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RIP Charlie Robison???

bigbevo76

By bigbevo76
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UncleBuck

UncleBuck 6455

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Have been a fan of years, but his shows and I just never lined up. Had kicked myself the past 5-6 years for never going out of the way to see him, but finally was able to knock that off the list in Bandera this past April. So glad he came back for one more run so that I could see him. Sitting down on that stage, he was still larger than life, and sounded great.

He's the quintessential Texas Music artist for me. The writing was serious, but playful all at the same time, and uniquely deep while being simple. He could take you through a honky-tonkin' or rockin'-out number, with beers spilling and drunks yelling, all the way to calming the place down to quietly appreciate the stories of Loving County, Rain, Indianola. Then he could take your song, and make it his own, to where you couldn't imagine anyone else having written it (El Cerrito Place). 

I felt like there was more to come from him. Maybe we get some unreleased tapes one day. 

 

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UncleBuck

UncleBuck 6455

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On 9/10/2023 at 6:17 PM, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Fuuuuuuuck. I posted in the concert thread that I saw him in Bandera in April and he looked terrible. Had to play the whole show sitting down. But I really wasn't expecting this. Heartbreaking. But in hindsight I'm glad I got to see him play one last time. RIP. This one hurts. 

I was at that show also. He was sitting down five-six years ago to before he retired, I think it was his knees. I thought he sounded good, considering he had retired because of his voice. 

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UncleBuck

UncleBuck 6455

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18 minutes ago, animaltobacco11 said:

I was also at the show in Bandera. R.I.P., as I wonder who gonna fill his shoes.

Were you the one fighting the lady over the set list?

But seriously, think about that show. 30 minutes after the show ends a thunderstorm hits. Outdoor venue. Got lucky. Blessed. 

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UncleBuck

UncleBuck 6455

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1 hour ago, bschoolprof said:

I saw him probably 3-4 times over the years and I'm glad I did.  I've been a fan since ~2000 ish.  He's a very underrated songwriter IMO.  

I wouldn't call him underrated as a songwriter, but then I'm reminded how many times people mention Bruce as the better songwriter in the family. I like Bruce, but it was a tie at the very least. 

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johnny utah

johnny utah 73

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It had been a long time since I have been seen him live and I thought I never would get the chance again after he announced his retirement.  But when he started playing shows again I was excited to see him scheduled to be at Mile 0 Fest in January and was looking forward to seeing him there.  Charlie did it his way.   RIP Charlie. 

 

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horn4life

horn4life 3838

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Hell I loved the shit out of Charlie Robison, and didn't honestly know it was him.  I am also a lot more on the rock side, but love a well written song that truly paints a picture.  "My Hometown" is that sort of song, a snapshot of Texas Americana.  Hell I had him and Bruce sort of confused because I sort of learned about Bruce via the Dixie Chick's "Travelin' Soldier" where I knew the songwriters cash came rolling in like a freight train and then shut off.  

I really wish I had taken time to see him, but those were the lost years for me of very young children.  But like jimmy jazz said regarding "and we spend it all on pot" line was epic.  I am going to do a lot more exploring of his music, as I have learned more about him, I only like him more.  There was a blurb in the Houston Chronicle on him that referred back to a 2001 article written by Andy Langer.  Apparently he had a vocal chord injury that basically ended his career.  It's a VERY LONG read, but if you haven't read it and enjoyed his music take a few minutes.  It'll make you love him even more Charlie Robison says, "Fuck everybody!"

Hard to get more outlaw than this- 

Quote

Then again, Nashville is a small town with a big memory. For starters, they remember Robison's appearance at the 1999 Country Radio Seminar. That's where Robison instructed a ballroom full of influential radio programmers to shut up during his set. "I'm the greatest thing you're ever going to see," he announced, "but you probably won't play me because you're too fucking stupid."

Quote

 In the same article, he referred to neo-traditionalist up-and-comer Brad Paisley as "that little moron."

"I felt bad about that one for a few days," admits the 36-year-old Robison. "Then I saw some stuff he said in a magazine about how country needs to go back to a time where people sit on the back porch and eat biscuits and cornbread. The guy really is a fucking moron."

Love that level of truly not giving a fuck!

Charlie Robison touched me to the core with a single song, that I didn't even attach his name to until after his passing.  I hope he found a nice honky tonk to sing in again up there...

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UncleBuck

UncleBuck 6455

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52 minutes ago, horn4life said:

Hell I loved the shit out of Charlie Robison, and didn't honestly know it was him.  I am also a lot more on the rock side, but love a well written song that truly paints a picture.  "My Hometown" is that sort of song, a snapshot of Texas Americana.  Hell I had him and Bruce sort of confused because I sort of learned about Bruce via the Dixie Chick's "Travelin' Soldier" where I knew the songwriters cash came rolling in like a freight train and then shut off.  

I really wish I had taken time to see him, but those were the lost years for me of very young children.  But like jimmy jazz said regarding "and we spend it all on pot" line was epic.  I am going to do a lot more exploring of his music, as I have learned more about him, I only like him more.  There was a blurb in the Houston Chronicle on him that referred back to a 2001 article written by Andy Langer.  Apparently he had a vocal chord injury that basically ended his career.  It's a VERY LONG read, but if you haven't read it and enjoyed his music take a few minutes.  It'll make you love him even more Charlie Robison says, "Fuck everybody!"

Hard to get more outlaw than this- 

Love that level of truly not giving a fuck!

Charlie Robison touched me to the core with a single song, that I didn't even attach his name to until after his passing.  I hope he found a nice honky tonk to sing in again up there...

