Texas Troubadours

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 12:45 pm

My vote is cast for Billy Joe Shaver. He started out as a staff writer for Bobby Bare's publishing company, wrote nine of the ten songs on Waylon Jennings' Honky Tonk Heroes masterpiece, released several fine albums of self-penned material and then got REALLY interesting in the 1990's when he paired up with his guitar whiz son, the late Eddy Shaver and formed the band Shaver. Tramp On Your Street, Highway of Life, Electric Shaver, Victory, the live album Unshaven and especially The Earth Rolls On are powerhouse records filled to the brim with great songs and vicious, vicious rock arrangements courtesy of Eddy. Billy Joe Shaver's return to solo recording, Freedom's Child, was released last year on the excellent New West label and is probably the best thing the man has ever done.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 5:25 pm

Ummm, Lyle Lovett. Not on your list, but should be. And he gets my vote.

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 5:58 pm

Willie Nelson, becuase aside from Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson, I don't really care about many of those people on your list

Although Jimmie Dale Gilmore was brilliant as Dusty ("OVER THE LINE!") in The Big Lebowski.

shabbydoll · Post by **shabbydoll** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 6:24 pm

Townes, he used to be a mate, strange guy but really could be very nice.

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:06 pm

I voted for Butch -

But what about Lefty Frizzell, T-Bone Walker, Bob Wills, Hank Thompson, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Ernest Tubb, Doug Sahm or Joe Ely ?

Still, Butch Hancock is woefully underated

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:07 pm

He was called Smokey, Blue, not Dusty. "Smokey my friend, you're entering a world of pain." Ohh, ohh, ohh, weird happening!!! Jeff Bridges is on The Late Show right now.

Earle for me. Don't know why.

girl out of time · Post by **girl out of time** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:38 pm

Van Zandt ´s got my vote!

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 12:52 am

Awesome people.......you guys are awesome.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 9:44 am

BWAP & Noiseradio (and anyone else, really)

You can always cast a write-in vote for those whom I left off the poll.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 1:50 pm

BWAP wrote- But what about Lefty Frizzell, T-Bone Walker, Bob Wills, Hank Thompson, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Ernest Tubb, Doug Sahm or Joe Ely ?

Lefty, Bob Wills and Buddy Holly were accidental omissions on my part, but I can't seem to correct the mistake on the poll. Consider them de facto poll nominees, though. As for the others, I think they are all splendid but I would like to keep the list from getting bloated.

Has anyone else on the board listened to Terry Allen's masterpiece, Lubbuck (On Everything) ?

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 1:50 pm

As The Boy knows, I'm a big Buddy Holly fan-- I'd vote for Willie of those on that list, hands down. But Buddy Holly was a songwriting genius. Heresy, Elv!!

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 1:53 pm

BlueChair wrote:Willie Nelson, becuase aside from Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson, I don't really care about many of those people on your list

...must....control.....fist....of....doom!

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 2:05 pm

Okay, accidents will happen...

Bob Wills came to mind for me, too-- but I don't know how many of those sings he penned-- most? all? some?

Right or wrooong, I'll always loooooove yooooo...

Signed,

Texas Playboy Mug

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 3:56 pm

Bob Wills is an excellent choice. I was his grandson's 7th grade history teacher.

El Vez,

I think I did cast a write in vote for Lyle Lovett.

Anybody else think Lyle deserves a vote?

sulkygirl · Post by **sulkygirl** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 4:28 pm

I agree with you, Noise...Lyle Lovett is a BRILLIANT songwriter, I still have a cassette of "Pontiac" that makes it into my vehicle on occasion.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 4:29 pm

El Vez wrote:
BlueChair wrote:Willie Nelson, becuase aside from Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson, I don't really care about many of those people on your list
...must....control.....fist....of....doom!

Oh, come on El Vez... you basically listed off a bunch of rednecks. Where are T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, King Curtis, or Ornette Coleman? Granted, they may not be troubadors, but come on here

What about Buddy Holly or Janis Joplin or Roy Orbison?
What about Doug Sahm or Joe Tex or Joe Ely?

Not to sound ignorant and obnoxious, but I don't know who Terry Allen
Butch Hancock, Guy Clark, or Robert Earl Keen are, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. They don't seem to be nearly as prolific as Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, or Willie Nelson.

Yes, I am an asshole.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 5:51 pm

*quickly donning air-raid style helmet after red neck comment*

I must say I hadn't heard of a bunch of those either, but it's cause EV's tastes run to stuff that's not in the same genre as where we tend to place Elvis, who brought us all together here (I don't think any of us would actually place EC in a genre per se, but you get my meaning).

This is why I haven't asked the same about New Jersey artists (Springsteen vs. Waits, for starters, then throw in Frank Sinatra and a dash of Blondie and you're got yourself a mean cocktail)!!

Question: where's that fist of doom thing from??? It's killin me...

And is Iris Dement from Texas?? I love her.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 5:52 pm

And how about Michelle Shocked??

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 6:25 pm

We forgot to mention Roger Miller. His box set is even titled "King Of The Road - The Genius Of Roger Miller."

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 8:53 pm

Ah fuck it. I forgot how many quality artists were from Texas in the first place. Scrap the list altogether if you like.

sulkygirl · Post by **sulkygirl** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 11:15 pm

SMM....

I believe the "fist of doom" is from the Dilbert Comic Strip...the token office female, Alice, is constantly using that line when trying to keep herself from physically assaulting her co-workers...

And, usually she has good reason to want them hurt.

IMHO.
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/t ... html#alice

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 10:07 am

Sulky, THANK YOU that was buggin' me! Gotta love Alice!

My fave of 'hers': the one where she's going off caffeine, and someone asks her how it's going. She produces a vaguely recognizable blob at arm's length and says "THIS IS THE AORTA OF THE LAST PERSON WHO ASKED ME THAT."

Don't lose heart Elv. Not your fault Texas has bred so much genius.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 10:15 am

El Vez wrote

Ah fuck it. I forgot how many quality artists were from Texas in the first place. Scrap the list altogether if you like.

You going home and taking your poll with you EV?

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 11:56 am

I'm just cranky about a couple of board-related things although it's nothing worth venting over, really. Right now I'm just cursing silently as I am stuck with the single most tedious job at Office Depot right now. So that the normal Copy & Print center worker can go to lunch, I'm stuck folding church pamphlets by hand for the next hour until it's my turn to go to lunch with my lovely girlfriend.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 5:57 pm

Lyle Lovett gets my write in vote too. He has also championed the songs of many Texas writers on his excellent double CD Step Into This House.

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