Pure country: A lifetime in music
KIXS 108 FM DJ Joe Bob Burris has spent lifetime in music
Joe Bob Burris, country and western announcer at KIXS-FM, has back fond memories of the days when he had a band and George Strait opened his act. "My penance now is that I have to play a George Strait song every hour," Burris said, smiling.
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Bobcat musicKIXS-FM radio disc jockey Joe Bob Burris' alma mater, Texas State University, names 101 must-have artists for Bobcat iPod:No. 1: Ace in the Hole Band featuring George Strait
No. 26: Elvis Presley
No. 46: Joe Bob's Bar and Grill ...
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Bobcat musicKIXS-FM radio disc jockey Joe Bob Burris' alma mater, Texas State University, names 101 must-have artists for Bobcat iPod:No. 1: Ace in the Hole Band featuring George Strait
No. 26: Elvis Presley
No. 46: Joe Bob's Bar and Grill Band
No. 51: Lyle Lovett
No. 62: Willie Nelson
No. 79: Billy Joe Shaver
No. 82: George Strait
No. 101: ZZ Top
Before George Strait was a chart-topping country sensation, he was the opening act for Victoria's own KIXS 108 FM country music radio disc jockey, Joe Bob Burris.
In the rise of what Burris refers to as the "redneck rock" era in the 1970s, Joe Bob's Bar and Grill Band was a major player on the San Marcos live music scene.
"Apparently, we were pretty entertaining," the Texas native said, laughing.
During its tenure from 1974 to 1988, the four-piece rockabilly band performed amid some of country's better-known artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Kinky Friedman, Billy Joe Shaver and Strait himself.
And when Strait's fame started taking off, Burris was "glad" to watch his buddy climb to international success.
"We were friends, we were proud of George," Burris said. "We were glad to see someone doing well."
Ironically, when Strait's 1981 single "Unwound" pushed the country legend to the top of the charts, the tables turned somewhat, and Joe Bob's Bar and Grill Band began opening the show for their former opening act.
"We ended up opening for George in Kingsville and the old San Antonio arena," Burris said. "But we opened for a few others along the way like Ricky Skaggs and The Judds."
But Burris' country music love affair began many years before KIXS, and Joe Bob's Bar and Grill Band. It began at home in Midland almost 50 years ago with his openly musical family.
"My dad knew what he was doing, he'd lay the guitar on the bed before he'd go to work and say, 'Don't you touch this,'" Burris said. "By the time he got home, I'd be playing a few songs."
It wasn't long before Burris and his sister, Cindy, formed the Burris Young'uns, a two person musical act where Cindy sang and Burris played guitar.
When he was 14-years-old, The Burris Young'uns signed a recording contract with Metro Media Records and promptly moved to Nashville to begin their career. While there, the group achieved modest success. A few of their songs received regional airplay, and the duo was invited to perform on radio and TV programs such as "The Porter Wagoner Show."
"That was a big deal for us," Burris said.
After a few years of living a bi-coastal life in Nashville and Midland, the recording contract expired and the Burris Young'uns returned to Texas.
Burris graduate high school and completed one year at South Texas State University on a voice scholarship before electing to drop out and return to life as country musician.
He was no longer a Young'un, his musical style had matured, and Burris was determined to start over with a new sound.
"It was a strange transition to go from The Burris Young'uns to being Joe Bob," he said.
In 1974, Burris started Joe Bob's Bar and Grill Band. For the next 14 years, the band played throughout Texas, and found a loyal following of fans at such noted live music venues as the San Marcos Cheatham Street Warehouse, Gruene Hall, the Nickel Keg, and The Too Bitter Club.
It was the Cheatham Street Warehouse, in fact, where Burris first met Strait.
"George started playing at Cheatham Street Warehouse a little while after we did," Burris said. "Anyone who had any musical ear knew he could sing. He was a phenomenon in 1975, he's a phenomenon now."
Joe Bob's Band shared many successes and exciting times in the years they were together, but eventually they "just had enough," he said.
After Joe Bob's band disassembled, Burris joined another band, Nightrider, and spent the next few years performing with them before joining Joel Nava and the Border.
In 1997, Burris was "maxed out" on music and wanted to be near his family in South Texas.
For two months, he did absolutely nothing, he said. He "kept house" and joked that he was a "house husband." Then one day, he told his wife, "I'm going to get a job today."
"I walked in the KIXS office and asked for an application and started filling it out," he said.
One of the station managers at the time, who already knew Burris, discovered him filling out the application and decided to hire him on the spot.
"He took it from me, threw it away, and asked if I could come back to 2 p.m.," Burris said.
That was 13-years-ago and he's been behind the KIXS radio microphone ever since.
"My penance now is that I have to play a George Strait song every hour," Burris said, smiling.
Burris doesn't have too many regrets of how his life turned out. He's finally settled behind the microphone, forever surrounded it seems, by his old country music pals.
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Honky tonk hero an the only honky tonk in town
October 25, 2010 at 5:50 a.m.Joe Bob, Do you still play music? If so, Where and with whom?
October 25, 2010 at 5:43 a.m.