Brian T. Atkinson

In his introduction, author Brian T. Atkinson calls singer-songwriter Todd Snider “a marvel and a mystery” who “creates at any cost.” Snider, originally hailing from the Portland, Oregon, area, arrived in Texas as a teen and was captured by the troubadour life while at a Jerry Jeff Walker show at venerable Gruene Hall in 1986. He honed his craft for the next three years at the feet of legendary muse and mentor Kent Finlay at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos. After moving to Nashville—or, more properly, East Nashville—around the turn of the twenty-first century, Snider has garnered a loyal following from regular fans to influential industry leaders like MCA Records executive Tony Brown, iconic producer Don Was, respected artists like Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Jason Isbell, and Hollywood heroes such as the late comedian Richard Lewis and notorious scenester Pamela Des Barres (I’m with the Band). His songs have been recorded and performed by artists as diverse as Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn, Elvis Costello, and Tom Jones. Atkinson interviewed Snider, members of his family, and other artists and musicians, to construct a narrative that captures the loopy kineticism of Snider’s career trajectory. He carefully peels back Snider’s barefoot hippie public persona to reveal the soulful poet and writer who “believes everything and nothing at the same time, yet has faith in himself, even when no one else does.” Atkinson’s latest book adds another layer to his already-impressive oeuvre on influential singer-songwriters by shifting focus onto younger musicians who were creatively formed by “first generation” artists like Townes Van Zandt and Mickey Newbury. East Nashville Skyline: The Songwriting Legacy of Todd Snider provides a pivotal chapter in this evolving story.

Nanci Griffith (1953–2021) remains, despite her untimely death, a “living, breathing, ever-present entity and inspiration.” According to author Brian T. Atkinson, reflections on Griffith’s omnipresent influence often cause people to shift “from past tense to present tense in mid-sentence.” She remains one of the most well-loved of Texas’ singer-songwriters with hits still popular today, such as “Gulf Coast Highway,” “Trouble in the Fields,” and “Love at the Five and Dime.” Atkinson has interviewed a host of songwriters and other artists from across the spectrum: from Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and Robert Earl Keen to Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz, “American Pie” songwriter Don McLean, and the London Symphony Orchestra’s Tom Norris. Gathering the recollections of those who performed with, listened to, and were impacted by the artistry of Nanci Griffith, Atkinson balances these with his own comments and reflections on Griffith’s legacy—including the demons she wrestled with that ultimately overcame her. Love at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith promises to be, as one reviewer has described it, “an indispensable source for anyone wanting to learn more about all things Nanci.” This book adds deep value to our understanding of the life and work of a vital Texas artist.

Billy Joe Shaver wrote ten of the eleven songs included on Waylon Jennings's landmark album Honky Tonk Heroes and played a dominant role in the origins and development of the Outlaw Country movement of the 1970s. He has been named by Ray Wylie Hubbard, alongside Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, as a member of the 'holy trinity' of Texas songwriters. He has exerted a Texas-sized influence on Texas music and especially Texas singer-songwriters, and is cited as a chief inspiration by at least two generations of artists. But although his influence has been profound, Shaver has the dubious honor of becoming, according to author Courtney S. Lennon, 'country music's unsung hero.'In Live Forever: The Songwriting Legacy of Billy Joe Shaver, Lennon seeks to give Shaver the recognition his prolific output deserves. She unfolds for readers the complexity and the simplicity of the artist who wrote the songs that Brian T. Atkinson, in his foreword, calls 'peaceful and pure, complex and convoluted, mad and merciful' - the musician who wrote 'You Just Can't Beat Jesus Christ' and 'That's What She Said Last Night,' 'Honky Tonk Heroes,' and 'Get Thee Behind Me Satan.' Based on in-depth interviews with Shaver and a host of notable singer-songwriters, this book reveals and celebrates the saint and the sinner, the earthy intellectual and the hard-drinking commoner, the poet and the cowboy.

“Transcendence came with a price,” Brian T. Atkinson writes in his introduction to this collection of reflections by and about pioneer psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson (1947–2019). The singer and songwriter who fronted the 13th Floor Elevators burst onto the Texas music scene in 1966 with the release of “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” the band’s only charting single, which featured Erickson’s primal vocal stylings. The band attracted considerable regional attention, including interest from a young Janis Joplin, who considered joining the group before opting to go to San Francisco instead.Through his interviews with those who were there and presentation of Erickson’s own words, Atkinson chronicles how Erickson was haunted for most of his life by mental illness, likely compounded by his liberal usage of hallucinogenic and other drugs. Despite that, however, his influence on Texas musicians of various genres is vast. As Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top attests in his foreword, “He stands alone to this day and is revered as an artist because he had the gift of a wonderful voice.”As with his previous books on Townes Van Zandt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Mickey Newbury, Atkinson has recorded hours of interviews with veteran and upcoming musicians who were impacted by Roky Erickson. Along with the insights of long-time music journalists like Joe Nick Patoski and the bittersweet recollections of friends and family members like Mikel Erickson, brother of the singer, this work includes poetry and lyrics written by Erickson during his confinement at Rusk State Hospital in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The picture that emerges is that of a brilliant, troubled mind and an artist whose influence extended far beyond the period of his greatest notoriety, continuing even beyond his death.

