Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air: Legends
of West Texas Music
by Christopher Oglesby
Published by the University
of Texas Press:
"As a whole, the interviews create
a portrait not only of Lubbock's musicians and artists, but also
of the musical community that has sustained them, including venues
such as the legendary Cotton Club and the original Stubb's Barbecue.
This kaleidoscopic portrait of the West Texas music scene gets
to the heart of what it takes to create art in an isolated, often
inhospitable environment. As Oglesby says, "Necessity is
the mother of creation. Lubbock needed beauty, poetry, humor,
and it needed to get up and shake its communal ass a bit or go
mad from loneliness and boredom; so Lubbock created the amazing
likes of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Terry Allen, and
Joe Ely."
"Indeed, Oglesby's introduction of more
than two dozen musicians who called Lubbock home should be required
reading not only for music fans, but for Lubbock residents and
anyone thinking about moving here. On these pages, music becomes
a part of Lubbock's living history."
- William Kerns, Lubbock Avalanche Journal
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Original essays
by Chris Oglesby
Articles by
contributing writers
- Chelsea Roe - Benefitting Doug
Smith
A young west Texas writer finds her voice among musicians, drinking
keg beer at a late night party in a North University art gallery.
And the beat goes on...
More
Articles by Chelsea Roe
- "Lubbock Then and Lubbock Now" - an essay on changing times.
By Johnny Hughes
- Kathleen's Corner
Kathleen Nacozy is a law student
at Texas Tech, by way of Austin. Sometimes it takes the searching
eye of one from outside to appreciate Lubbock for its unique
and hidden treasures, which may go unnoticed by local passersby.
Like all of us in virtualubbock, Kathleen has learned that, while
seemingly wrapped in plain brown paper, Lubbock TX has many buried
jewels to be discovered. She wants to dig that treasure for us.
- Flatlanders
Homecoming - 2002
Contributing writer Clarence Milam sums up the phenomenally successful
2002 Flatlanders reunion tour, which wrapped up
at Lubbock's scenic Canyon Amphitheater. The Flatlanders received
a great deal of national acclaim for their reprise album, Now Again.During an appearance on CNN's Larry
King Live, talk-radio host Don Imus pledged to donate $10,000
to the favorite charity of the first major-market station to
report that a single from Now Again
had made it into the top 10. Despite little air-time, the album
hit No. 22 on the Billboard country charts.
- Poetry
- "Terra Plana"
These poems, submitted by writer Michelle Riddle Thomas (LHS '85), were inspired by the flat landscape
around Lubbock. Says the poet: "As a kid growing up in Lubbock,
I actually believed that roads HAD to be straight. When I reached
the age of 11 or 12 and realized that roads aren't always straight,
I was deeply shocked."
- Poetry
- "West Texas Sandstorm"
by Connie Williams
A charter member of
the La Mesa Area Writer's Guild, Lamesa, Texas - Connie "Sage"
Williams has captured the transcendent ability of the West
Texas wind to inspire poetry. I love this poem.
Reader
Mail - Some
of the most valuable and fascinating stories we've collected
have come from the suggestion of readers' comments. Thank you
for your contributions!
 2/25/08
- Doug Smith
Benefit After Party - 2/14/08:
Photos, video, and articles
- Lubbock
All-Stars Reunion - 9/7/07
Watch
video from this historic music event in celebration of the one-year anniversary
of Chris Oglesby's "Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air"
- Book Release Celebration
at Stubb's - 11/12/06
Wow! What a party! Hope you didn't miss it. View
photos and read mail
- Jesse "Guitar" Taylor has passed away (3/7/06).
Please share with us your memories
of our beloved guitar hero.
- Natalie
Maines
Read what the visitors to virtualubbock
have to say about Natalie's experience with freedom of speech.
Fair warning: We're pro-Natalie in virtualubbockland.
- Letter
and Poems from M.H. Hill
Contributer M.H.
Hill shares some good-time
memories and beautiful poetry inspired by life on the Caprock.
Letters from Dee Purkeypile
Contributer Dee
Purkeypile was a young
band leader in Lubbock in the '70s. Read his first-hand accounts
of the hey-day of Stubb's, the havoc of the May 11 Tornado, and the funky goings-on in the Tech Ghetto. These stories capture the essence
of the free spirit we're trying to describe at virtualubbock.
Thanks for sharing, Dee!
- Letters
from Monty Newton
We've received several e-mails from musician, geologist, archeologist,
& air-pilot Monty
Newton - formerly of
Anton, now working and performing in Austin. Monty has generously
shared many great stories about life and love in the West Texas
Music Scene, including Stubb's,
the Cotton
Club, and the Lubbock Lights.
