Hosted by the 11th Street Cowboy Bar, Texas Salt Company and the City of Bandera, a quaint ceremony honoring renowned Texas songwriter and entertainer Robert Earl Keen was conducted within a section of 11th Street to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his 1994 album, Gringo Honeymoon.
To memorialize the event, 11th Street Cowboy Bar was repainted and restored to the same white exterior with bluish gray trim colors that they were in 1994, depicting the same look on the Gringo Honeymoon album cover.
Steve Ray, Program Specialist from the Office of the Texas Governor’s Texas Music Office, recollected his purchase of Keen’s No Kinda Dancer album in 1984 and fond memories of attending Keen’s shows.
Afterwards, he read a letter from the Governor of Texas: “I’m proud to recognize this milestone alongside your fans, friends, and family. I applaud the impact that Gringo Honeymoon has made on Texas culture.
“A worldclass performer and songwriter, you’ve earned your rightful place as a Texas legend and connected with untold thousands in concert and on the airways. You’ve given so much to our state and I have full faith that your music will live on long after we are gone.
“Yours is a distinctly Texan brand of music-making and this beloved style is on full display in the iconic Gringo Honeymoon album. A true tour de force, Gringo Honeymoon has been hailed by fans and critics alike as a masterpiece – and the album has stood the test of time.
“As you commemorate the album’s 30th anniversary, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on the role you’ve played on this story that’s as big as Texas. The celebration in Bandera will no doubt be a time of great joy.
“As you reminisce with fans and recreate the classic album cover, know that Texas celebrates with you. First Lady Cecilia Abbott joins Governor Abbott in extending warmest wishes to you and yours. Signed Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas.”
Next, Josie Evans of Hyo Silver presented a handmade sterling silver belt buckle as a gift to Keen in celebration of the album commemoration.
She was followed by James Hernandez from the Chamber of Commerce, who presented a handmade metal sculpture of a guitar crafted by local artist Esther Benedict.
“She poured her heart and soul into crafting this special gift that we would like to now present to you,” he said. “Please accept this gift from the Bandera County Chamber of Commerce as a heartfelt welcome home from all of us here in Bandera.”
Mayor Rebecca Gibson spoke next, presenting Keen a branding iron in lieu of a key to the city. She then read a proclamation: “Whereas, the City of Bandera embraces both our historical and modern cultural legacies, today we gather to honor Robert Earl Keen on the 30th anniversary of this iconic album, Gringo Honeymoon; “Whereas, Gringo Honeymoon was Robert Earl Keen’s 4th album at that time, here 30 years later, he has now blessed us with 21 records of audible greatness; “Whereas in the mid-nineties and beyond, Robert Earl Keen contributed to the galvanization of Americana, a genre pleasing to find as a tapestry of roots-oriented sound incorporating threads of country, folk, blues, soul, bluegrass, gospel, and rock; “Whereas, true to his roots, native Texan Robert Earl Keen was and is a pioneer of Americana and he celebrates this art form through his creative music-making and through other collaborations like the Americana podcast, where he dedicates his energy to the sharing and exploring of the genre’s creatives; “Whereas, Robert Earl Keen’s time in Bandera, many feel a special connection to and pride for him, his music and success. Gringo Honeymoon’s album cover depicts an image of Robert holding his guitar looking over at an old friend, the late Domingo Arizola, fondly known as Mingo.
“Robert is sitting on a familiar bench on a familiar street in front of a familiar little juke joint in our beloved Bandera Texas.
Now therefore, I, Rebecca Gibson, Mayor of the City of Bandera, by virtue of the laws vested in me by the City of Bandera and by the State of Texas, do hereby recognize Robert Earl Keen as one of Texas’ finest singer songwriters by the City of Bandera.”
Lasty, Robert Earl Keen spoke to the audience, first reminiscing about the purchase of his home in Bandera: “Being in Bandera changed really everything for me, because, had I moved to say, Houston or Austin, I would have just been in that big stuff fray, but here in Bandera, like everybody knows, and like we talk about the laws here, this proclamation, you know, you can be pretty much who you want to be, and I got to be who I wanted to be here. I got to just write the songs that I wanted to write.”
Keen continued with a story about his friend Mariano Luna, whom he said he thought the world of.
“ So, I thought, I’m going to write this song about Mariano. I wrote that song and it was just this magical transition from like straining too hard to try and write hit songs in Nashville, trying to, you know, do the dance that they do, and I love Nashville by the way, but the fact was, I didn’t know how to work it.
“I didn’t know what to do. But when I got here, my mind just opened up and I just wrote what I wanted to write and from then on, I wrote what I wanted to write and what I knew about – and what I knew about was this town right here in Bandera Texas, the Cowboy Capital of the World.”
According to Keen’s publicist, most of Robert Earl Keen’s music was written in the Scriptorium, a limestone building with wooden doors on a hill at his ranch overlooking Bandera.
“So, it really was a turning point in my life and the people and the friends that I made here were always just so supportive and ya’ know, we were in that building right next to Mingo’s building and so when we made Gringo Honeymoon, I thought, well, let’s just go on with what I have.
“I’m writing songs about Bandera. Let’s just get some pictures of what it’s like here, so ya’ know I sat there on that little bench there and it’s just like a magical miracle that Mingo walks out on the street and starts singing and it was just this great moment in time and the person that was doing the pictures captured that and it was just one of my favorite all time albums, ‘cause it just came together and it had nothing to do with like a setting of a picture.
“It was just me sitting there, playing my guitar and Mingo coming out there and just signing in key, and whooaa, you know, that kind of thing. It was soo beautiful.”
Several locals came to the podium to recount their personal stories with or about Keen before owners of the 11th Street Cowboy Bar concluded the ceremony thanking everyone for attending.
Later, according to D Foster, one owner of the 11th Street Cowboy Bar, a reenactment of the photo of the Gringo Honeymoon album was taken with Robert Earl Keen and Mingo’s son standing in place for the late Mingo.
Foster told the Bulletin that the event was purposely done low key with no live music so that it could simply be all about honoring Robert.
