Even though we didn’t know months ago who Terry Allen was, I decided to follow Forrest Gump’s mom’s philosophy of “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get,” and purchase tickets for his performance in Galveston anyway, trusting serendipity one more time.
Terry Allen on Stage
We are early – almost forty minutes early. So, sitting in our favorite seats at the venerable 1894 Grand Opera House in Galveston, we wait patiently for Terry Allen to take the stage – and still, we wonder – who is Terry Allen?
However, we are apparently the only two people at The Grand who haven’t heard of him because when Terry Allen takes the stage, the audience goes wild – clapping, yelling, hoots, hollers, and whistles bounce off these historic walls.
It seems to be a family affair because his wife is on stage with him. So is his son, who stands between his mom and his dad, playing a bright red accordion. Along with his son, Allen is also accompanied by a drummer and a fiddle player – who occasionally picks up a mandolin. Terry Allen’s fingers dance across a keyboard while singing his songs.
I love singer-songwriters for the stories they tell, and Terry Allen has stories. After his wife sets the stage for the music to come, Terry Allen tells the story of how the song came to be, and then he sings his story. I love his music. His songs. I love his stories.
One of his songs is about a boy in West Texas in the dark of night racing down a deserted highway as he listens to the Wolfman of Del Rio on the radio.
“Well, he took his first release on a highway
In a 1953 green Chevrolet
And he’s carrying an awful load for just a fifteen-year-old
‘Til he laid his mind on the center line and turned up a radio
Going a hundred miles an hour down the blue asphalt-um line
Listening to the wolf man of Del Rio…”The Wolfman of Del Rio, Terry Allen 1979
Immediately, I want to ask Michael if he knows about the Wolfman, but I decide to wait until intermission because there is no time for a history lesson. I want to hear the music. The words. The songs. And the songs and stories are the tales of Terry Allen’s life. Family. Friends. War. Escape. All peppered liberally with his imagination.
“Don’t Tell Me You Haven’t Heard of Wolfman Jack!”
Michael is horrified that I haven’t heard of Wolfman Jack. I must live under a rock because “He was the most famous DJ of all time!” He tells me that he was called Wolfman because he howled on his late-night broadcasts originating from across the Texas border in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. Michael’s horror at my lack of knowledge doesn’t jog my memory in the least. I make a mental note to look up Wolfman Jack and Terry Allen when I am back in front of my computer, determined to educate myself.
Terry Allen is back on stage, sans wife, but with the band. The rest of the evening is pure music, but his songs are his stories, and I listen closely so I don’t miss a thing. At the end of the second set, there is a standing ovation, and the clapping is loud and continuous. I am more than happy I took a chance, bought tickets, and that we are part of this evening. It’s been great!
Terry Allen
Back in our winter rental, I sit in front of my computer, and what I read about Terry Allen blows my mind. If anyone can be called a Renaissance man of his time, it is this man.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, he grew up in Lubbock and left Texas when he was nineteen, telling his friends he had to leave to save his life. He has been a professor and is an artist in every sense of the word. Painter. Sculptor. Singer. Instrumentalist. Storyteller. His art is displayed in major museums in the US and France.
His music is considered outlaw country, which is another term I had never heard of, but I discover it is the type of country music, originating in the 70s, that I love. Outlaw country musicians were known for their rebellious attitude and stripped-down sound that emphasized authenticity and storytelling: Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Chris Kristofferson, to name only three. And he is going to be 82 years old in 2025.
To find out more about Terry Allen, and the 1894 Galveston Grand Opera House, click on the following links.
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