09/02/2026
In Memoriam Charlie Robison (1964-2023)
Today we remember Charlie Robison, born September 1, 1964, in Houston and raised in Bandera, Texas, the Hill Country town he never really left in spirit.
Charlie wrote the way people actually talk. No polish for polish's sake, just honest stories about restless characters, hard living, and small Texas towns that felt like they mattered because he made them matter. "My Hometown" and "Poor Man's Son" showed his knack for detail. "I Want You Bad" gave him his one true radio hit. But the deep cuts are where you find the real Charlie, the guy who'd rather write something true than something safe.
He came up through the Austin scene in the 80s, cut his teeth in bands like Chaparral and Two Hoots and a Holler, then found his own voice with 1996's "Bandera." From there he built a catalog that mainstream Nashville never quite knew what to do with, and that was fine by him. Texas country lost a real one when he passed in 2023, but the songs are still out there doing exactly what he wanted them to do: telling the truth.
Happy heavenly birthday, Charlie. ✨
Thank you for writing songs that never needed to be dressed up to hit hard.
What's the Charlie Robison song that gets you every time?
