Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard (born November 13, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter.
Ray Wylie Hubbard
November 13, 1946
Soper, Oklahoma, U.S.
Singer-songwriter
Vocals, guitar, harmonica
1965–present
Bordello (Thirty Tigers), Rounder
Early life[edit]
Hubbard was born on November 13, 1946, in Soper, Oklahoma.[2] His family moved to Oak Cliff in southwest Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He attended W. H. Adamson High School with Michael Martin Murphey.[3] Hubbard graduated in 1965 and enrolled in North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) as an English major. He spent the summers in Red River, New Mexico, playing folk music in hootenannies with a trio known as Three Faces West.[4]
Career[edit]
1970s[edit]
During his time in New Mexico, Hubbard wrote "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother"[4] first made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker's 1973 recording, and covered by a wide variety of other artists since.[5] Bolstered by the success of the song, he was signed by Warner Bros. Records. Hubbard then assembled a band of friends and locals and, in 1976, released Ray Wylie Hubbard and the Cowboy Twinkies.[6] Unbeknownst to Hubbard, producer Michael Brovsky had decided to "Nashville-ize" the sound by adding overdub mixes and female backup singers to the recordings. The result was "a botched sound" that Hubbard disapproved of vehemently, but the album was released despite his attempts to block it.[4]