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George "Butch" Hancock, raised in the dusty plains of Texas, is one of the
most significant singer-songwriters from Lubbock.
Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmy Gilmore formed the Flatlanders
in 1970, and recorded One Road More (Plantation, 1972), reissued as
More A Legend Than A Band (Rounder, 1990).
Influenced by Woody Guthrie, Butch Hancock set out to compose, produce and
distribute his own solo records of bleak acoustic ballads.
His first three albums,
West Texas Waltzes & Dust-Blown Tractor Tunes (Rainlight, 1978),
that contains West Texas Waltz,
the double album The Wind's Dominion (Rainlight, 1979), that contains the
10-minute Dylan-ian ramble Only Born,
and Diamond Hill (Rainlight, 1980) are classics in that vein,
although there is little variation among them.
Hancock's gift as a songwriter is mainly on display on other musicians'
albums. Among his most poignant compositions are
If You Were A Bluebird (1977),
Tennessee is Not the State I'm In (1977),
She Never Spoke Spanish To Me (1977),
Suckin' A Big Bottle Of Gin (1977),
Boxcars (1978),
Standin' At The Big Hotel (1979),
Fools Fall In Love (1979), Down On The Drag (1979).
The twin albums
1981 A Space Odyssey (Rainlight, 1981) and
Firewater (Rainlight, 1981) were recorded at the same session.
Other than a few collaborations, Hancock did not record much new material
during the 1980s: just Cause Of The Cactus (Rainlight, 1987).
Own & Own (Demon, 1988 - Sugar Hill, 1989) and
Own The Way Over Here (Sugar Hill, 1993) are anthologies with rarities.
In the 1990s he opted for a more commercial sound with
Eats Away The Night (Sugar Hill, 1995) and
You Coulda Walked Around The World (Rainlight, 1997).
Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmy Gilmore reformed the Flatlanders for
Hills And Valleys (2009).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Pierfrancesco Zanata)
George "Butch" Hancock, cresciuto nelle polverose pianure del Texas, è uno dei più importanti cantautori di Lubbcok. Hancock, Joe Ely e Jimmy Gilmore fondarono i Flatlanders nel 1970 e registrarono One Road More (Plantation, 1972), ristampato con il titolo More A Legend Than A Band (Rounder, 1990).
Influenzato da Woody Guthrie, Butch Hancock uscì dalla band per comporre, produrre e distribuire i suoi dischi solisti di spoglie ballate acustiche. I suoi primi tre album, West Texas Waltzes & Dust-Blown Tractor Tunes (Rainlight, 1978), contenente West Texas Waltz, il doppio The Wind's Dominion (Rainlight, 1979), contenente lo sproloquio dylaniano di 10 minuti Only Born, e Diamond Hill (Rainlight, 1980) sono classici del genere, anche se con poca differenza tra di essi. Il talento di Hancock come cantautore è mostrato perlopiù in album di altri musicisti. Tra i suoi brani più intensi, If You Were A Bluebird (1977), Tennessee is Not the State I'm In (1977), She Never Spoke Spanish To Me (1977), Suckin' A Big Bottle Of Gin (1977), Boxcars (1978), Standin' At The Big Hotel (1979), Fools Fall In Love (1979), Down On The Drag (1979).
Gli album gemelli 1981 A Space Odyssey (Rainlight, 1981) e Firewater (Rainlight, 1981) furono registrati nella stessa sessione.
Oltre a qualche altra collaborazione, Hancock non registrò molto materiale nuovo negli anni '80: soltanto Cause Of The Cactus (Rainlight, 1987).
Own & Own (Demon, 1988 - Sugar Hill, 1989) e Own The Way Over Here (Sugar Hill, 1993) sono antologie di pezzi rari.
Negli anni '90 optò per un sound più commerciale con Eats Away The Night (Sugar Hill, 1995) e You Coulda Walked Around The World (Rainlight, 1997).
Hancock, Joe Ely e Jimmy Gilmore rifondarono i Flatlanders per registrare Hills And Valleys (2009).
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