Two iconic Texas country legends share an intimate, entertaining evening with Texarkana when Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen perform in concert together at the Perot Theatre on Nov. 4.
Lovett and Keen are longtime friends who, each in their own way, have forged successful careers as true singer-songwriting troubadours, crafting distinctive songs and building an adoring fan following at the same time.
Lovett's known for the many genres he visits in his music, including swing, jazz, blues and folk. The lanky musician with a distinctive appearance and style has earned critical acclaim and four Grammy Awards during his career. After starting as a songwriter, he signed with MCA back in the mid-1980s. In 1989, he won the Best Male Country Vocal Performance Grammy for his album "Lyle Lovett and His Large Band."
Keen, talking with the Gazette earlier this week, said they've known each other since 1976. "We're real friends. We're not showbiz friends," the singer explained, so they've often performed together through the intervening years.
Typically, Lovett starts the show, and they'll talk about anything and everything as they go back and forth performing for more than two hours, Keen said.
"It's a celebration of music and camaraderie," said Keen, whose beloved songs include "The Road Goes on Forever." He cautioned that it's not just soft patter that they'll share. Together, they have a broad range of songs from which they can draw.
"This is a really entertaining show," said Keen, who is about to release a new album.
Keen's seminal album "No. 2 Live Dinner" more than two decades ago became a grassroots hit for him. It's the kind of thing that brought his audience up from 500 to 5,000, he said.
"I made a live record in 1995 that some people would call a game changer," Keen recalled. College students loved it and, although it didn't get much press, it later became his top-selling album.
Fast forward 20 years and Keen went back to the John T. Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas, where that earlier album was recorded, to record something of an homage. With folks like Lovett, Ely, Cody Canada, Cody Braun and other friends, he recorded a reunion double-disc album, "Live Dinner Reunion." It's out Nov. 18.
"While it is a reminder and a reflection of what that first record did, it's not the same," Keen said, although fans will recognize a similar tone and feel, he'd say.
In addition to his show with Lovett here in Texarkana, look for Keen to embark on his annual Christmas show soon. It's the Merry Christmas from the Fam-O-Lee 2016 Christmas Tour, which he's performed seriously for the past five years with his band. He says they're considered the Jimmy Buffett of Christmas with this show.
"It's a hoot. It's trying to have some fun and not take yourself too seriously," Keen said.
This year's theme? "This is a Country Gold Christmas" he said, calling it the Fam-O-Lee Country Gold Jamboree with each member of the band dressing as a country icon for what amounts to a laugh fest. They'll take it across Texas and into Oklahoma and also for a date at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
When he has some free time, he's even worked on a new business venture. That's beer. Robert Earl Keen's Front Porch Amber Ale is out, a follow-up to a pilsner he put out last year. "It beat all expectations," he said. So, they decided to do an ale this year, Keen wanting it to taste bright with an apple flavor to it.
Keen's looking forward to being back in East Texas. It's been a while since he's been here. It's a place where he has many fans who should be eager to see him and Lovett on the cozy Perot stage.
"It's a good spot for us because we're familiar with the territory," Keen said.
(Tickets: $77, $47 and $37. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. More info and ticket purchase: TRAHC.org or 903-792-4992.)