- Letter from Mark Gunderson
Memories of friendship with Stubb, Cuz, and Little Pete; jams
with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Ely, even Muddy Waters; more tales
of west texas bodhisattvas.
Selected archival articles, essays, liners notes, & stories*
- The
Day The Music Was Born
- Buddy Holly Meets The King
From Texas Monthly's Sesquicentennial Collectors Edition
- 1986
"When a shy but brilliant four-eyed boy from Lubbock met
a hyperactive trucker from Mississippi, the world was soon to
be shaken at the foundation."
Read how a brief encounter in Lubbock changed the world for
us all.
- Lubbock:
'Her Teeth Are Stained But Her Heart Is Pure'
by Molly Ivins
When I first read this
article written by Molly Ivins back in 1987 may have been the
first time I started thinking about, "What's up with all
the music coming from Lubbock?" - Chris
- Dancing in the Headlights
Jo Harvey Allen wrote this entertaining piece for
AAA's Westways Magazine.
- Honky Tonk Visions
by Elizabeth
Skidmore Sasser
An excerpt from Out of the Ordinary: The Art of Paul Milosevich;
Sasser discusses how visual and musical art blend together when
young artists gather under the West Texas skies.
- Alex
Ross - Portrait
Artist to American Gods
"Once
upon a time a lonely little boy in Lubbock, Texas, turned to comic book heroes
for friendship. And they did what they do best - they rescued
him. But then, after a decade and a half of hard work
and intense study, something amazing happened. He returned
the favor. Does that sound unbelievable?"
- The
Southwest Peace Festival of 1970
"Lubbock's Answer to Woodstock"
(selected Avalanche Journal articles)
Read about what could have been Lubbock's most significant cultural
event; However, the combination of the unpredictable West Texas
Spring weather and over-excited law enforcement lead to a situation
where nearly
20% of the attendees were arrested or spent the weekend in the
Lubbock County jail.
- The
Flatlanders
by Colin Escott
The album liner notes for the 1990 re-release of West
Texas music recorded by "Jimmie Dale & The Flatlanders"
in 1971. This remarkable and puzzling band featured Jimmie Dale
Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, & Tom X Hancock.
- Advice
To a Young Poet in the Wings (HA!)
By Butch Hancock
Read this mystical poem by Butch Hancock which gives a
hint to where to find this creative spirit which inhabits the
seemingly empty West Texas plains.
- C.B.
Stubblefield: "Ladies & Gentleman, I'm a Cook" -
An archival article from Lubbock's Caprock Sun published in conjunction with news of the development
of the Stubb's
Memorial; Read some
priceless memories of this man who was an amazing influence on
the inhabitants of Lubbock and beyond.
- Stubb:
"A Captain Without a Ship" - by Michael Hall
In 1984, due to troubles with the IRS, Stubb finally left Lubbock
for Austin; However, Stubb never forgot his roots in Lubbock. In
this article from the Austin Chronicle, Stubb says: "At Stubb’s BBQ
we got to be multimillionaires in love and affection, but we
didn’t make any profits – monetary stuff."
- Willis
Cooper - "Fun at All Costs"
Willis Cooper was one of the great genius enigmas of the Plains.
A one-time singer and long-time sheepherder, Cooper retired to
the bars of Lubbock. There, he manifested his uncanny ability
to speak in verse and express poetry in everyday life. Anyone
who frequented the bars on Main Street near Texas Tech
in the '80s & '90s will remember an uncannily wrinkled old-man
with bulbous nose, wearing shirt-sleeves and a gimme cap, getting
up on stage to do his alcohol rambling "raps" with
whatever band happened to have the stage that night. It was inspiring
to see this guy living it up with the most untamed young people
in town.
- Home
Run
by Jo Harvey Allen
Two-act, one-woman
play about Jo Harvey's life growing up in Lubbock, this
play examines the importance of the concept of "Home";
how that concept is a fuzzy one. It is a magical and poetic look
at reality that truly strikes home for a Lubbockian.
* NOTE regarding "fair use" and copyrights:
I have posted what I believe to be interesting archival material
from old newspaper, magazines, liner notes and books. In many
cases the author has granted permission to post the item here
at virtualubbock; in some cases, for various reasons, no such
permission has been soliceted or offered.
If there is any copyrighted material posted on virtualubbock.com
which the copyright holder would like removed, please notify me and I will remove the article immediately.
- c.oglesby
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