From the Archives: Songs About Texas
Country music has seen its highs and lows, but one genre has become a staple at Billy Bob's Texas: Call it "Red Dirt," "Texas country" or even "alternative country," the unique Texas and Oklahoma hybrid of folk, country and rock has contributed to the club's success for more than 14 years, and that success has made other parts of the U.S. pay attention as well.
The roots of Texas country can be traced to 1970s-era country "outlaws" such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, who pioneered an independent spirit, original songwriting and a combination of many forms of music – Willie's love of Western swing and jazz, Waylon's rock 'n' roll – into a new breed of country. As Jan Reid said in his definitive tome The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, "These longtime friends led a rebellion against the strictures and oligarchy of Nashville and certified Texas country-rock as a national phenomenon."
Robert Earl Keen began packing more than 5,000 fans into his shows during the late 1980s, and artists like Keen's Texas A&M University classmate Lyle Lovett continued to explore the creative possibilities of the music. "Crowds swooned over Robert Earl Keen like a prizefighter on his way to the ring: Robert Earl Keen! Robert Earl Keen! Robert Earl Keen!" Reid wrote.
Those fans were taking notes.
The genre broke to a larger audience in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Taking their inspiration from Texas greats such as Keen and Joe Ely, singer Pat Green even covered Ely's "Me and Billy The Kid" on his influential 1998 live set Live at Billy Bob's Texas. Artists like Charlie Robison, Green, Jack Ingram, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Randy Rogers Band took Texas country music into the stratosphere with hit songs, music videos and sellout concerts.
So, why did Billy Bob's become an incubator for the regional scene that exploded in the 2000s? The same stage that held the biggest acts in all of country music was a place that also had room for the biggest names in regional music. If the music was good and the fans were there, Billy Bob's was a place where an act could build a regional following without ever setting foot in Nashville. That allowed the musicians to hone their craft in the company of their friends. The club also placed top-selling regional acts on the schedule right alongside established Nashville acts – which they still do – giving the regional scene added exposure. "Playing Billy Bob's is like having a shot at the title," Charlie Robison said. "It's a unique place where superstars and regional acts both play, and both go over well."
Those artists grew up not only idolizing their heroes; they grew up going to Billy Bob's, too. "It was a place where I went to see some of the biggest names – Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker, T. Graham Brown. I started going there right when I went to Southern Methodist University in 1989," Jack Ingram said.
That added excitement of playing to a big audience makes Billy Bob's a place where artists always want to give their best possible show. For people who want to show their stuff, Billy Bob's is the place to do it. "When I was coming up and playing my first shows, when you played Billy Bob's, you knew you had arrived," Ingram said.
Ingram saw Merle Haggard at the club with his now wife, Amy, and dreamed of being on the stage. "I just remember looking up there and dreaming, 'Man, it would be great to be that guy.'"
Six years later, he was.
Not only are many of the acts local, but the largest honky tonk in the world is also local. In a business where clubs go in and out of business almost monthly, Billy Bob's has become an institution.
Year in and year out, the faces of Billy Bob's have remained remarkably constant, with Billy Minick or Entertainment Director Robert Gallagher often providing immediate feedback on shows. "To me, Billy Bob's is an intimate place to go play a show," Robison said. "When I go there and see Robert Gallagher, it feels like the little 10-seat bar in my hometown."
Texas country has broken through to the mainstream in the last decade. Many radio stations even program a "Texas country" format that mixes up-and-coming stars with audience favorites. Many people in that audience first heard those songs when they were being played at Billy Bob's.
And the fan base is young, too. Ingram and the rest of the pack play to college-aged fans and older people who will likely be attending concerts at Billy Bob's for the rest of their lives. Newcomers are storming the Billy Bob's stage, and many of the recent wave of Texas country artists are moving on to even bigger stages, but one thing remains the same: Billy Bob's continues to be the prime place to show your finest work. "It's a great place to fill up a honky tonk and get close to your fans," Ingram said.
