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Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air: Legends
of West Texas Music
"Indeed, Oglesby's introduction of more
than two dozen musicians who called Lubbock home should be required
reading not only for music fans, but for Lubbock residents and
anyone thinking about moving here. On these pages, music becomes
a part of Lubbock's living history."
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from page
1- Chris: This was back in Lubbock? PB: No. I’m in Austin now. As a musician, Lubbock had gotten a little bit too easy; I felt unchallenged. Then it dawned on me - I had been saying that I was on the way to Austin for nine years! I had been in Lubbock from ‘71 until ‘80. The Joe Ely Band had kicked some
serious booty for a number of years, and it gave me the credibility
to continue. I feel like taking that chance is now being repaid. Chris: Tell me about those days back when you were playing with The Supernatural Family Band. PB: Put me down on the list that it was a GRAND idea.
The Supernatural Family Band was
more than a band, y’know. It was our own little "Ken Kesey’s
Merry Pranksters." They were out in northern New Mexico
living in teepees, and Chris: They had a big following there in Colorado? PB: I got a short list of band leaders that are real successful, and Tommy Hancock’s right up there. He’s great on keeping business going; It’s a real hard thing to make a band actually pay your bills, and Tommy’s done it for a long time. Chris: Do you have any great observations about Lubbock? Or great stories about things that happened in Lubbock? PB: After I began to make these interesting observations
to myself, one of the first things I noticed was Lubbock. Lubbock
is a wonderful place to live, once you begin to notice the special
things about it. As a guy who was traveling all over the United
States and Europe, and then comin’ back - And in his time
off he’s riding his bicycle around Lubbock - it’s real
"eliminating." I guess I’m starting to take this "Devil’s Advocate" position now - toward people saying, "Well, that would be the same anywhere else." But, the fact that everybody in the band is from Lubbock; everybody writing about us is from Lubbock – like Michael Ventura… A lot of people who weren’t from originally Lubbock immediately noticed it once they got there. Michael is one of them, I imagine; He wasn't originally from Lubbock but he’s one of those who immediately noticed, "Whoa! This is way-cool!" I remember for instance, when we had Linda Ronstadt hanging out in Lubbock
with us. And when we had The Clash
hanging out in Lubbock with us. I mean, give And Stubb was with us all the time. Anybody who came to town, we always took ‘em to Stubb’s. I mean, Stubb would always be at our shows. And one thing he liked to do was produce concerts. He produced some great ones…At his old venue there, the old Stubb’s on East Broadway, he brought Stevie Ray Vaughn in there a lot. Stubb was also booking The Cotton Club…I’ll never forget the night that Muddy Waters played The Cotton Club. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
Stubb’s barbecue was the last meat I ate. I became a vegetarian traveling around with Joe so much; in a lot of strange places that we were staying, it was better if I ate salads and fish. So I’d go back to Lubbock…First thing I’d do is go to Stubb’s and get me a big ol’ plate. I could go back in the kitchen and fix it myself. So one time, I had been off with Joe for about two months, and I hadn’t had any meat that whole time; I went out to Stubb’s and afterwards I decided, "Well, I’m a vegetarian now, I guess." I’ve been one ever since, 20-some-odd years. Chris: So your last indulgence was Stubb’s? PB: Absolutely. Stubb is a good argument that Lubbock has produced totally
unique characters; He was totally, totally "The Real Deal;" You know
what I mean? Everybody that knew ‘im, loved ‘im.
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during
the last year I was with Joe. So I looked around and thought,
"Two things are gonna have to happen: You’re gonna
have to start being a front man, and you’re gonna have to
get a day job."
The other thing he
liked to do was have The Joe Ely Band
all come over on a Sunday when he was not busy, about three in
the afternoon, and "have dinner with him," he called
it. What was interesting to me was there’d be no barbecue
there. He’d cook spaghetti and meatballs, or he’d cook
fried chicken…something different from what he had in his
place - which we were all like addicted to like a drug - Stubb’s
barbecue.
I
mean! What a unique character! Did you see Stubb
on the Letterman Show that night? Of course, Letterman’s
famous at that point in his career for these interviews with
people where there’s a demonstration, especially cooking.
