The long and winding history of The Flatlanders begins in the honky-tonks of West Texas. It was on those gritty stages that Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore watched guitarists like Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison create a sound that would bring country blues to rock and roll. These three longhairs came together as The Flatlanders and tripped the clock by playing rootsy rock and country tunes long before the genre had a name.
Their first album, recorded in Nashville in 1972, didn’t go far. The band broke up, but the three stayed tight throughout their soaring solo careers. The tapes of that ‘72 session got around, finally making it onto an album as “More Legend than a Band” in 1990.
Thirty years and another release later, The Flatlanders are together again. Now, they’re out with “Wheels of Fortune,” forging together blues, folk, and Western swing that carry on the legacy of the lonely troubadours of the past. From the sound of it, they’re enjoying each other’s company again.
Guests:
The Flatlanders: Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
