Willie’s Picnic Or Bust
by Paula Bosse
“All’s we need is a ride, man…” (photo: Austin American-Statesman)
by Paula Bosse
Today is July 4th, 2018 — the 45th anniversary of the first Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic. The photo above — taken by Austin photographer Stanley Farrar — ran in The Austin American-Statesman in 1980 and shows hitchhikers (including a bare-chested Jerry Rundell and his go-with-the-flow cat “Precious”) thumbing it on Highway 71, hoping for a ride to that year’s picnic at Willie’s Pedernales Country Club, near Austin.
Take a look at the full illustrated program for the second Picnic, which was held at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, July 4-6, 1974, in a PDF, here. The huge line-up included Dallas natives Michael Murphey, B. W. Stevenson, Ray Wylie Hubbard (all three of whom attended Adamson High School in Oak Cliff), and singer-turned-DJ-turned-singer, Johnny Dallas (aka Groovey Joe Poovey). To make this a somewhat Dallas-y, I’ve pulled out a few of the local ads (click ’em to see larger images).
KZEW — from the Zoo’s “Progressive Country” years?
WBAP — how much Ray Wylie Hubbard was WBAP playing?
Speaking of Ray Wylie Hubbard:
Mother Blues had a one-buck cover charge, and Gertie’s was rocking until 5 a.m.
Lyon’s Pub, 5535 Yale Street.
Fannie Ann’s, 4714 Greenville Avenue, the lower part of Upper Greenville.
The Lone Star Opry House, 1011 S. Industrial, at Cadiz (formerly the Aragon Ballroom). Willie appeared during its first week in business.
The Iconoclast, Dallas’ underground newspaper, which began as Stoney Burns’ Dallas Notes.
Ethyl’s (“Only Bluegrass Club in Dallas”), 3605 McKinney Avenue.
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Sources & Notes
Top photo from The Austin American-Statesman (July 4, 1980); photo taken by photographer Stanley Farrar. See many more photos of Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnics in an American-Statesman slideshow, here.
I wonder if Willie’s picnics have their own Wikipedia page? Of COURSE they do! Have at it.
I’ve written about it before, but, hey, it’s the 4th of July, so here’s Willie’s very … um, unusual ode to Dallas:
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Happy 4th!
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Copyright © 2018 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Flashback : Dallas 
In the summer of 1980 I was not quite 18 and I worked with a girl of the same age who went with her sister (and probably some others) down to the picnic. She said the roadsides were covered with cars and they had to hike a couple miles to get to the event. I’m not sure if she remembered a great deal more about it.
We had a lot more freedom then.
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I was only ten then, but I can tell you that you don’t have to look very hard to see an over abundance of evidence for your last sentence.
Also, Dallas was a very different city then. I’m not sure I’m real crazy about what it has been turning into.
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