by Angela Blair

Created on: March 01, 2010

Luckenbach, Texas, was the privately owned town of a marvelously unorthodox old cowboy by the name of Hondo Crouch. He saw an ad in a paper in 1970 that said "town – pop. 3 – for sale." Now, Hondo was a poet-character-sage-rancher and he promptly bought the town and made it his own stage. He then proceeded to share his town – and his stage - with his famous, musician friends. A few of those friends were Billy Joe Shaver, the late Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson – just to name a few. Hondo also held a world’s fair at his town (because he’d declared Luckenbach, Texas "the center of the universe.")

To put the place in proper perspective, country music fans will remember a song that did quite well on the country music charts called "Back to the Basics of Love" wherein the singer is "going back to Luckenbach, Texas to be with Willie, Waylon and the boys." It was recorded in 1978 by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings to honor their friend, Hondo Crouch, who had by then passed away (1976). The tune was Number One nationally and literally put Luckenbach, Texas on the map!

Several popular albums were cut by what was (back then) called "The Outlaw Musicians" and featured the wide place in the road called Luckenbach, Texas. My brother, Steven Fromholz happened to be part of the Outlaw Musician genre and spent many a happy day with the "boys" at Luckenbach, Texas. In fact, he wrote and recorded a song with Willie Nelson called "Hondo’s Song" that was a tribute piece to their old friend.

Willie recorded one of Steven’s tunes called "I’d Have To Be Crazy" (plumb out of my mind to fall out of love with you) and that’s my little bro singing with Will on the recording. Those were fun, happy days and Texas Music waltzed right up to the front of the line and became an important part of the entertainment industry. The Outlaw Musicians also made Austin, Texas, the "Nashville of the Lone Star State" (minus a lot of the crud that surrounded the music business in Nashville, Tennessee.) Hondo Crouch and his Luckenbach, Texas, were a part of that place in time and remain closely associated with it to this day.

I wish I’d met Hondo because from what I’m told he was my kind of guy. He loved every day he lived, never gave up his dreams, had a totally unorthodox sense of humor. He left behind a host of friends that remember him today like he was still among them. Having been to Luckenbach many times;

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