'As a reporter for the Record, I get to go to a lot of really cool, interesting places and events and meet some amazing people. So there are many work memories I will cherish from 2023. However, visiting the ¡Viva Terlingua! exhibit with two of the band members from Jerry Jeff Walker and the Lost Gonzo Band, bass player Bob Livingston and guitarist Craig Hillis, and the Wittliff Collections Texas Music Curator Hector Saldana has to be one of my top moments.
As you’ll surmise from reading the article, the main feature is the background music, which is a previously recorded live performance of the ¡Viva Terlingua! session that was unreleased and had been lost in time. The musicians had not heard the recording in approximately 50 years, and they lit up when they heard the track and saw all of the old band memorabilia beautifully displayed at Texas State University.
My favorite part was definitely when Livingston took to his old piano to play us some tunes. It was awesome to listen to two old outlaw country musicians tell stories of what it was like back in the day when women would streak across the stage naked at their shows. It seemed to be quite a party and good fun all around. I also received a nice thank you letter from Saldana; I always appreciate kind words about my articles, if you ever feel so inclined. That moment, perusing the exhibit, with the musicians featured in it, is one of the reasons I am thankful for this year.
