2017 marks the sixth year for Robert Earl Keen’s Fam-O-Lee Back To The Country Jamboree Christmas Tour and this Thursday (9/28) it’s back at the Ryman. The tour has become a holiday favorite for Keen fans and the stories in-between songs are worth the price of admission alone. We had 10 questions for Keen but he got bored after four so that will have to do. What’s not boring is the show which is colorful and high energy with hits from his 12 plus albums. It’s a great way to end the year and there’s a few tickets left so check it out. The road goes on forever but the questions stop at 4.
1. Name the one songwriter who influenced you the most.
The most famous influence is Willie Nelson. I liked Willie before Willie was cool.
2. One thing Nashville has on Austin?
Nashville has a place in the world, and I would say a huge part of my success is that the time I was here, I made some great friends. And I’ve always known what Nashville is about. I realize it can be really hard on people and you can get your expectations all twisted, but there are a lot of things there about the music business that are indelible.
3. One thing Austin has on Nashville?
The double-edged sword about Austin is that you can really play almost every night, and play for years and years. And you can make a decent living and have a lot of friends and have a pretty good time. But that same luxury that you’re afforded by not having to get outside of town may keep you from getting outside of town and finding out what else there is out there.
4. If you hadn’t been a singer/songwriter, what would you be doing?
All I ever wanted to do was play music and sing.
Order tickets here.
