Jeff song, although my vote probably would go to “Mr. Bojangles.”  Another keeper is “Hill Country Rain.” I thought of it when I heard the news about Jerry Jeff’s passing, this verse in particular.

‘Cause I got a feeling
Something that I can't explain
It's like dancing naked
In that high Hill Country rain
I ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
I'll get by best I can
Lovin' is my will to live
It makes me laugh
Want to sing and dance
Clap my hands, yeah!

Rest in peace, balladeer. You will be missed.