Sheriff Jim Wilson

JIM JONES
I first met Jim Jones at an Academy of Western Artists gathering in Ft. Worth, a number of years ago. He sat in, one evening, at a jam session that Kip Calahan and I were enjoying. I quickly learned two things about Jones; one is that he was a pretty darn good hand with a guitar, and the second was that he and I knew a lot of the same songs.  A short time later, I invited him to join me on a number of my concert dates.

Since that time, we’ve had a good deal of fun running up and down the road, playing music, and “spending thousands to make hundreds.” Besides being a good picker, Jones has the sort of laid back attitude that I appreciate. We’ve all worked with musicians who felt they needed some pharmaceutical assistance to get through the evening.  Those kind of folks just aren’t very dependable, nor are they very entertaining. Besides the occasional Cold Beer, to ward off the evening’s chill, Jones and I have kind of outgrown all that other stuff. Life is much simpler and more enjoyable now.

Jim Jones is also a dandy songwriter.  He’s penned a number of songs that have been nominated for awards.  His albums are entertaining, as are his performances.

The coolest thing, however, is that the Academy of Western Artists chose Jim Jones as the 2008 Male Vocalist.  I think it is recognition that is well deserved and has been a long time coming.  Check him out atwww.jimjonesmusic.com.

The main thing, however, that I appreciate about Jim Jones is that he has become a good and true friend of mine.  I enjoy his company.  But…. please don’t tell him that I was bragging on him.

NAPA OPERA HOUSE
This past December, Il Ling gave me a very wonderful birthday gift.  She got us tickets to attend a concert at the Napa Opera House, in Napa, California. The particular concert was a performance by John Sebastian and David Grisman.  Il Ling and I, and a few hundred over-the-hill hippies, thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

I knew Sebastian and Grisman by reputation, but had really never listened to their music. I have to tell you that it was pretty darned cool.  Sebastian thumb-picked his Gibson J-45 in the style of his hero, Mississippi John Hurt. The name of John’s band, The Lovin’ Spoonfulls, even came from one of Hurt’s old blues songs. Grisman, of course, is a past master on the mandolin.  An extremely entertaining evening.

However, the funniest part was the fact that there was some woman, sitting down at the end of our aisle, who sang along with every song in the first portion of the show. You can imagine how it annoyed the rest of us. Well, you can imagine how it surprised the rest of us when, in the second half of the show, Sebastian introduced Marie Muldaur to the stage.  Yep, it was her!  And she’s singing as great as she ever did.

So, whenever you’re out Napa way, be sure to check in at the Napa Opera House and see who they’ve got on the bill.  Actually, you’d better check in and order your tickets online because they sell out well in advance.

TEXAS COWBOY POETRY GATHERING/GRANADA THEATER
This past February, there was a great crowd in Alpine for the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Doris Daley & Dave Stamey headlined the evening shows and all of the sessions were well attended.

In keeping with our habit, for the past couple of years, I booked an evening show on Friday night following the traditional stage show. This year, we were honored to use the newly renovated Granada Theater. Karen Travland has really done a wonderful job of renovating this Alpine landmark.

We billed the event as “Jim Wilson & Friends” and I am pleased that a number of my friends showed up to help entertain the 200-plus folks that were in attendance.  Jim Jones, Dave Stamey, Kip Calahan, Randy Huston, Allen Chapman, Audrey Hankins, Mike Querner, and the Texas Trailhands, all made appearances.  And I’m sure that I’ve left someone out… if so, please forgive me.

It was a great evening and lots of fun. I want to especially thank my good friend Mark Pollock (www.transpecosguitars.com) for helping to organize the event and run the sound. So, you folks should plan to attend the 2010 Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering, be sure to leave Friday night open. We’ll be having another “Jim Wilson & Friends” event and I sure hope that you are able to attend.

See ya down the road…..

Well, finally, here is my new web site. I will be updating it on a regular basis and sharing events, thoughts, and ideas, with you. If you have information or questions, you can reach me at jw.44@sbcglobal.net.

WEB SITE
Thanks go to my friend Carlos Vazquez for designing and maintaining this web site. I highly recommend his work and, if you’re needing a web site, or work done on an existing web site, you can contact him at Dichotomy Consulting. I think you’ll be pleased with his service.

WRITING ENDEAVORS
In the spring of 2008, I quit Shooting Times and Intermedia. Almost immediately, I began an association with NRA Publications. I’ve got a regular column (Straight Talk) in Shooting Illustrated, and I do feature articles for Shooting Illustrated, American Rifleman, and American Hunter magazines. In addition to that, you’ll see my articles in the various Wolfe publications, Handloader and Rifle magazines.

Joe Graham, John Zent, and the crew at the NRA, are great folks to work with and I am really enjoying this association. I’ll say the same for Don Polacek, Dave Scovill, and Roberta Scovill, at Wolfe Publishing Company. This change in writing jobs also brings with it the opportunity to do a lot more hunting and writing about hunting. As you can imagine, that just about broke my heart. But, in the words of that Great American John Wayne, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do!”

TELEVISION WORK
In conjunction with my association with the NRA, I have also increased my television work. You’ll see my regular weekly segment on American Guardian TV on Wednesday nights, on the Outdoor Channel. And I am also featured on the American Rifleman show and the American Hunter show, also on the Outdoor Channel.

In fact, back in March, we had a great aoudad hunt down along the Rio Grande, in the Chinati Mountains of the Texas Big Bend. We filmed it for the American Hunter show and I think you’ll find it pretty exciting. I can tell you this, with the passing years; those mountains seem to be getting steeper. Must be a global warming thing.

So, anyway, welcome to my new web site. I hope that you enjoy it and will visit it often. I’ll do my best to have an update of some kind for you each month. Let me hear from you with your questions, thoughts, and ideas.

See ya down the road……