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Featured News Taping Recap

Ruthie Foster gives ACL a glorious infusion of soul

photo by Scott Newton

It’s no surprise Austin singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster has an album in her catalog titled The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster. Anyone who’s heard her sing, listened to her songs, or watched her lead a band, has no doubt of the veracity of that title. We here at Austin City Limits have known how phenomenal she is since her 2003 debut on the show, so we were thrilled to welcome her back for her second knockout taping, which included new songs from an upcoming 2021 album and Foster classics. 

“I know we’ve been dealing with some tough times, so I wanted to start with this song,” Foster noted, opening with a new track, “Four a.m.,” a folky ode to late-night composition featuring keyboardist/mandolinist Scottie Miller on counterpoint vocals. Foster introduced viewers to “Pearl,” her minty green Gretsch guitar, and welcomed a powerhouse trio of backing vocalists to the stage, Sheree Smith, Tamara Mack and Torri Baker, for “Brand New Day,” a funky, gospel-flavored number that would shine a light in any dark world. Foster and company then shifted directly to gospel, specifically a joyful take on “Up Above My Head,” a classic from one of her early influences, the pioneering singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. “I really do believe there’s a heaven,” she sang, making a believer out of everyone. Foster continued demonstrating how to make a song her own with a surprising seventies soul ballad rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” She then put down Pearl and led the band into the empowerment anthem “Phenomenal Woman,” showcasing both her powerhouse vocal chops and her confident joy. 

After that showstopper, it was time to magnify the mood with “Singing the Blues,” a groovy R&B song co-written with Stax soul legend William Bell. “Feels like Freedom” followed, another anthem that Foster borrowed from the catalog of an unnamed singer/songwriter after first hearing it. The easygoing soul/pop tune “Love is the Answer” came from a source closer to home: her bassist Larry Fulcher, who revealed he wrote it in a dream. Foster and her ace four-piece band – which also included guitarist Haddon Sayers and famous Austin session drummer Brannen Temple – then dipped into the catalog of the mighty Staples Singers for “The Ghetto,” a gorgeous, piercing bit of social commentary. While that song brooded, however, “Healing Time” – co-composed by Foster, Sayers and Miller – celebrated, bringing an upbeat soul groove to its message of positivity and healing. “I feel that one,” smiled Foster. “Y’all feel that one?” 

“I want to send more healing vibes to you and your families,” Foster said, addressing everyone watching the live stream around the world. That meant the rousing  “Woke Up This Morning,” a socially conscious soul/gospel number that raised the roof with more good vibes that seemed to surprise Foster herself. “Somebody opened the door and let Hallelujah in the house!” She then asserted, “Let’s go down to Mississippi for a while,” bringing the blues into the house with the raw, earthy “Runaway Soul.” Miller and Sayers both contributed superlative solos, the backup singers took everyone to church, and Foster outdid herself with a vocal performance that would make the dead rise and give thanks. It was a magnificent end to a wonderful show, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs next January as part of our Season 46 on your local PBS station. 

photos by Scott Newton
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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News Uncategorized

ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits celebrates 50 years of western swing legends Asleep at the Wheel as the two Austin music institutions team up for an hour-long retrospective. ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel offers a fascinating look at the Texas swing outfit’s evolution from the 1970s to the present via highlights from their many appearances on the ACL stage. The new installment premieres October 31 at 8pm CT/9pm ET on PBS. With live music still on pause, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. The series airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.

From the ever-changing cast of characters that make up Asleep at the Wheel, the 6’7” larger-than-life bandleader Ray Benson has been the one constant since the band’s inception in 1970. The ten-time Grammy Award-winners have released 31 albums and charted more than 20 singles on the country charts. Asleep at the Wheel has kept the western swing flame burning for five decades, and the revivalists are the chief practitioners, conspirators and caretakers of the genre, carrying the traditions well into the 21st century, reaching both their contemporaries and inspiring a new generation of artists. 

Inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2015, Asleep at the Wheel and Austin City Limits go way back, beginning with the program’s first official episode in 1976 (following Willie Nelson’s 1974 pilot episode). Their 11 iconic appearances are highlighted by classic and latter-day collaborations with special guests including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Johnny Gimble, Vince Gill and The Avett Brothers. The Wheel has woven a 50-year thread through Texas and American music history, and Austin City Limits has played a key role in documenting their remarkable run. The entertaining hour showcases the band’s rollicking journey through the decades ranging from their ‘76 performance of “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read,” to “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” from 2015. Willie Nelson joins the band for multiple performances, including a 2009 appearance billed as Willie & The Wheel, singing the classics “Hesitation Blues” and “Pancho & Lefty” alongside the band’s stellar line-up of musicians. A highlight is a rarely-seen performance featuring Willie, Freddy Powers, and Johnny Gimble on the Tin Pan Alley standard “After You’ve Gone” from a 1981 pledge special, Swingin’ Over the Rainbow. ACL opens up the original Studio 6A for Texas two-stepping during a vintage 1988 performance of the crowd pleaser “Boogie Back to Texas.” The late Texas Playboys’ singer Leon Rausch (then 88-years-old) joins the band for a show-stopping “Milk Cow Blues” during a 2015 outing. A few classic songs performed multiple times over the years, including “Take Me Back to Tulsa” and “Miles and Miles of Texas” are showcased in a compilation of the different performances. 

In a recorded introduction to the special, fearless leader and founder Ray Benson remarks: “Forty-five years ago our band appeared on a newly formed show highlighting the Austin music scene called Austin City Limits…this was our introduction to the world.” “It was the beginning of what they would call the cosmic cowboy or outlaw music scene here in Austin where hippies and cowboys came together for some really amazing music. As we celebrate Asleep at the Wheel’s 50th Anniversary we thought it was appropriate to take a look back.”

ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel setlist:

“The Letter That Johnny Walker Read” – 1976

“Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” – 1978

“Get Your Kicks on Route 66” – 1996 

“Roly Poly” ft. The Texas Playboys – 1993

“Hesitation Blues” ft. Willie Nelson – 2009

“Nothing Takes The Place of You” – 1976

“Blues for Dixie” ft. Lyle Lovett – 2015 ACL Hall of Fame 

“Let Me Go Home Whiskey” – 1976

“After You’ve Gone” ft. Willie Nelson, Freddy Powers, and Johnny Gimble – 1981

“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love ”- 2015

“Boogie Back to Texas” – 1988 

“Milk Cow Blues” – 2015

“Miles and Miles of Texas” – 1996, 2002, and 1980

“Choo Choo Boogie” – 1978, 1988, and 1996

“Pancho and Lefty” ft. Willie Nelson – 2009

“Take Me Back to Tulsa” ft. The Avett Brothers and Vince Gill – 1996, 2015, 1978, and 1976

“Cotton Eyed Joe” – 1980

Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding Season 46 live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. . Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

About ACL Presents:

ACL Presents is music programming created by, or in association with, Austin PBS, KLRU-TV, the producers of Austin City Limits (ACL). ACL Presents programming includes television specials, live events, web series and recorded music presentations and is made in the spirit and standards of the legendary PBS series Austin City Limits, the longest-running live music series in television history. ACL Presents collaborations have included:  Americana Music Festival with the Americana Music Association and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with KQED.

About Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.

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Featured Live Stream News Taping Announcement

ACL announces live stream and date change for The War And Treaty

photo by David McClister

Austin City Limits is delighted to remind fans that we will be streaming the highly-anticipated debut taping with Nashville’s The War And Treaty live. This show has also moved from its original date to November 10 at 8 p.m. The taping will stream here. 

