While Texas’ scenic Hill Country has no shortage of quaint old burgs, the tiny settlement of Luckenbach holds a special place in the collective imagination. Situated near the popular wine trail hub of Fredericksburg, this unincorporated community is today a smattering of old clapboard buildings on a sweeping dirt lot. It more closely resembles a ghost town than a cultural wellspring. It was, however, made famous through the 1977 Waylon Jennings song, “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love).”
Though Jennings had actually never set foot in Luckenbach before recording this No. 1 country hit, he succeeded in making the rural hamlet famous. Since then, the community has become a center for American roots music. Luckenbach hosts concerts, dances, and informal jams seven days a week, all of which draw musicians and both deep country music fans and casual spectators alike to this singular piece of Texas heritage.
This status as a mini-country music mecca has birthed a very exciting home-grown music community. The history, rustic atmosphere, and friendly, laid-back attitude that Luckenbach is famous for — its motto is “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach” — has cultivated a scene where people from around Texas and beyond come to explore the musical traditions of Americana.
How this hardscrabble German settlement turned into a music hub
Luckenbach, Texas, was founded by immigrant German farmers in 1850, and for years it operated as an otherwise obscure outpost that was home to a general store, post office, saloon, and dance hall. In 1970, the whole town went up for sale and was purchased by legendary Texas eccentric and writer John Russell “Hondo” Crouch for $30,000. Crouch’s idea was to preserve Luckenback’ singular charm while also making it a haven for country music…