I've been to Mexico and back since last I wrote. I even love the bus trip that screams across the belly of Mexico throughout the night, dodging those fast trucks going the other way. Even as I love crossing borders and exploring new territory, Sheriff Jim (Jim Wilson, now living in Alpine) also loves exploring a border. And he does this well on his debut CD entitled "Border Bravado."

"The most difficult thing for me was weaving the two themes of this album together. I knew the border theme was important to me, and I also wanted to convey a sense of the changing west. You know, some people say the West is dying. I say 'phooey.' There will always be cowboys," Jim explained in a recent phone interview.

He uses a linear sense of organization as he traces both themes, beginning with "Mountain Home," a song he wrote with Jean Prescott, and ending with a Bob Campbell song, "Old Borunda Café." When I asked him how he chose his songs (with so many great writers in Texas), he replied, "I just had to toughen up and pick the ones that fit best."

The songs run through "Seven Days From Musquiz," by Gil Prather, to "Come To The Bower," by Tim Henderson and Allen Damron, to his own "Agua Verde Crossing." By now we have seen the border through new eyes. He includes songs by Kate Wolf, Ian Tyson, Tom Russell and Hoyt Axton. "I might have stretched the cowboy envelope a bit with 'Evangelina,' by Axton," he explained, "but that song captures a mood and paints a picture." He slows down his version of one of his own songs because, "That's what it's all about, really, telling stories. I want the story to stand out."

I happen to know that Jim just bought a second horse, a paint horse from Harley May. I know he also writes a column for a gun magazine, writes features on western music, and continues to "cowboy up." Guess he's right, there will always be cowboys.

Jim typifies the classic well-mannered cowboy, dressed up to go to town or down and dirty working his horse. At gatherings he is a crowd-pleaser, and this summer he will tour with another performer, playing for house concerts on his way up to Oregon. A house concert is the perfect way for an entertainer to reach his audiences.

After working the borders, running with the border patrol, working as sheriff in Ozona, Sheriff Jim knows many different kinds of borders himself. He commented once that the oak tree does not stand in a strong wind. "Border people are like the willow, flexible in a strong wind. And they keep standing." Lots to ponder in that comparison.

If you want to know more about the western music, contact the Western Music Association at www.westernmusic.org. Jim has been on their board of directors for a while. Call 915-837-5833 to order the CD or to book Sheriff Jim. Jeanne Hardy at Front Street Books also carried the CD. She loved it on first hearing.

And now a word about production. I know of no nicer man in the music business than Andy Wilkinson in Lubbock. He produced this CD at his studio, Grey Horse Studio. He brought together a great group of musicians to work with Jim--Brian and Kenny Maines, Alan Munde, Joe Carr and more. Jean Prescott provided harmony as well as encouragement. Jim dedicated the music to his son and to the memory of his dad. Now that's the cowboy way.

If you haven't attended a cowboy poetry gathering yet, better saddle up. Don't miss this piece of Americana. Now only does it happen each spring in Alpine, but it happens in Ft. Worth each October with Red Steagall and in small towns across the state.

I'll leave you thinking of borders. What is happening to the border between Mexico and Texas. I cross it now on a regular basis as I go to teach in San Miguel de Allende. I understand the river is changing--our shared border. What happens then? Of course, this can all be the metaphoric speculation of a woman past the middle border of her own life. I'll be crossing several borders on June 9, as I get married for the first time in twenty years. I have to head to Mexico for that special event, crossing the border at Laredo on a big bus. I do love the journey! Ils sont partis.

Kathleen
kat@maverickbbs.com

www.texasheritagemusic.org

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