Since forming in 2014, dynamic duo The War And Treaty have won critical acclaim and amassed a following as eclectic as their sound itself, a bluesy but joyful fusion of Southern soul, gospel, country, and rock-and-roll. Known for a live show nearly revival-like in intensity, the husband-and-wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter endlessly create an exhilarating exchange of energy with their audience, a dynamic they’ve brought to the stage in opening for the legendary Al Green, touring with the likes of Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell and taking the stage at the 2020 Grammy Awards earlier this year, performing alongside icons like Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Gary Clark Jr., and Common.

So when it came time to choose a title for their recently released sophomore album, The War And Treaty quickly landed on Hearts Town—the couple’s affectionate nickname for their ardently devoted fanbase. “Hearts Town is a neighborhood strictly made up of people who all share the same kind of heart: hearts that love, hearts that heal, hearts that don’t see division,” says Michael. “There’s all different types of people within that neighborhood, but they’re still somehow all working together—which is exactly the kind of town we want to live in.” Their full-length debut for Rounder Records, Hearts Town arrives as the follow-up to 2018’s Healing Tide, a widely acclaimed effort that saw The War And Treaty named 2019’s Emerging Act of the Year by the Americana Music Association. 

While the new album unfailingly harnesses the thrilling vitality of their live set, each song spotlights The War And Treaty’s heart-on-sleeve storytelling and poetic simplicity with greater impact than ever before. The War And Treaty drive home their impassioned plea for unity in times of division. “We were seeing so much anger in the world as we were making this album, so we wanted to give people something that told them, ‘Stop looking for the next Dr. King or Malcolm or Mother Teresa, and start looking for the first you,’” says Michael. “Right now a lot of people are feeling so deeply engulfed in pain and surrounded by negativity, and sometimes you just need to hear that you’re good,” says Tanya. “That’s the whole idea behind Hearts Town: no one’s trying to change what you think or how you talk or anything else about you. You’re just fine the way you are.” We’re proud to welcome The War and Treaty to the ACL stage.

Join us here on November 10 at 8 p.m. CT for this debut taping by The War And Treaty. The broadcast episode will air early next year as part of our upcoming Season 46, on PBS.

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Featured News

R.I.P. Billy Joe Shaver

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits is devastated to learn of the death of singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, one of the pioneers of the outlaw country movement. He died Wednesday Oct. 28 in the hospital in Waco following a stroke. He was 81. 

Nobody wrote songs about hard living and redemption like Billy Joe Shaver. Whether he was talking about falling off the wagon or getting back on, the Corsicana, Texas native’s plainspoken eloquence found the beauty in the rough times, and expressed it with optimism for the future. On his classic, much-covered tunes like “Georgia On a Fast Train” and “I’m Just An Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday),” Shaver didn’t wallow in the seamier side of life – he understood that the bad times were as important a part of the journey as the good ones, and never gave up on hope, love, or joy. Though he mystifyingly never enjoyed the same level of fame as his contemporaries Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson or John Prine, he was admired, respected and loved by them all. Indeed, Jennings brought Shaver to prominence by filling his classic 1973 LP Honky Tonk Heroes with the troubadour’s songs. 

Billy Joe Shaver on Austin City Limits, 1985

“A writer once said that Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver were ‘the first of the last real cowboys,’” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Billy Joe added the heart and soul and grit and edge that made so-called outlaw country music real. He lived the life he wrote about, and we’re proud to have showcased his music four times over the years.”

As Shaver put it in one of his most famous songs, “I’m gonna live forever.” Perhaps not in body, but most definitely in body of work. Rest in peace, Billy Joe – you were definitely a diamond. 

Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver on Austin City Limits, 1997
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Featured Live Stream News Taping Announcement

ACL to live stream Ruthie Foster on 11/1/2020

photo by Ricardo Piccirillo

Austin City Limits is excited to announce we will live stream the upcoming taping of Austin’s own powerhouse singer and songwriter Ruthie Foster on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. CT. ACL offers fans a unique opportunity to watch Foster’s ACL taping live in its entirety from the safety of their homes and screens at this location. ACL has taped before a live audience for its entire 45-year history, but recently resumed tapings with the first-ever no audience tapings in the history of the program; Foster’s performance will also be taped without an audience. 

