If Texas is the state with the richest folk songwriting history, the Kerrville Folk Festival could be considered the beating heart of that tradition. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the 18-day marathon of a gathering kicks off May 26 at the Quiet Valley Ranch: a 50-acre spread 9 miles southwest of the city of Kerrville. While the historic campout takes place about 100 miles from Austin, it's remained an essential Austin experience for a half-century.
As a songwriter who spent five years volunteering at and attending Kerrville, I was deeply impacted by the community and in particular, the camp scene. Several crews of peacekeepers help attendees check in upon arrival and watch over the parking lots and campground. There's also a water crew that fills all the coolers dispersed around the grounds. Then there's the trash crew, who were met with appreciative cheers when they passed by in an ancient GMC pickup that'd been on the ranch about as long as the festival itself, if not longer.
Blaze Foley at the Kerrville Folk Festival with a tube of mascara. Photo by the late Phyllis Ivey, mother ofFounded by Rod Kennedy in 1972, the earliest Kerrville Folk Festivals were held at the city's Memorial Auditorium. In 1978, Rod's partner Nancylee Kennedy purchased the Quiet Valley Ranch and the festival's been held there ever since. From the jump, Rod implemented a hands-off approach to the campground, allowing it to develop into its own scene.
"Idi Amin should be hung by his balls/ Cut into pieces and tacked to the walls …/ Even his doggy has got syphilis too/ If you were his doggy he'd give it to you." “Kerrville changed my life completely. It’s why I moved to Texas. It’s why I have the friends I have. It’s molded me in every way. It’s basically the essence of my being.”"Kerrville changed my life completely. It's why I moved to Texas. It's why I have the friends I have. It's molded me in every way.
1978 New Folk winner Lindsay Haisley is perhaps best known for being an autoharpist extraordinaire, two words that don't seem to fit together until you hear him play.
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