Tag Archives: robert-earl-keen

Robert Earl Keen was three songs into his headlining set at his Applause for the Cause benefit last Thursday night, as a crowd of 5,600 exhausted, sweaty, and fulfilled fans hung on his every word. They had been brought here through tragedy, but this was a night of healing at …

Robert Earl Keen has revealed a heavy-hitting lineup for his Aug. 28 benefit for central Texas flood relief. Tyler Childers will join Keen and his band to cap a day-long bill of artists including Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Jack Ingram, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cody Jinks, Ryan Bingham, and Randy Rogers …

In the wake of the deadly July 4 flooding in central Texas, a growing list of artists from the Texas music scene, as well as across country music, have pledged donations, launched campaigns, or arranged benefit concerts. On Wednesday evening, Robert Earl Keen announced on social media that he will …

The floods that brought destruction and heartbreak to the Texas Hill Country, and Kerr County in particular, since July 4 have rippled through the independent Texas music community. According to authorities, at least 111 people have died, with more than 170 still missing. Hardest hit was Camp Mystic for Girls, …

Robert Earl Keen has checked off quite a few milestones in his career —penning a Lone Star anthem, getting inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, writing one of country music’s most irreverent Christmas standards — but up until last week he’d somehow never performed at the Grand Ole …

Robert Earl Keen knew the question was coming, so he answered it without a prompt. “My primary purpose in life is not only writing some songs and playing guitar,” Keen says, “but the magical part is actually putting that music out there in the world, and getting to perform.” Keen …

For a writer who spent most of his career outside the limelight, the outpouring of public admiration in the wake of Cormac McCarthy’s death on June 13 at 89 testified to the power of his work. An obscure figure with a cultish following for much of his writing life, McCarthy …

Robert Earl Keen is late for this interview. But the Texas troubadour arrives with a valid excuse, one he’s used over the years, albeit truthfully — a guitar store caught his eye in transit and he just had to stop in to see what was on the racks. “This is …

Robert Earl Keen officially retired from touring in late 2022, but he’s still busy creating music. The Texas singer-songwriter will release his new album Western Chill via his own Scriptorium Rex label on April 14, with a whole batch of extra goodies to accompany it. The album’s title track is …

It is difficult to envision the moment playing out any other way. Robert Earl Keen, seated onstage at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas, had been playing for 3,000 people for nearly two-and-a-half hours. Only a single chorus remained between him and retirement after 41 years of playing shows. The …