We Pointed Them North

I recently read Larry McMurtry's Sacagewea's Nickname, an excellent book of essays on the American West. In one of the essays, he mentions We Pointed Them North, which he considers the best of cowboy autobiographies. Reading it, I saw how the book must have influenced Mr. McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. Teddy Blue Abbott's understanding of the big picture in the late nineteenth century must have been very helpful for Mr. McMurtry in his research. After reading this book, I agree with Mr. McMurtry. We Pointed Them North is outstanding. Not only is it an illuminating primary source, it is also a quick, entertaining read, something many of us appreciate.  

Gypsy Playboys

This week we saw the Gypsy Playboys play here in Fort Worth. One band member called western swing "jazz on cornbread," a line that I enjoyed. The band is quite talented, and they move seamlessly among genres. They are as comfortable with Bob Wills as they are with Django Reinhardt. Their repertoire includes Central European Romany tunes as well as the kind of music one would imagine hearing in New Orleans during the Depression. If you are interested in the sounds of bygone times, check them out.

With a pistol in his hand

After reading a recent article by Dagoberto Gilb in Texas Monthly, I decided to finally read Americo Paredes' With his pistol in his hand. Paredes' treatment of "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" is exceptional. He questions J. Frank Dobie's version of the Cortez story as well as Webb's views on the Texas Rangers. Paredes dissects the famous folk ballad, giving the reader a good understanding of the development of the border corrido. In his analysis, he includes several Spanish variants of the corrido with an English translation. The book is a great read for the historian, folklorist, musicologist, or fiction writer mining for ideas.

Gary P. Nunn in Luckenbach

We had the good fortune to attend Gary P. Nunn's Christmas Ball at Luckenbach this year. The youngest dancers on the floor were less than a year old, and the oldest were perhaps in their eighties. The atmosphere was exceptional. It was truly peace on earth, goodwill toward man, woman, and child. And any time you have the opportunity to hear "London Homesick Blues" played where the famous Viva Terlingua! album was recorded, life is good.