Well, suffice it to say that Hubbard’s cup ‘o gratitude runneth over, because he had more than a few of those “really good days” all through 2016 and 2017. And though he’d be breaking his own rule to expect 2018 to follow suit, rest assured that he’s very much looking forward to at least one guaranteed great day already on his calendar: Saturday, Feb. 24. That’s the night when the famously self-effacing but duly acclaimed poet of Americana grit and groove — whose catalog of classics ranges from the irrepressible (no matter how hard he’s tried!) progressive country anthem “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” to such later-day fan favorites as “The Messenger,” “Conversation with the Devil,” and “Snake Farm” — is scheduled for induction into the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association’s (TxHSA) Hall of Fame. This all-volunteer organization — dedicated to the cultural preservation of Texas songwriting and celebration of our exalted troubadours — offers exclusive sponsorship opportunities across a full weekend of events with details available here:
https://texasheritagesongwriters.com/contract/
Hubbard has of course shared many a stage, writing session, and jam with fellow Texas mainstays Ingram and Carll, but he’s actually only played with Church once before — back at the beginning of 2017, when Church invited him up to Dallas to join him for a song (Hubbard’s own “Screw You, We’re From Texas”) in front of a sold-out crowd at the American Airlines Center. After the concert, Hubbard called the experience an “E ticket ride at Disneyland.” A few months later, Hubbard returned the favor by inviting Church to sing with him (and Lucinda Williams!) on the title track to his own new record,Tell the Devil I’m Gettin’ There as Fast as I Can. In a glowing review of the album for England’s esteemed Mojo, writer Sylvia Simmons likened the anthem to “a young Stones riffing on Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ in an arena.”
Such praise has been par for Tell the Devil I’m Gettin’ There as Fast as I Can’s assertive course ever since its August release, accounting for the three solid months it spent lodged in the Top 10 of the Americana music chart. But the album’s success is hardly the only thing Hubbard’s had to feel grateful for in the past year, let alone in the past couple of months. On Halloween night, he got to take another one of those unforgettable E ticket rides when Ringo Starr invited him to join his All Star Band at Austin’s Moody Theater for a performance of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” and less than a month later he got to celebrate his 71st birthday with a room packed full of his own friends and family at the Paramount. Really good days? Ray Wylie Hubbard has them in spades. And gratitude to match.
A limited number of tickets for the Feb. 24 Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association’s Hall of Fame Awards Show will go on sale via the Paramount Theater box office on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. For more information on the TxHSA, visit https://texasheritagesongwriters.com.