The 5: Texas Singer Songwriters
This Week on The 5: A Look at 5 Uniquely “Texan” Singer Songwriters
Remember, Texas produced Lyndon B. Johnson, but it also gave birth to Bill Hicks. With that in mind, we picked 5 songwriters who had that uniquely “Texan” sound and feel: that mix of southern charm and romanticism combined with a badass standoffish nature.
1. Hayes Carll
“Pretty girls and deep depressions, keep falling from the sky I got all the time in heaven, but no sense to wonder why. And the nights have all gone crazy and the bars have all shut down One day I swear I’ll blow it all pack up and leave this town.”
Of the five, Hayes is definitely the rookie and the one most likely to say he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. But he’s a tremendous talent , and each of his albums keeps getting better than the rest. That added bonus is you still have a chance to say you knew this guy before he made it big. And he will.
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2. Erykah Badu
“Never knew what a friendship was, never knew how to really love. You can’t be what I need you to,
and I don’t know why I fuck with you.”
What is there really to say? Erykah Badu is the fucking shit, and most everything she does is brilliant. Soulful and smart, poetic and sharp, if you don’t listen to Erykah Badu, you’re missing out on all that is good in life.
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3. Sly Stone
“My only weapon is my pen. Oh, and the frame of mind I’m in. I’m a songwriter, ooh, a poet. I’m a songwriter, yeah, a poet.”
Sly. He was playing keys in his family’s gospel band by the age of 7. He then quickly mastered a wide range of other instruments and broke away from his religious hold, but never lost that gospel sound. Listening to Sly and the Family Stone is church.
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4. Townes Van Zandt
“She says that she knows that moments are rare, I suppose that it’s true. Then on she goes to say I don’t care, and she knows that I do. Maybe she just has to sing for the sake of the song. Who do I think that I am to decide that she’s wrong.”
This is country music. He writes songs like a Larry McMurtry and plays them like a pilgrim (nod to Kris). It’s impossible not to be blown away by the pure, simple poetry of Townes. Live at the Old Quarter is one of the great live albums of all time. Go listen to it.
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5. Kris Kristofferson
“I was born a lonely singer, and I’m bound to die the same…But I’ve got to feed the hunger in my soul. And if I never have a nickel, I won’t ever die ashamed. ‘Cos I don’t believe that no-one wants to know.”
Whoever your favorite songwriter is, their favorite songwriter is Kris Kristofferson. Like with all the others on this list, listening to Kris Kristofferson is often a spiritual experience. His songs truly capture the spirit of what it means to be “Texan.”
