Luckenbach, Texas

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Here, Sandy and I are standing in front of the small building that serves as the combination PostOfficeGeneralStoreBeerJoint. The store has been in operation since 1849.

"The only two things in life that make it worth livin'
Is guitars tuned good 'n' firm-feelin' women
I don't need ma name in the marquee lights
I got my songs and I got you with me tonight
Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love"

Luckenbach, Texas

Luckenbach image

Sandy is buying something in the general store.

"Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we're livin' got us feudin' like the Hatfields and McCoys
Between Hank Williams' pain songs and Newbury's train songs
And blue eyes cryin' in the rain
Out in Luckenbach, Texas ain't nobody feelin' no pain"

The Dance Hall

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The largest building in town, the Luckenbach Dance Hall features monthly dances, usually on a Saturday night. Performers include Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Gary P. Nunn to name a few.

"So baby let's sell your diamond ring
Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away
This coat and tie is chokin' me
In your high society you cry all day
We've been so busy keepin' up with the Jones
Four-car garage and we're still buildin' on
Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love"

The Beer Joint

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The sign in the bar reads: "If you're drinking to forget, please pay in advance."

Guitars that tune good...

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In the center of the cozy bar is a wood-burning iron stove that heats up deer sausage in the winter and is a nest for mama chickens in the spring.

Most everyday you'll find singer/songwriters from near and afar playing their latest compositions.

After Hondo died in 1976 his music making friends penned the song "Luckenbach Texas" which was recorded by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in 1978. The song, now a classic, became a number one smash hit all across the nation and beyond putting Luckenbach on the map for good.

the Basics of Life...

Established as a trading post in 1846, Luckenbach preserves a historical dance hall and general store.

The town consists of almost ten acres between South Grape Creek and Snail Creek. Its oldest building is the Post Office-General Store-Bar, opened in 1849.

A local rancher and regional folk hero, Hondo Crouch, bought Luckenbach in 1970 when he saw an ad in the paper "town- pop.3- for sale." Hondo orchestrated the first Women's Only Chili Cook-off and a World's Fair (because he proclaimed Luckenbach as the center of the Universe).

After Hondo died in 1976 his music making friends penned the song
" Luckenbach Texas" which was recorded by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in 1978. The song, now a classic, became a number one smash hit all across the nation and beyond putting Luckenbach on the map for good.