5 minutes with Robert Earl Keen

Robert Earl Keen surprised Bruce Robison and the Next Waltz team at The Bunker in the midst of a career retrospective with a cover of Oliver Tree's viral hit "Cowboys Don't Cry."

By Kaili Rose

It's hard to name a more bedrock artist in the Texas music scene than Robert Earl Keen. Hailing originally from Houston but becoming an Austin mainstay, Keen debuted No Kinda Dancer in 1984 and hasn’t looked back. Known as a prolific songwriter and a magnetic performer, Keen continues to keep us on our toes.

During the course of a session out at Bruce Robison's all-analog studio in Lockhart, Texas, Keen and his long-time touring band threw in a cover of Oliver Tree's viral hit "Cowboys Don't Cry" – all in the midst of a career retrospective captured by Robison and his equally surprised crew. Alluding to finding this song in his daughter’s playlists, it became immediately apparent that Cowboys might create the next decade-hopping musical moment (move over, Kate Bush…). This track both surprised and delighted. "We had a great time recording this song," says Robison. "Robert continues to intrigue and amaze us with his inability to be categorized."

In the first few days of 2022, Keen made a surprise retirement announcement. With his final September show scheduled for Helotes, TX on Labor Day weekend, it’s already proving to be the hottest ticket in Texas. Quoting the difficulties and dissolution of touring in the past two years, Keen plans to close this chapter of his prodigious career gently - and perhaps with a touch of whimsy. But he’s by no means done and out. Keen has plans to continue on with a multimedia project called Western Chill – described as “a record, a video, a graphic novel, a songbook and sort of a play.”

We can’t wait to see what he comes up with. Until then, check out our exclusive studio session video for "Cowboys Don't Cry" and the track streaming on all digital platforms, produced by Bruce Robison at The Bunker – The Next Waltz’s all-analog Lockhart studio space. And don’t forget to grab a ticket to catch Robert Earl Keen performing some of the best of Texas music on the road now during his farewell tour.

Kaili Rose

With a background in music photography, journalism & film, Kaili handles Social media, Marketing & A&R at The Next Waltz. She specializes in lamenting the by-gone days of great music, helping artists build their digital presence, and making documentaries far too ambitious for her budget.