James McMurtry sold-out show opens Spotlight Series

Jun. 6—Acclaimed singer-songwriter James McMurtry has some fond memories of McAlester — even though his sold-out show will be the first time he's ever performed in the city.

McMurtry recalls sometimes stopping in McAlester during various tours on his way to and from his Texas home and has a good reason for recalling one of his stops in the city.

He had finished his meal and headed back on the road when he realized he'd left a very important item behind at the restaurant. He immediately turned around and headed back to McAlester.

"I left a tour book behind with about $3,000 in there, in a zipper folder," McMurty said.

What did he find when he returned to the restaurant?

McMurtry said the workers had the folder behind the counter awaiting his return, with all of the money intact. Alas, it's been too many years for him to remember the restaurant's name, but he's ready to come back.

The Dancing Rabbit Music Festival is opening its special Spotlight Series music shows with McMurtry's sold-out performance.

"We sold our last ticket this morning," said Dancing Rabbit Music Festival Association President Blake Lynch on Monday. The show is set for Tuesday, June 7, at the Downtown 312 venue at 312 E. Choctaw Ave. Austin, Texas singer-songwriter Betty Soo is set to open the show at 7 p.m., followed by a performance by McMurtry and his band.

"We're excited because this is our first ticketed event," said Dancing Rabbit Music Association President Blake Lynch. All of the other Dancing Rabbit Music Association shows have been presented as outdoor free concerts.

"It's hard to imagine a venue selling out on a Tuesday night in McAlester," Lynch said. "It's a testament to the machine we've built," he said, referring to the Dancing Rabbit Music Association series of concerts, which is set to continue with another outdoor show June 11 featuring Stroke 9, Josie Dunne and Flobots.

For now, Lynch and other ticket-holders are looking forward to McMurtry's Tuesday night performance.

One of McMurtry's most well-known songs is "Choctaw Bingo" — and if he performs it Tuesday night, he will do so at a venue on Choctaw Avenue — an irony that hasn't been lost on some local fans.

While McMurtry has never before performed the song in McAlester, one of his close friends who covered it has — Ray Wiley Hubbard, probably best-known in Oklahoma for the song "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother," which was covered to great effect by Jerry Jeff Walker.

So how did Ray Wiley Hubbard say his version of McMurtry's "Choctaw Bingo" was received by the local fans?

"He said it's the closest thing to a Beatles' moment he ever had," said McMurtry.

"Choctaw Bingo" doesn't directly mention McAlester, but it does mention some other sites along U.S. Highway 69, including Tushka, in Atoka County, as well as Lake Eufaula. McMurtry, who lives in Texas, said he's familiar with the highway.

"There was a while where it seemed every tour started or ended on 69, just not in Oklahoma," he said.

McMurty's bringing his band with him for the McAlester show, including musicians Daren Hess, Cornbread and Tim Holt. McMurtry is humble about his own guitar-playing skills, but' he's been highly effective at accompanying himself on solo tours, utilizing a powerful finger-picking style when the song calls for it.

"I can play alright for a songwriter," he said.

McMurty is touring behind his 2021 album "The Horses and the Hounds" on New West Records. The album's opening track, "Canola Fields," is nominated by the Americana Music Association for Song of the Year award, with the awards ceremony set for Sept. 14 in Nashville. Others nominated include Sturgill Simpson for his song, "Juanita," a duet with Willie Nelson; Yola, for Diamond Studded Shoes; Allison Russell for "Persephone and Brandi Carlille for "Right On Time."

It's an award McMurtry has won before. His song "We Can't Make It Here," won the 2006 Americana Song of the Year Award and the album from which it was taken, "Childish Things," won the Americana Album of the Year award in 2006.

In addition to "Canola Fields," McMurtry's album "The Horses and the Hounds" includes a number of other vibrant cuts such as "If It Don't Bleed," "Vaquero," "Blackberry Winter" and the title track.

McMurtry said the music industry has changed a lot since he began his career.

"In the old days you toured to make record sales," he said. Now, most artists record to draw attention to their tours.

McMurty is the son of famed writer Larry McMurtry, the writer of novels such as "Lonesome Dove," "The Last Picture Show" and "Terms of Endearment," all of which were made into blockbuster movies. His mother, Josephine McMurtry, a Shakespeare professor, helped start him on his career path when he was still a kid by teaching him some basic guitar chords on a guitar he'd been given.

"It was a Gibson classical," McMurtry said. "I think she gave it to a church years later."

His father also played a role in his career. When John Mellencamp hired the elder McMurtry to write a screenplay for a movie, James McMurtry managed to get Mellencamp a tape of songs he'd written, with the hopes that Mellencamp might record them.

"That was my plan at the time," McMurtry said. "He said 'I don't want to cut your songs. Why don't you cut them and I'll produce them?"' That sounded good to McMurtry. The resulting album, McMurtry's debut "Too Long in the Wasteland," brought him critical acclaim and an array of fans.

While the resulting movie "Falling From Grace," did not prove a huge hit, the resulting soundtrack, featuring artists such as Mellencamp, Joe Ely, John Prine, Nanci Griffith and yes, James McMurtry, generated quite a buzz.

"John's a great producer," McMurtry said. Mellencamp's recording engineer at the time, Ross Hogarth, is the producer on "The Hounds and the Horses," sort of bringing the two full circle to working together again.

What can those attending McMurtry's McAlester show expect?

"It's a rock 'n' roll bar vibe," McMurtry said. He especially enjoys performing with his band.

"When you play solo, it's like a tennis game, hitting the ball back and forth," McMurtry said. "With a band, it's more like volleyball."

And what's he hoping to see in McAlester?

"I like to see the people move," McMurtry said. "I like the band shows better, because you get dancers."

Contact James Beaty at [email protected].