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.

Czech Texans

There are plenty of descendants of Czech-speaking pioneers still in Texas. Anyone who has ever driven I-35 between the Metroplex and Austin knows to stop for kolaches in West. Lots of Czech folks still live in the La Grange area as well.

The old timers who still speak the Czech language often use an Anglicized syntax and lots of English loan words. An interesting example in the video to which I have provided a link is the use of the morpheme "ovat" to turn the word "pick" (as in pick cotton) into a Czech verb. Written, it would most likely be "pikovat." Czech often uses "ovat" for foreign verbs, but I like this example because a European Czech speaker probably would not know what it means. The video is completely in Czech but a minute or two might prove interesting to folks wanting a glimpse into a wonderful Texas culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htdfzTpPQ6U  

Fort Worth: Main Street

For a number of years, I lived abroad and traveled often. Now that I am back home in Fort Worth, I still have the urge to explore. However, the approach I have taken is different. Rather than go farther, I go deeper. For example, I might go downtown to see if I can see the bullet holes shot in the metal knight known as "Saint George" on the Knights of Pythias building on Main Street. In the old days, the cowboys would "celebrate" and then ride down Main Street discharging their firearms.

The famous gunfight between "Longhair" Jim Courtwright and Luke Short actually occurred in front of the White Elephant on Main Street in the space now occupied by Earth Bones. The gunfight did not occur at the establishment on Exchange in the Fort Worth Stockyards as people sometimes believe.

Below is perhaps the most famous photograph ever taken in Fort Worth, a portrait of the Wild Bunch. It was taken in John Swartz's photo studio at 705 Main Street in 1900. Richard Selcer's Hell's Half Acre is a great resource for those interested in learning more about the Wild Bunch's connection to Fort Worth and Cowtown in general.



  

Doc Watson

Doc Watson was one of our country's greatest interpreters of folk music. He understood the evolution of American song and through his finger picking could show how an older song influenced the development of a newer one. Here is Doc Watson's interpretation of "Sitting on Top of the World," which was written by the Mississippi Sheiks.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1q4Eb34mwM