Let's hear it for Texas!

The world has been truly blessed by some fantastic musicians from Texas. If anyone wants a crash course in why America is such a great country, then the first thing they have to do is listen to some Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver. I'm deadly serious. Those guys have recorded some great music. My uncle told me once that when he died, he wanted them to play Billy Joe singing "The Real Deal" as we sent him on his way, and he absolutely was not joking. My uncle and I both listen to a lot of the same music, and we have often joked that if either of us win the lottery, we'll book flights to Texas and go and see Willie Nelson and Billy Joe Shaver playing. Anyhow, I phoned my uncle up one morning and told him to keep a particular day free, because we were going to see Billy Joe Shaver, I had the tickets and it was all systems go. He couldn't believe what I was saying, and phoned back five minutes later to check that he hadn't been dreaming. I told him, no we're going to see Billy Joe, man. There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then I told him that Billy Joe was playing the Arches in Glasgow ... That concert was one of the best I've ever been to, and you know what there were only about a hundred people in there. A really small gig, and I couldn't believe that. I did get the opportunity to speak with Billy Joe after the concert mind you, and I told him that I had listened to his music a lot after my dad passed away, and it had helped me to deal with that. When Billy Joe sings about family, and love, and loss, you know he's speaking from the heart. So thanks to Billy Joe, thanks to the state of Texas, and to the country that made both possible: the United States of America.



Miss you, Dad. See you again, one day.

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Tags: Billy Joe Shaver, Honky Tonk Heroes, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Texas, Waylon Jennings To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the Patriot's Corner. Thanks!