Willie Nelson unfurls a huge Texas flag at the beginning of his show and sings "Whiskey River," George Strait sidles out in boots, hat and authentic Western wear to the sound of a Texas swing tune.
Asleep at the Wheel opens with "Miles and Miles of Texas."But if you want to tap into the person who's actually deep in the heart of the heart of Texas, you need to see a Jerry Jeff Walker show.
Walker's three-piece band is all from Texas, he lives in Texas himself and he sings about Texas folklore - ranging from pitcher Nolan Ryan and singer Charlie Daniels to the ubiquitous armadillos and truck-stop waitresses in Dolly Parton wigs.
And Sunday night at Red Butte, Walker was again in a Lone Star state of mind.
The genius of Jerry Jeff Walker is he writes dance tunes that have unforgettable lyrics. Every song is either a two-step, a waltz, a cowboy polka or a Western swing number.
And every lyric cuts to the bone. Walker's titles alone have to more to say than entire verses of other songs: "I Like My Women a Tad on the Trashy Side," "I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight," "I'm Going Home With the Armadillos."
Dressed in a white cowboy hat, black T-shirt, jeans and boots, Walker spent a good two hours staring into the sun in his shades and cranking out the tunes that made him famous: "Mr. Bojangles," "L.A. Freeway," "Old Navajo Rug," "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother."
The crowd, college-educated for the most part and not at all like the blue-collar band they'd come to hear, treated the outdoor event like a tailgate party before a football game - without the tailgates and the game. Wine and cheese seemed to be the order of the day. Conversations dealt with cuisine and trips to Sicily.
Jerry Jeff Walker has always attracted an odd assortment of friends. In an earlier interview to promote the show, Walker talked of his years as a Willie and Waylon "outlaw" in Austin, back when a bunch of Nashville outcasts set out to re-win the West.
"It was fun back then," Walker said. "You'd sing on Saturday night, then take the money you made and spend the next six days blowing it. I miss that part of it. All of us work a lot harder now than we ever did then."
Walker was working hard Sunday night. The overflow crowd got their money's worth.