When I moved to Austin in 1969, it was a small university town.   I was born and raised in Houston and was used to a fast-paced life.  However, there was something about laid-back Austin that appealed to me:  the  people, the natural beauty, the liberal atmosphere and the music.

Any night you could hear live music by walking through downtown Austin or by taking a drive to Threadgill’s, the Broken Spoke or Soap Creek Saloon. Later, the Armadillo World Headquarters would open and Austin became a Mecca for a new style of music, kind of a country, rock and blues hybrid that would forever blur the lines between country and rock n’ roll.

You never knew who would show up to play with a band or musician.  Bands and musicians of that time included  Asleep at the Wheel, Rusty Weir, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, Augie Meyers, Steve Fromholtz, Doug Sahm, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, Bill and Bonnie Hearne, B. W. Stevenson, Kinky Friedman and Greezy Wheels.

Some of these bands and musicians became history and others lived on to become legends.  One of these Austin legends was Rusty Wier.  Rusty Weir was inducted into the Austin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

Rusty lost his battle with cancer on October 9, 2009 at his home, surrounded by his friends and family. He was 65. On Thursday, October 15, 2009, there will be a gathering of friends, family and fellow musicians to honor Rusty and share stories and songs. Free admission; just say you are a friend of Rusty’s–everyone was a friend of Rusty.

Saxon Pub
1320 South Lamar
Austin, Texas
6 pm-2 am