Wow, I really appreciate you posting this. Outside of the Brad Paisley quote, these two stuck out to me:

 

CaptureRobison2.PNG.61a395af4f1574291ffb1a2f7ceb60fd.PNG

^ I'm a big fan of Sahm, and a big fan of Robison, but I never knew that they had planned to start a band together. Wow, what we might have missed with that one not happening.

(When he came out for his show in Bandera in April, his walk-out music was "Hey Baby Que Paso." Not sure if that was for every show, but I loved that it was for that one, at least).

 

--

 

CaptureRobison3.PNG.fac260f2b66e3d882e2a4708db24f0bf.PNG

 

^That's just interesting to read about. 

 

 

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horn4life

horn4life 3838

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Reading though this thread reminded me of a moment years ago, where Bucky Goldbolt and Erin Hogan, were saying something about how Pat Green was playing in Austin one afternoon and it sort of pissed me off them pushing him. So I called in to the show back when they were on KVET (right?). And said, " If you want to see Pat Green this weekend, you should go see the original instead!  Robert Earl Keen is playing in Gruene Hall this weekend!"

They both start talking about REK for a couple minutes... still makes me smile thinking of changing that conversation.

 

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hullabelew

hullabelew 3730

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May have told this story before.  I've known Bruce since he played basketball at WT in the early 80s.  He and my brother were running buddies.  First time I met him, this tall dude kicks in the door of my brothers apartment playing air guitar to the Hoodoo Gurus, "Bittersweet".    Anyway, in 2000 Bruce, Charlie and Jack Ingram were touring together (they made the live Unleashed album from that tour)  so I met up with Bruce at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA to have dinner and catch up.  That was the first time I met Charlie.  We were sitting at the bar and Bruce was looking through some pictures in my wallet of me kids.  He showed them to Charlie.  When I got my wallet back, all of my check cards and cash were gone.  The look on his face was the best part.  Then he just kind of shrugged and gave it all back to me.  

When each guy was playing their set, the other two sat at the table with me.   It was a really cool night, listening to two great songwriters talk about the other one while he was playing.  They each had a band with them....some members were common between all 3.  Listening to Jack talk about the musicianship of certain guys was really cool.  At the end of night, I was having some cocktails with Mark Patterson who had been playing drums for Charlie.   I've known Mark for a while since his time with Robert Earl Keen and told him what Jack said about him.  He was deeply touched what Jack said about his drumming.  Just a cool night.

After that night, I told a buddy of mine that Charlie was the guy you wanted planning your bachelor party and Bruce was the guy you wanted as your next door neighbor for life.  

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hullabelew

hullabelew 3730

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6 minutes ago, hullabelew said:

Rich Brotherton and Mark Patterson played with Bruce and also with REK.  I can't imagine a nicer pair of guys than those to.  Usually, it's the bass and drummers who are buddies but the team work between Rich and Mark was incredible.  

to; two; too; 2 .....fucking phat phingers

 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 47239

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2 hours ago, hullabelew said:

Rich Brotherton and Mark Patterson played with Bruce and also with REK.  I can't imagine a nicer pair of guys than those to. 

Rich is aces.  I lived close to him in Travis Heights and we would loan gear, time, whatever every once in awhile.  Brilliant musician, chillest dude on the planet.

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hullabelew

hullabelew 3730

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Charlie, Bruce and their brother-in-law, Lunchmeat, used to have a band called the Weepers.  Their tag line was "Sad songs for your happy hour".  Lunchmeat is married to Robyn and together, they own Devil's Backbone Tavern.  Robyn is also a good songwriter and Lunchmeat plays a killer standup bass.  

Wade Bowen and Holly Williams recorded a killer version of this song on Vol. 1 of The Next Waltz, but here is Robyn with Kevin McCarthy on her song, Bars Ain't Closin'

 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12646

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7 minutes ago, PantsTent said:

I'm from a very small town and maybe that's part of it, but I'm with Charlie...I just always loved maps.

Yup.  From as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to them.

I had a road map of the state of Iowa tacked to the wall above my computer station in my apartment in Ames.  One day one of my buddies stopped over and came in kind of quietly.  He said he watched me look at the map for 5 minutes before I realized he was standing in the hallway.

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bschoolprof

bschoolprof 6349

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https://casetext.com/case/stallworth-v-robison

I always wondered what caused his retirement in 2018 . . . It was surgery for tonsil removal and to remove excess tissue from his throat that was contributing to sleep apnea and sinus infections.  The surgery went poorly and left him barely able to talk, let alone sing.  He sued, but then dropped the suit sometime in 2022, perhaps when he started getting back to performing. I'm sure the stress of this (combined with his smoking and drinking) took a toll.  

As I've gotten older, my trust in doctors, particularly surgeons, has definitely decreased a bit.  

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UncleBuck

UncleBuck 6455

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20 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

https://casetext.com/case/stallworth-v-robison

I always wondered what caused his retirement in 2018 . . . It was surgery for tonsil removal and to remove excess tissue from his throat that was contributing to sleep apnea and sinus infections.  The surgery went poorly and left him barely able to talk, let alone sing.  He sued, but then dropped the suit sometime in 2022, perhaps when he started getting back to performing. I'm sure the stress of this (combined with his smoking and drinking) took a toll.  

As I've gotten older, my trust in doctors, particularly surgeons, has definitely decreased a bit.  

I honestly didn't know he was retired until a few years ago when I was looking for tour dates, because he's the one guy I cared to see that I never got to. It was a bummer knowing I'd never get to see him perform, ever, because his voice was done. Then he came back and we got to settle that.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 47239

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23 minutes ago, TheRealRonWeaver? said:

Well, the lawsuit was a pretty big whopper.

OK.  You're alluding to a different medical condition/treatment, but you obviously don't want to spill the beans yet still make sure everyone knows you're on the inside.  Great.  Thanks for the contribution.

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