Luckenbach is a small community in Gillespie County, about twelve miles west of the LBJ Ranch. It has existed since 1849. In the early 1970s, Hondo Crouch, Shatzie Crouch and Guich Koock bought the town.
A town with a plan
The new owners turned Luckenbach into a beer joint with a dance hall across the street, and promoted it with press releases and annual events, including an all-women chili cookoff and a Valentine’s Day hug-in. The first Luckenbach World’s Fair in 1972 drew about 20,000 people.
Music history
In 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker recorded the album Viva Terlingua! in the Luckenbach dance hall. The 1977 song “Luckenbach, Texas,” recorded by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, brought a surge of tourists. Hondo Crouch died in 1976 at age 59, before the song was released.
Know before you go
- Location: Luckenbach, near Fredericksburg in the Hill Country.
- Check Luckenbach’s website for its music calendar and hours.
Luckenbach proves a small town and a good story can travel a long way.
Featured photo: Luckenbach Dance Hall by Nicolas Henderson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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