Janice Williams Loves Austin

Last night I got to go to the Paramount Theater for the filming of a special called “The Outlaw Trail.” An all-star lineup included Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, Jessie Colter, Carlene Carter, Raul Malo, Del Castillo, Rodney Crowell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Suzy Bogguss, Lee Roy Parnell and more. It was really an interesting night.

Not knowing what to expect, I was afraid I was in for a night of songs like “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and the really Western part of Country and Western, but the song choices were inspired! I don’t know who chose them, but my hat is off to them. The theme was “the outlaw trail” and the narrator (a cowboy poet) read pieces between the songs loosely gathering the songs into a theme. There were classic country songs like Folsom Prison Blues (Asleep at the Wheel did a great job on that!) and El Paso (my God, Raul Malo could sing the newspaper and it would have the crowd on their feet). But they went beyond that to “my” era and favorite songs like Rose of Cimarron (Poco did it originally, Del Castillo was fabulous with it last night) and Dueling Daltons and Desperado from the Eagles (but Holly Williams, Hank’s granddaughter, really put it out there, and Bukka Allen on keyboards was superb). It wasn’t even all country with Raul Malo REALLY getting the crowd on their feet with Bad Company (by Bad Company originally). I’m so far gone from my rock roots I had to ask my friend Marsha what the song was. I knew I knew it, but didn’t know what it was. It was completely electrified and it completely electrified the audience, too.

Some of the performers did their own songs, like Rodney Crowell singing  Ain’t Living Long Like This (I think that was it, I didn’t take notes and now I’m uncertain). Russell Smith (who was with the Amazing Rhythm Aces) sang The End is Not In Sight, which is one of my favorite songs of the 70s, but it sure slowed the energy down last night, coming on the heels of Raul Malo’s Bad Company.

Ray Wylie Hubbard sang a song I had not heard him sing before about gambling, along with Walt Wilkins (my third show with Walt in as many weeks).

The band was incredible. I don’t know who they all were, but I particularly enjoyed Bukka Allen’s keyboards and especially his accordion playing, Rick Richards and Jamie Oldaker on drums together (I loved watching their stick in sync), and Gene Elders on fiddle. I must find out who the others were because they were excellent, too.

That’s the short version of the night. It will be interesting to see it on a pledge drive later this year on PBS. They even filmed the people pleading for money, though it wasn’t amplified, it was being filmed in the balcony overlooking the show between songs.