One of the greatest country songs was written by Bobby Emmons and Chips Moman in 1977. The song is “Luckenbach, Texas”, which appears on Waylon Jennings’ album, Ol’ Waylon. It features such classic lyrics as:
“The only two things in life that make it worth livin’
Is guitars that tune good and firm feelin’ women”
It’s a song I’ve always enjoyed, but for those unfamiliar with it, here’s Waylon’s version (with a little help from Willie Nelson):
With Waylon’s hit song as our inspiration, my wife and I (and 2 friends) thought we’d stop by Luckenbach while visiting the Texas Hill Country to see what it’s all about. What we found was a pleasant surprise.
There actually is a town called Luckenbach, or at least what used to be a town. Nowadays it’s been replaced by a (mostly outdoor) music venue with a very laid-back vibe.
The town was settled in the late 1840s/early 1850s by German immigrants, including the Luckenbach family. The town began as a trading post in 1849, serving local farmers and Comanches, and grew to include a post office/general store (opened 1886) – which you can still visit. The population peaked at around 492 people in the late 19th century, then declined sharply to the point where it was nearly a ghost town seventy years ago.
Luckenbach was revived in the 1970s by Hondo Crouch — a colorful local figure claiming to be the town’s “mayor” — who along with his partners purchased the town’s central property. It morphed into a music hub, with Jerry Jeff Walker recording his famous Viva Terlingua album there in 1973. The town’s biggest claim to fame was from the 1977 hit song “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” by Waylon Jennings – see above. It put the town on the map, even though neither the writers nor Jennings had visited Luckenbach at the time. And the song certainly was why we decided to see what it was all about.
Today the center of Luckenbach is its old general store. Most people stop here to purchase a souvenir, something to take home, or to grab a cold beer.
There is live music performed almost daily, and when we visited mid-afternoon on a weekday there was a band playing, with a few dozen people sitting around enjoying the music (on this occasion. tickets not needed – just a tip jar to feed).
The site includes mobile food and beer venders, a gift shop, dance hall, and other outdoor music venues. It is populated with mature oak shade trees and has a pleasant relaxed atmosphere. I’d like to go again to catch a larger show here some day, but you can visit anytime – its fun to people watch if nothing else.
Go to Luckenbach for the experience of being there, and not with the intent of seeing a historic town. I think you’ll enjoy yourself, as we did.
