The Willie book

Three weeks since the book came out on April 21 and I'm still dizzy with all the good things flying about.

I'll be in Houston Thursday May15 at Brazos Books at 5 pm, then at Pete Mitchell's Under the Volcano from 7 pm until....
I'll be on KPFT FM 90.1 in Houston on Saturday morning May 17 at 10:30 on DJ Rick's Lone Star Jukebox, then swing over to Sig's Lagoon for another signing at 2 pm.

Next week on Tuesday, May 20 I'll be Dallas at the Borders on Preston Road for a signing at 7pm and
on Weds May 21 I'll be in Fort Worth at the Borders at the West Freeway and Hulen, across from Arlington Heights High School

and on Saturday, June 14 I'll be doing a reading and signing at Book Soup in Los Angeles.

The response has been very, very good. I couldn't ask for better reviews (except for two Yankee takes in Los Angeles and Washington and one very misguided cat from Dallas which isn't surprising in the eyes of this Fort Worther).
But it's the folks who know the character I've written about who have been the most positive. This one from Christina Fajardo came after I did two hours with Kevin Connor on Folkways on KUT-FM in Austin:

"I am setting here listening to you on KUT talking about a very good friend of mine, Willie Nelson. I have NEVER heard anyone in the press paint such a true and honestly sincere and kind picture of Willie. Thank you. Lana Nelson has been my best friend since she arrived from Nashville shortly after I arrived from Amarillo and became roommates many, many years ago. By the way, her ex-husband's name was Steve. (You and Kevin were trying to remember what his name was) Lana and I raised our children together and are now enjoying our grandchildren together.

"I laughed and I cried while listening to a story very dear and close to me. Thanks again and thank you for writing a wonderful book. You are a jewel."

Her response explains why I write.

Boogie Chillun

One of the beautiful, not-so-beautiful things about YouTube is how easy it is to get lost and forget what you were looking for in the first place.

John Nova Lomax, the music scribe over at the Houston Press, helps get the guide to the root source of the boogie riff through a selected series of earthy clips which includes some desitively nasty dancing moves documented on Maxwell Street on Chicago's Southside back in the early 1960s, getting beyond the blues to Otha Turner and his Rising Star Fife and Drum band of Como, Mississippi, all the back to the African drummers of Mali.

No Jimmy Reed nor the reconstituted version of the Boogie Chillun Boys which consisted of Robert Ealey and U.P. Wilson and could delve into the boogie root better than any two piece as I once witnessed at the third Antone's one weeknight as part of an audience of four, but worth checking out nonetheless.

Quite the party

photo by John T. Davis

Last Saturday Kris and I threw a party and dance at Fischer Hall which included a book signing.

Fischer is an all-wood 133 year old German community dancehall with beautiful arched ribbing like an upside down ocean liner. Scenes from Honeysuckle Rose were filmed there and it's in our neighborhood, so it was the perfect setting.

It so happened to be the perfect night too, with a full moon and the spring night air still cool enough to make the open air occasion feel temperately pleasant.


The Jones Family Singers stopped by for a few spiritual songs of inspiration to open the evening on their way back to Baytown from the Old Settlers Festival up the road.

Then the band for the evening kicked into gear. Floyd Domino assembled a combo including Ernie Durawa (Charlie and the Jives, Sir Doug, Texas Tornadoes) on drums and Joe Manuel (Merle Haggard, Geo Strait) on guitar. Johnny Reno (of the Sax Maniacs, Chris Isaak, and the Barbwires) joined the ensemble on sax.

A procession of players who played with Willie over the years crossed the weathered stage: Bobby Gibson from Portland/Vancouver circa 1957, Johnny Case from Fort Worth, circa 1963, Bobby Earl Smith, circa 1973, Rick Crow, circa 1974, and, yes, Mr. Johnny Bush, who's worked with Willie on and off since 1953. With Willie and Family en route to Amsterdam, the next best thing was hearing Johnny belt out "Whiskey River" with his trademark wallop, echoing out of the open windows on a real fine night surrounded by real fine friends.

I signed quite a few books too.

photo by John T. Davis
photo by J. Gillespie (Jerry Retzloff of Lone Star Beer is behind me)