Gary P. Nunn eager for return to South Plains with show at Lubbock's Cactus
Gary P. Nunn is returning to his South Plains roots, performing a show filled with his classic hits and tunes from friends throughout his music career at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Cactus Theater in Lubbock's Depot Entertainment District.
Nunn, who was raised in Brownfield and attended Texas Tech back in the '60s, told the Avalanche-Journal that he's eager to be back on stage in his old stomping grounds.
Now 76, Nunn looks back fondly on his time in the Lubbock-area music scene, recalling playing with the likes of other Lubbock and South Plains legends, including producer-musician Don Caldwell and late Crickets drummer J.I. Allison, among many others.
He said he's enjoyed his many times playing at the Cactus, which he called a "cool and classic local Texas theater."
This will be his first time performing back in Lubbock since the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said stifled touring for quite a while. But, he said, he's glad to see audiences getting back closer to a semblance of normalcy.
Nunn said those in attendance at Thursday evening's show can expect to hear a lot of his old favorites, including his signature Texas country song, "London Homesick Blues."
"I have my list of tunes that everybody comes to hear and they get upset with me if I don't do those," Nunn said with a chuckle. "It brings me a sense of nostalgia, playing some Michael Martin Murphy and Jerry Jeff Walker tunes toward the end of the set. It takes me back to hear those songs."
Tickets for this show are: Pre-show Meet & Greet VIP*, first two rows (rows A-B), $50; next five rows on floor (rows C-G), $35; last five rows on floor (rows H-M), $30; standard balcony, $25; and box seats (include concessions), $70.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Gary P. Nunn in brief
As a founding father of the progressive country music scene in Austin in the 1970s, Nunn helped change the face of popular Texas music.
With a career spanning half a century – and no plans for stopping any time soon - Nunn, 76, is a proud ambassador for the state of Texas, singing about his love of everything Texas in dance halls around the state and on concert stages around the world. His gifts as a prolific songwriter and performer have established Nunn as an icon of Lone Star music and earned him the respect of his peers and the admiration of countless country music fans worldwide.
“London Homesick Blues” was a breakout hit on Jerry Jeff Walker’s landmark ?Viva Terlingua! album, selling over one million copies, became an anthem for the state of Texas with its internationally known “I wanna go home with the Armadillo” chorus, and was the theme for the PBS concert TV show “Austin City Limits” for nearly three decades.
Nunn's latest CD, "Friends For Life", is a collection of duets featuring new versions of 12 of his songs by an all-star lineup by some of Texas’ most loved artists including Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Cody Johnson, Kevin Fowler, Bruce Robison, Wade Bowen, Cory Morrow, Cody Canada, Roger Creager, Kimmie Rhodes, Dale Watson, Sunny Sweeney and Red Steagall.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Gary P. Nunn eager for return to South Plains with show at Lubbock's Cactus