In the tight-knit musical community of Austin, Texas, it’s tough to get away with posturing. You either bring it, or you don’t. If you do, word gets around. And one day, you find yourself duetting with Bonnie Raitt, or standing onstage with the Allman Brothers at New York’s Beacon Theater and trading verses with Susan Tedeschi. You might even wind up getting nominated for a Best Blues Album Grammy — three times in a row. And those nominations would be in addition to your seven Blues Music Awards, three Austin Music Awards, the Grand Prix du Disque award from the Académie Charles-Cros in France, a Living Blues Critics’ Award for Female Blues Artist of the Year, and the title of an “inspiring American Artist” as a 2018 United States Artists Fellow.

There’s only one Austinite with that résumé: Ruthie Foster. Drawing influence from legendary acts like Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin, Foster developed a unique sound unable to be contained within a single genre. That uniqueness echoes a common theme in Ruthie’s life and career – marching to the beat of her own drum. Ruthie’s latest album Live at the Paramount, swings back to the days (and nights) when Lady Ella sang Ellington and Sinatra blasted off with Count Basie and Quincy Jones. Ruthie refers to her live shows as “hallelujah time,” and we are thrilled to welcome her back to the ACL stage for her first headlining appearance since her 2003 debut. 

Join us here on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. CT for this performance by Ruthie Foster. The broadcast episode will air early next year as part of our upcoming Season 46, on PBS.

Categories
Featured News

R.I.P. Jerry Jeff Walker

from Episode #113, 1976

Austin City Limits is saddened to learn of the death of Austin musical mainstay Jerry Jeff Walker, following complications of throat cancer. He was 78. 

To call Jerry Jeff Walker important to the Austin music scene is to nearly damn him with faint praise. Flush with royalties from the success of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1971 cover of his song “Mr. Bojangles,” the New Yorker moved to Austin in 1971, beating both Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel to the punch. The former Ronald Crosby proceeded to catalyze the progressive country movement, a homegrown scene in clubs like Soap Creek Saloon and Armadillo World Headquarters that helped launch what we now call Austin music. Along with Michael Martin Murphey, B.W. Stevenson, Rusty Wier, Steven Fromholz, and other so-called cosmic cowboys, Walker pioneered a style of singing and songwriting that flavored its country with folk introspection and rock & roll energy, influencing everything from outlaw country to the Red Dirt music scene along the way. On albums like 1973’s Jerry Jeff Walker and ¡Viva Terlingua! and hits like “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” (written by Ray Wylie Hubbard but made famous by Jerry Jeff), Walker and his pals used their rowdy yet laid back sound to bring together both sides of the Texas cultural divide, with hippies and rednecks, liberals and conservatives, finding common ground by virtue of their love for good tunes, good beer, and a good party. 

Naturally, Walker is one of the artists featured in The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, the late Jan Reid’s 1974 overview of Austin’s rising music scene. (Note: longtime ACL photographer Scott Newton provided the photos for the 2004 edition of the book after original photographer Melinda Wickman’s archives were lost.) That tome was a key inspiration in the early years of Austin City Limits, so naturally Walker was invited to appear on the program. He first appeared with his running buddies the Lost Gonzo Band during the 1976 debut season, in an episode that debuted the future ACL theme song “London Homesick Blues,” which first appeared on ¡Viva Terlingua! Walker came back to the stage in 1980, 1986, as part of the Austin City Limits reunion special featuring the cosmic cowboys from the early seasons, and 1988, a memorable show featuring a string section. Every show proved to a national audience what we here in Austin already knew: that Jerry Jeff Walker was, in his own words, “Contrary to Ordinary.” Our collective hat is off to you, Jerry Jeff – Austin music would not have been the same without you. 

Jerry Jeff Walker and the Lost Gonzo Band backstage at Austin City Limits, 1976