Description
Book SynopsisA group of three friends who made music in a house in Lubbock, Texas, recorded an album that wasn’t released and went their separate ways into solo careers. That group became a legend and then—twenty years later—a band. The Flatlanders—Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock—are icons in American music, with songs blending country, folk, and rock that have influenced a long list of performers, including Robert Earl Keen, the Cowboy Junkies, Ryan Bingham, Terry Allen, John Hiatt, Hayes Carll, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and Lyle Lovett.
In The Flatlanders: Now It’s Now Again, Austin author and music journalist John T. Davis traces the band’s musical journey from the house on 14th Street in Lubbock to their 2013 sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. He explores why music was, and is, so important in Lubbock and how earlier West Texas musicians such as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, as well as a touring Elvis Presley, inspire
Trade Review
Davis packs a wealth of material into this book, drawing on his considerable insight into the American music scene. It’s an enjoyable read, highlighting an oft-overlooked contribution to the development of Americana. * R2 *
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One: The Land
- Chapter 1: The Llano
- Chapter 2: The City
- Chapter 3: The Invasion
- Chapter 4: The House
- Part Two: The Men, First Verse
- Chapter 5: Joe, Jimmie, and Butch, Part 1
- Chapter 6: Compañeros
- Part Three: The Music
- Chapter 7: Genesis
- Chapter 8: More a Legend
- Chapter 9: Diaspora
- Part Four: The Men, Second Verse
- Chapter 10: Joe, Jimmie, and Butch, Part 2
- Part Five: The Return
- Chapter 11: More a Band
- Chapter 12: Alchemy: Now Again
- Chapter 13: Cruising Speed: Wheels of Fortune/Live '72
- Chapter 14: Dust to Dust: Hills and Valleys
- Chapter 15: Closing the Circle: The Odessa Tapes
- Epilogue: Carnegie Hall: Practice, Practice, Practice
- Discography
