The Age of Outlaws and Desperadoes

After several weeks of asides in his blog, my cyber-friend, Bobby Jameson, picked up the story of his musical odyssey. His post speaks of working with Ben Benay and a group of musicians he gathered to cut four songs. This song, “Outlaw,” is the first of those four.

The following comment on his song focuses on the historical context and ends with a song that I wrote early in that time period:

This is a great video for a very fine song. The arrangement, the vocals, the recording are all outstanding. People who didn't live through it (and even many who did) may not remember the "outlaw" craze.

On the one hand was the late sixties, Texas-based, anti-Nashville country music of "cosmic cowboys" Michael Martin Murphey and Jerry Jeff Walker (both of whom were backed by The Lost Gonzos) followed by "The Highwaymen," a group comprised of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash. A compilation album of Willie, Waylon, Jesse Colter and Tompall Glaser called “Wanted: The Outlaws,” was the first country album to go platinum. Lee Clayton's song, "Ladies Love Outlaws," was a huge hit for Waylon and was also introduced to the folk/rock world by Tom Rush. Willie’s “Red-Headed Stranger,” from 1975, continued the cowboy/outlaw mythos. Ed Bruce’s “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” was also a major hit for Willie. A fairly successful country-rock group out of Florida called themselves The Outlaws (they are still performing).

At about the same time (1973) on the west coast, The Eagles released their “outlaw” concept album, Desperado, which included such songs as “Desperado,” “Outlaw Man,” “Doolin-Dalton,” and “Tequila Sunrise.” Their outlaw photo showed the Eagles and their buddies (and co-creators of the laid-back Southern California folk/country/rock sound) John David Souther and Jackson Browne.

Lest one assume that the cowboy/outlaw phenomenon was short-lived, it was over a decade after the “cosmic cowboys” hit the scene that the movie, Urban Cowboy, was released in 1980, around the same time that Bobby cut this song. His song captures that metaphorical image of the “contemporary cowboy/outlaw/musician” roaming the streets of a cutthroat town trying to find his way while knowing that he “can’t go home again.” This song has both a universal and a personal, autobiographical meaning.

It’s been a while since I have written one of these lengthy, analytical comments, but it feels pretty good (This one seems likely to make it onto my blog as well [obviously, it did!]).

I will end it with the lyrics to my own song, “Everybody’s Desperado,” written in 1973.

Everybody’s Desperado

Everybody’s singing “Desperado.”

Everybody’s thinking “Outlaw Son.”

Ridin’ rodeo—

Real Wild West Show—

Thinkin’ ’bout a life out on the run...

Dreamin’ ’bout a life out on the run...

Modern day cowboy

Got your boots on your feet

Your hat in your hand

And a hot dusty street

You’re lookin’...

You’re lookin’ for something

You ain’t about to meet

You can stand and stare into the setting sun

Dreamin’ ’bout a life out on the run...

You want to run, run, run, run, run...

Everybody’s singing “Desperado.”

Everybody’s thinking “Outlaw Son.”

Ridin’ rodeo—

Real Wild West Show—

Thinkin’ ’bout a life out on the run...

Dreamin’ ’bout a life out on the run...

Modern day cowboy

Got your boots on your feet

Your hat in your hand

And a hot dusty street

You’re lookin’...

You’re lookin’ for something

You ain’t about to meet

You can stand and stare into the setting sun

Dreamin’ ’bout a life out on the run...

You want to run, run, run, run, run...

But it’s already been done!

©1973 Tim McMullen All Rights Reserved