Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks : The Countercultural Sounds of Austin's Progressive Country Music Scene

Country music of the late 1960s and early 1970s was a powerful symbol of staunch conservative resistance to the emerging counterculture. But starting around 1972, the city of Austin, Texas became host to a growing community of musicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, and fans who saw country music as a part of their collective heritage and sought to merge it with countercultural ideals to forge a distinctly Texan counterculture. Progressive country music-a hybrid of country music and rock-blossomed in this growing Austin community, as it played out the contradictions at work among its residents. The music was at once firmly grounded in the traditional Texan culture in which they had been raised, and profoundly affected by their newly radicalized, convention-flouting ways.In Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin's Progressive Country Music Scene, Travis Stimeling connects the local Austin culture and the progressive music that became its trademark. He presents a colorful range of evidence, from behavior and dress, to newspaper articles, to personal interviews of musicians. Along the way, Stimeling uncovers parodies of the cosmic cowboy image that reinforce the longing for a more peaceful way of life, but that also recognize an awareness of the muddled, conflicted nature of this counterculture identity. Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks provides new insight into the inner workings of Austin's progressive country music scene-by bringing the music and musicians brilliantly to life. Country music of late 1960s and early 1970s was a powerful symbol of staunch conservative resistance to the flowering hippie counterculture. But in 1972, the city of Austin, Texas became host to a growing community of musicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, and fans who saw country music as a part of their collective heritage and sought to reclaim it for their own progressive scene. These children of the Cold War, post-World War II suburban migration, and the Baby Boom escaped the socially conservative world their parents had created, to instead create for themselves an idyllic rural Texan utopia. Progressive country music--a hybrid of country music and rock--played out the contradictions at work among the residents of the growing Austin community: at once firmly grounded in the conservative Texan culture in which they had been raised and profoundly affected by the current hippie counterculture. In Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin's Progressive Country Music Scene, Travis Stimeling connects the local Austin culture and the progressive music that became its trademark. He presents a colorful range of evidence, from behavior and dress, to newspaper articles, to personal interviews of musicians as diverse as Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Doug Sahm. Along the way, Stimeling uncovers parodies of the cosmic cowboy image that reinforce the longing for a more peaceful way of life, but that also recognize an awareness of the muddled, conflicted nature of this counterculture identity. Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks brings new insight into the inner workings of Austin's progressive country music scene -- by bringing the music and musicians brilliantly to life. This book will appeal to students and scholars of popular music studies, musicology and ethnomusicology, sociology, cultural studies, folklore, American studies, and cultural geography; the lucid prose and interviews will also make the book attractive to fans of the genre and artists discussed within. Austin residents past and present, as well as anyone with an interest in the development of progressive music or today's'alt.country'movement will find Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks an informative, engaging resource. Country music of late 1960s and early 1970s was a powerful symbol of staunch conservative resistance to the flowering hippie counterculture. But in 1972, the city of Austin, Texas became host to a growing community of musicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, and fans who saw country music as a part of their collective heritage and sought to reclaim it for their own progressive scene. These children of the Cold War, post-World War II suburban migration, and the Baby Boom escaped the socially conservative world their parents had created, to instead create for themselves an idyllic rural Texan utopia. Progressive country music--a hybrid of country music and rock--played out the contradictions at work among the residents of the growing Austin at once firmly grounded in the conservative Texan culture in which they had been raised and profoundly affected by the current hippie counterculture. In Cosmic Cowboys and New The Countercultural Sounds of Austin's Progressive Country Music Scene, Travis Stimeling connects the local Austin culture and the progressive music that became its trademark. He presents a colorful range of evidence, from behavior and dress, to newspaper articles, to personal interviews of musicians as diverse as Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Doug Sahm. Along the way, Stimeling uncovers parodies of the cosmic cowboy image that reinforce the longing for a more peaceful way of life, but that also recognize an awareness of the muddled, conflicted nature of this counterculture identity. Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks brings new insight into the inner workings of Austin's progressive country music scene -- by bringing the music and musicians brilliantly to life. This book will appeal to students and scholars of popular music studies, musicology and ethnomusicology, sociology, cultural studies, folklore, American studies, and cultural geography; the lucid prose and interviews will also make the book attractive to fans of the genre and artists discussed within. Austin residents past and present, as well as anyone with an interest in the development of progressive music or today's 'alt.country' movement will find Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks an informative, engaging resource. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 18 INTRODUCTION: Making Country Music “Progressive”......Page 22 1 Progressive Country Music as Local Music......Page 34 2 “I Just Wanna Be a Cosmic Cowboy”: Pastoral Imagery and Progressive Country Music......Page 60 3 “Up against the Wall, Redneck Mother”: Cosmic Cowboys and Cultural Conflict in Rural Texas......Page 82 4 ¡Viva Terlingua! : Live Recordings and the Authenticity of Progressive Country Music......Page 96 5 “Bob Wills is Still the King”: Progressive Country and the Revival of Western Swing......Page 112 Conclusion: “A Gathering of the Tribes”: Music Festivals and Confluence in Austin......Page 136 Notes......Page 152 Works Cited......Page 170 Discography......Page 184 Filmography......Page 186 C......Page 188 G......Page 189 N......Page 190 V......Page 191 Z......Page 192 Cover 1 Contents 18 INTRODUCTION: Making Country Music “Progressive” 22 1 Progressive Country Music as Local Music 34 2 “I Just Wanna Be a Cosmic Cowboy”: Pastoral Imagery and Progressive Country Music 60 3 “Up against the Wall, Redneck Mother”: Cosmic Cowboys and Cultural Conflict in Rural Texas 82 4 ¡Viva Terlingua! : Live Recordings and the Authenticity of Progressive Country Music 96 5 “Bob Wills is Still the King”: Progressive Country and the Revival of Western Swing 112 Conclusion: “A Gathering of the Tribes”: Music Festivals and Confluence in Austin 136 Notes 152 Works Cited 170 Discography 184 Filmography 186 Index 188 A 188 B 188 C 188 D 189 E 189 F 189 G 189 H 190 I 190 J 190 K 190 L 190 M 190 N 190 O 191 P 191 R 191 S 191 T 191 U 191 V 191 W 192 Y 192 Z 192 9780199747474 Oxford University Press Premium Here The Author Connects The Local Austin Culture And The Progressive Music That Became Its Trademark. He Presents A Colourful Range Of Evidence, From Behaviour And Dress, To Newspaper Articles, To Personal Interviews Of Musicians As Diverse As Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, And Doug Sahm. Progressive Country Music As Local Music -- I Just Wanna Be A Cosmic Cowboy : Pastoral Imagery And Progressive Country Music -- Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother : Cosmic Cowboys And Cultural Conflict In Rural Texas -- Viva Interlingua! : Live Recordings And The Authenticity Of Progressive Country Music -- Bob Wills Is Still The King : Progressive Country And Revival Of Western Swing. Travis D. Stimeling. Includes Bibliographical References, Filmography And Index.