Mickey Newbury (1940-2002) grew up in Houston and moved to Nashville in the early 1960s, following his muse. He wrote top hits for many well-known artists, including Don Gibson, Andy Williams, Kenny Rogers, Tom Jones, and others. He is probably best known, however, for being name-checked in the song 'Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)' by Waylon Jennings. Newbury has been cited by Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, and many other eminent singer-songwriters as a primary influence.In his own independent fashion, Newbury helped to loosen the grip maintained for decades by the Nashville studio system, thus paving the way for later innovators like Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe, and others. He is still the only songwriter to produce hits on four different charts in the same year in 1968: 'Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition was In)' on the pop/rock charts, 'Sweet Memories' on easy listening, 'Time Is a Thief' on the R & B charts, and 'Here Comes the Rain, Baby' in country.Following the successful pattern established in his previous works on Townes Van Zandt and Ray Wylie Hubbard, veteran music journalist Brian T. Atkinson has interviewed artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Bobby Bare, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, and many others to learn how Newbury's influence continues to shape the musical and artistic approach of both seasoned and newer performers. Forewords by Larry Gatlin and Don McLean set the stage for a fascinating look back at one of the most revered songwriters and musicians of recent decades.

Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll declared, "Ray would be at the top of the list if I were gonna read about somebody's life." In The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard, author, journalist, and music producer Brian T. Atkinson demonstrates why Carll and so many others hold Ray Wylie Hubbard in such high regard. Atkinson takes readers into and beyond the seedy bar in Red River, New Mexico, where the incident occurred that inspired Hubbard's most famous song, "Redneck Mother." Hubbard tells the stories, and Atkinson enlists other musicians to expound on the nature of his abiding influence as songwriter, musician, and unflinching teller of uncomfortable truths. Featuring interviews with well-known artists such as Eric Church, Steve Earle, Kinky Friedman, Chris Robinson, and Jerry Jeff Walker, and also mining the insights of up-and-comers such as Elizabeth Cook, Jaren Johnston, Ben Kweller, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Paul Thorn, The Messenger makes clear why so many musicians across a wide spectrum admire Ray Wylie Hubbard. Readers will also learn why "Redneck Mother," the song that put Hubbard on the map for most listeners, is also a curse, of sorts, in its diminution of both his spiritual depth as a lyricist and his multidimensional musical reach. As Hubbard himself says, "The song probably should have never been written, let alone recorded, let alone recorded again.. . . the most important part of songwriting is right after you write a song, ask yourself, "Can I sing this for twenty-five years?'" Atkinson's work makes a convincing case that Ray Wylie Hubbard's truest and most lasting contributions will long outlive him. And, with a couple of good breaks, they may even outlive "Redneck Mother.

The writer of such influential songs as Pancho and Lefty, To Live’s to Fly, If I Needed You, and For the Sake of the Song, Townes Van Zandt exerted an influence on at least two generations of Texas musicians that belies his relatively brief, deeply troubled life. Indeed, Van Zandt has influenced millions worldwide in the years since his death, and his impact is growing rapidly. Respected singer/songwriter John Gorka speaks for many when he says, ""Pancho and Lefty changed—it unchained—my idea of what a song could be.” In this tightly woven, intelligently written book, Brian T. Atkinson interviews both well-known musicians and up-and-coming artists to reveal, in the performers’ own words, how their creative careers have been shaped by the life and work of Townes Van Zandt. Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, and Lyle Lovett are just a few of the established musicians who share their impressions of the breathtakingly beautiful tunes and lyrics he created, along with their humorous, poignant, painful, and indelible memories of witnessing Van Zandt’s rise and fall. Atkinson balances the reminiscences of seasoned veterans with the observations of relative newcomers to the international music scene, such as Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Josh Ritter, and Scott Avett (the Avett Brothers), presenting a nuanced view of Van Zandt’s singular body of work, his reckless lifestyle, and his long-lasting influence. Forewords by “Cowboy” Jack Clement and longtime Van Zandt manager and friend Harold F. Eggers Jr. open the book, and each chapter begins with an introduction in which Atkinson provides context and background, linking each interviewee to Van Zandt’s legacy. Historians, students, and fans of all music from country and folk to rock and grunge will find new insights and recall familiar pleasures as they read I’ll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt.