For decades, Tommy and Charlene Hancock have been a force in Lubbock and Austin, credited by Sonny Curtis as an influence on Buddy Holly & the Crickets. Tommy X Hancock, the original Flatlanders fiddler and a patriarchal figure, became one of the original cosmic cowboys and, with his Supernatural Family Band, was the area’s musical counterpart to Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters.
The group released ten albums during the 1970s and ’80s (including those by the Texana Dames, a trio consisting of Tommy’s wife, Charlene, and daughters Traci and Conni), but they’re still mostly unknown outside Texas and neighboring states. In 1996, Tommy simultaneously released four albums that included some very humorous material, and the Texana Dames followed with two more albums a year later. Four more albums of down-to-earth western swing, conjunto, polkas, Cajun two-steps, and country-rock have just emerged from their vaults.
Tommy considers his band’s gigs to be parties rather than shows. In that spirit, At The Little Bear is a 23-track 1975 live recording from Evergreen, Colorado, which originally made up the group’s first three albums (seven tracks are dropped from this incarnation). The Little Bear date features six family members plus nine additional musicians, including Jesse Taylor, David Halley and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, all on guitar. Gilmore also sings “Ramblin’ Man”, one of three Butch (no relation) Hancock songs in the set. Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood” is introduced as having a big-band “countrified white trash” arrangement. Most vocals are shared by Charlene and her daughter Conni. A few songs are marred by a synth that sounds dated, but for the most part this is the sound that made Tommy X Hancock a local legend.
Lubbock Lights is a live performance from 1986, originally available only on cassette. Five family members are augmented by such musicians as fiddler Curley Lawler (who played on the Little Bear set), steel guitarist Billy Manley, the consistently superb guitarist John Reed, and others. Charlene sings on most of the fifteen tracks, many of them western swing classics; three intriguing bonus studio takes have been added for good measure, including “The Desert Blues”, a 1973 single that features original Flatlander Steve Wesson on vocal and autoharp.
Austin Tea Party is a studio session recorded in 2001 that reunites Tommy with guitarist Reed (who also produced). It features Tommy on lead vocals, with his wife Charlene (vocals) and daughters Traci (accordion) and Conni (steel guitar) playing alongside such stellar musicians as Ponty Bone (accordion), Erik Hokkanen (fiddle, mandolin) and Joel Guzman (button accordion and piano). Highlights include a reprise of the well-known “Lost In North Austin” (now changed to South Austin), Butch Hancock’s “Wishin’ For You”, Lonnie Johnson’s “Tomorrow Night” and Hank Williams’ “My Sweet Love Ain’t Around”.
Charlene Condray Hancock’s 50 Years is a compilation celebrating her long career, going as far back as 1952 when a neighbor recorded her on wax. Four songs written by Tommy Hancock, whom she had yet to marry, were recorded in Norman Petty’s studio in 1958 and feature Sonny Curtis. A few cuts from the ’60s, including “Blue Norther”, a local hit in 1968, feature Tommy Allsup. Later tracks include Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” from 1970 and Butch Hancock’s “Don’t Let The Mountains Down” from 1977, with Reed and Gilmore on guitar. With 25 tracks that span 50 years, plus lots of photos, this is a wonderful collection from an important and chronically underrated West Texas musician.
