Down In Luckenbach, Texas Without Waylon, Willie, And The Boys

All hill country travel eventually leads to Luckenbach, Texas, where, as they say there, “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach.” The town, such as it is, first become famous during the 1970’s, but its history goes back well before that.

Located just a few miles southeast of Fredericksburg, Luckenbach was established in the mid 1800’s, and by the late 1800’s, had a post office, general store, and a drinking establishment. The goods and services provided, catered to both the local farmers as well as the native Comanche, who were still prevalent in the area.

The Engel family, which had initially opened the small trading post, was still in control in 1970, when, they put the “community” and its establishments up for sale. Luckenbach was purchased by several local “characters,” including one Hondo Crouch, who promptly appointed himself, Mayor. He eventually made Marge, a decendant of the original Engel family, and the drinking establishment’s bartender, the Sheriff. Other appointments included, a Minister of Agriculture, who received the honor because he was the one who took the eggs to market. Other appointments included ambassadors to other countries. It was all in good fun, of course. Crouch, himself, played guitar, sang, told stories, and was easily recognizable by his white beard and hair.

In 1973, country music singer Jerry Jeff Walker recorded an album in the dance hall which brought the first real fame to Luckenbach. Several years later, in 1977, county music legends Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, recorded, “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” which became a huge hit, and put this little speck of a place in the Texas Hill Country on the lips of people around the world. Unfortunately, Hondo never experienced the fame the song brought to Luckenbach, having passed away in 1976.

Despite the fact that this small place is extremely difficult to find (a lady in Blanco, Texas, warned me, “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.”), it provides a place of pilgrimage of sorts for country music fans, historians, curiosity seekers, vacationers, and visitors, from all over the world. A lot of the people hanging around Luckenbach, look just like Hondo Crouch did, with white beards and white hair, and there are always a line of motorcycles in a special parking area just outside the dance hall. During my visit, I did not see Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, or any of the “boys,” of course, but I enjoyed the experience just the same.

Despite the historic charm of the place, with the old post office, general store, dance hall, outdoor stage, cold beer, and live music seven days a week, some visitors, it seems, are disappointed. I’m not sure what they expected, but this is a remote part of the hill country of Texas. People who come here from distant places because of the song’s popularity but are then disappointed, perhaps need to listen to the song once again. It’s obvious, that they have missed the message the lyrics are conveying.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) **

There's only two things in life that make it worth livin

'That's guitars that tune good and firm feelin' women

I don't need my name in the marquee lights

I got my song and I got you with me tonight

Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love

Let's go to Luckenbach Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys

This successful life we're livin' got us feuding like the Hatfield and
McCoy's

Between Hank Williams pain songs, Newberry's train songs and blue eyes
cryin' in the rain, out in Luckenbach Texas ain't nobody feelin' no pain

So baby let's sell your diamond ring

Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away

This coat and tie is choking me

In your high socitey you cry all day

We've been so busy keepin' up with the Jones

Four car garage and we're still building on

Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love

Let's go to Luckenbach Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys

This successful life we're livin' got us feuding like the Hatfield and McCoy's

Between Hank Williams pain songs, Newberry's train songs and blue eyes cryin' in the rain, out in Luckenbach Texas ain't nobody feelin' no pain

Let's go to Luckenbach Texas with Willie and Waylon and the boys

This successful life we're livin' got us feuding like the Hatfield and McCoy's

Between Hank Williams pain songs and Jerry Jeff's train songs and blue eyes cryin' in the rain out in Luckenbach Texas ain't nobody feelin' no pain

** Lyrics of this song or any variation thereof, are the property and copyright of their respective authors, artists and labels, and are provided here for educational purposes only. Please respect the various proprietary rights of the owners.

Nine-Pin Bowling And Homemade Food

Prior to moving to the Texas Hill Country, I had no idea there were private bowling clubs, or bowling alleys using nine pins instead of ten, and people, rather than machines, who reset the pins. Apparently nine-pin bowling, or, “nine-pins” as it’s commonly called where played, is popular in Europe, particularly in Germany, but also here in the hill country of Texas.

Although I’m not a bowler by any means, and my name is not embroidered on a bowling shirt, I’ve rolled quite a few bowling balls down bowling lanes in my life. But, I knew nothing of the game of nine-pins until recently. For you real bowlers out there, I’m sure you already know this, but for the rest of us, nine-pins is much different than the game we are familiar with here in the United States. The ball is smaller, the lane is shorter, and there are some other differences involving the rules. Also, there is manual work involved in initially setting and then resetting the pins. I have no interest in anything manual with regard to bowling, not in this age of technology.

My wife and I did not come to the Blanco Bowling Club Cafe to play nine-pins, or ten-pins, or bowl in any way, shape, or form. We just wanted to eat a good lunch as we were passing through town. A resident of Blanco recommended the place as the spot to go where “the locals eat.”

The resident did not steer us wrong. During the day, the bowling lanes are hidden from the front of the restaurant, to such an extent, that if the name on the sign did not mention “Bowling,” you would never know there was a bowling alley there. We weren’t interested in that, in any event, but found the food to be very good.

As I’ve written about the abundance of gravy in the hill country before, I was bound and determined to order something much different during the visit to the Blanco Bowling Club Cafe. I actually felt like something different too, a sandwich, so, I ordered the “Hot Steak Sandwich (with Salad & Fries).” I envisioned some type of steak, on a bun, with the usual toppings. When my order arrived, it looked strangely similar to the chicken fried steak my wife had ordered. While both selections were covered with gravy, my meat was sitting upon pieces of toast, while hers was not. I guess the toast was the “sandwich” part. The word “Hot” in front of the words “Steak Sandwich” on the menu should have tipped me off that this was an open faced sandwich, but I missed it completely. Nevertheless, my “sandwich” was delicious, and it just goes to show you that you get gravy down here, it seems, even when you don’t really want it.

The thing I really like about the hill country is that places like this still exist. Hill country towns, like Blanco, are quaint little places, with historic town squares, where you can still get authentic homemade food in traditional settings. The people, like the ones who served us at the Blanco Bowling Club Cafe, are always friendly and helpful. These are the kinds of places I remember from my youth, but they are quickly disappearing around the rest of the country as the chain restaurants become dominant, even in the smallest of towns. As a result, I’m going to continue patronizing these type of places before they are gone for good.

Hopefully, though, just like the nine-pin bowling which has persisted in the hill country long after automated bowling alleys and ten-pin bowling became the standard everywhere else, maybe the small cafes and restaurants will remain as well.