Greetings from the A-O Ranch,
I know, I know, better late than never, but if you had been traveling and working on the road as much as I have, you'd be begging forgiveness too. This will be the last official writing from the A-O Ranch, for, as you may know if you keep up, we are now in residence in Texas once again. We've been out of communication here lately being betwixt and between the ranch and the new digs up on Cow Creek in Burnet County--slowly but surely we're getting "back into the swing of things".
I am certainly looking forward to getting unpacked and getting everything in its proper place. Good luck. Most of all I'm looking forward to getting the two days in my life back that I have been giving up driving back and forth these last 17 years. I figured up the other day I've made approximately 850 round trips. "People say that I'm strange". Guess I would have gone on forever like that if Ruthie hadn't brought it to my attention that with the time and money we're spending maintaining a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, we could have a nice place in Texas.
People say, " why did you do it in the first place"? I'd have to say, "I did it cause I could". I always wanted a ranch, so I had one-near my family and on the place where I spent some happy moments of my childhood. Also, it's something that my mom and dad started and I wanted to see their dreams fulfilled. I think I've done that and it's time to move on. The ranch is for sale and I'm waiting for someone to make me an offer I can't refuse.
Of course, I couldn't have done any of it without the help, guidance and direction of my wife, Ruth. She took a piece of wilderness and turned it into a real nice place, forever adding on rooms, porches and decks, building barns and out buildings, hammering shingles on the roof, all the while putting chef caliber food on the table and keeping the band booked on the road. "Man, I can't even believe she did all that, but she did"!
In addition she raised up a fine son. Julian graduated from high school at the top of his class, and excelled in football, track and weightlifting. His lifting team won the Oklahoma State Championship. He has turned out to be a fine young man. He's spending this summer as a camp counselor at Camp Stewart for Boys where he went before he got into the football program, which required him to train all summer. He is enrolled at Southwest Texas State University at San Marcos, soon to be known as Texas State University, I understand. He's going to walk on and try to make the Bobcat football team I'm real proud of him. His mother did a great job.
My oldest son, Lukin, is still in Nashville, and has gone into the home remodeling business. He seems to enjoy this work and says he's learning lots of useful and practical stuff. He's still dabbling in the music business, writing songs and playing in several bands. His son, Silas, also know as Cybo, will be in the 2nd grade next year. Of course, he's the smartest kid in the class, and the best looking, naturally. I can't wait to get my hands on him and start teaching him how to be a Texan. Gee-Paw can show him a thing or two!
Well, friends and neighbors, that about catches us up on the family goings ons. Ya'll stay in touch and I promise I'll try to be more timely with news. Until then, we wish you all the best.
EMMISSIONS FROM THE BUNKHOUSE
The Sons of the Bunkhouse have been busy playing a full schedule of dates all over Texas. Just check out the Gary P. Nunn on the Road section of the website and you'll know what I mean. The current lineup of Steve Layne on bass, Danny Hawk on pedal steel, and Michael Christian on the drums has developed into a solid little Texas Music machine. Justin Belshe is our one-man road crew and sound engineer. We're just a four-piece band but " lean and mean". My being back in Texas will make it much more convenient for us to spend time together, rehearse, and record so I expect us to continue to improve.
It has always been my goal to have the best " dance band in Texas". For me, carrying on the traditions of the great country acts is big part of what I do, and the Saturday night dance has historically been a big part of that. It has always been a significant part of our culture, especially here in central and south Texas, where the culture is so rich. The Saturday night dance is the community's meeting place, a place where the whole family can go--- grandparents, mom and pop, and all the kids. A place where folks can socialize and pass along the local news and gossip; where young people " court and spark" and their parents can keep an eye on them. A place where kids can run wild chasing each other and getting their good clothes dirty, and the old timers can tell it like it used to be and visit with their friends. Dancing is a big part of that and only a good dance band can make all this happen. People who don't dance don't know what they're missing. Those that learn to get a new lease on life.
That's why I love to play the great " old dance halls with open windows", and we play quite a few. Gruene Hall, Luckenbach, The Broken Spoke, Anhalt Dance Hall, La Bahia Hall, Schroeder Hall, and the Hanging Tree, just to mention a very few. These are cultural and historical institutions, rather like living museums linking us with our past. You feel like you're really a part of people's lives when you play these special places. Just last weekend we played for the wedding for a couple that met two years ago on New Year's Eve at Gruene Hall. They thought it was only fitting that we play for their wedding reception at Das Anwesen just outside New Braunfels Next thing you know they'll be bringing a baby out to show me, and they'll say, " see what you did"!
We do our very best to make as many dates as possible suitable for a bono fide "Roadtrip" that you can plan a weekend around. See us in Austin one day and spend the next touring the hill country. See us at the House Pasture Cattle Co. in Concan and then float the Frio River, or at Gruene Hall, then camp out and float the Guadalupe or tour San Antonio. To know about Texas is to love her. Man, she has a grand history! I just try to the create the soundtrack for your
Texas experience.
Well, that's enough musings, I reckon, on that general subject, but perhaps it will enlighten some as to my motivation. To me, somehow, it's important that I do it. It can be tough duty sometimes, but you " gotta be tough to wear the A-O brand"! Keep up with us at the Gary P. Nunn On The Road site and come see us. I'll introduce you to Dudley and Jeane and Will and Till. They come to almost all our dances. So do lots of others. You're going to make friends, and they'll probably turn out to be " friends for life". Till then, see ya on the dance floor!
P. S. Oh yeah, don't forget the Caribbean Cruise Nov. 17-22. I am really looking forward to this. I've never been on a cruise ship before. Ruth is going so that will be especially nice. Brian Burns and Tommy Alverson are not only two of my favorite songwriters, but, two of my favorite people in the music business. We've done singer-songwriters shows together before and they always were great experiences. I haven't had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Nathan Hamilton but that will change, I'm sure. We are grateful to our friends at Y-95, The Range, your home on the Texas Music Range in North Texas for sponsoring this cruise. We are really looking forward to it. Make sure when you sign up, be sure and tell them Gary P. Nunn sent you.
WILLIE NELSON DOES IT AGAIN
As you may or may not be aware, Willie Nelson recorded my tune, co-written with my old and dear friend Donna Sioux Farar, " THE LAST THING I NEEDED, THE FIRST THING THIS MORNING" on his multi-million selling LP, " YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY MIND" back in 1982. After having three Number One singles off the album, he released our tune on a single and it went to Number Two on the Billboard Charts. Since then he has released it on several compilation CD's including "THE 16 GREATEST HITS OF WILLIE NELSON" and more recently the CD titled, " THE ESSENTIAL WILLIE NELSON". Just a couple of weeks ago you may have seen Willie on the USA Network with a host of his musical friends celebrating his 70th Birthday . Low and behold, Kenny Chesney, who is just about the hottest thing in country music today, stepped up and sang, guess what, the LAST THING I NEEDED.
