New West Records

This show, captured on November 28, 2001, was hailed by critics as Byrne's best work in years, and his performance on the Austin City Limits stage shows why. Joined by Austin's own eclectic tango ensemble Tosca, Byrne takes us down many different musical roads in his ACL debut. Recorded live and mixed in 5.1 surround sound, this DVD captures all the hits and more, and includes songs that were never aired on the original TV broadcast. This live release features former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne originally aired on the PBS Austin City Limits show,

Doug Sahm a/k/a Sir Doug was both a Texas rock & roll legend and pioneer. True, there were others before him (Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison come to mind), but the Sir Douglas Quintet counterattacked the British invasion of the mid 1960's with their own brand of Chicano-influenced rock that they had been playing around their hometown of San Antonio. This performance, recorded October 14, 1975, came after Doug had temporarily retired the Sir Douglas name, but features original member Augie Meyer along with musical compadres Martin Steitle, John Barber, Steve McDaniels and Harry Hess.

This man from Sherman, Texas probably best-known as the wide-grinning rube on Hee Haw for so many years started a country music revolution. Or more accurately, a counter-revolution. It was called the Bakersfield Sound, He and fellow revolutionary Merle Haggard were cranking out raw, hard-driving honky-tonk music that stood the country-pop coming out of Nashville on its head. When Buck Owens and the Buckaroos would launch into "I've got a tiger by the tail, it s plain to see...!" the packed crowds would be on their feet and headed for the dance floor. Performed at Austin City Limits on October 23, 1988.

Looking back, why did it take ten years to finally lure Waylon Jennings to the Austin City Limits stage for his first performance? Like everything else about the man, he did things his own way - when he was damn good and ready. Maybe it had something to do with that other Texas singer, that Red-Headed Stranger who shook things up in Austin and country music in general. Waylon wasn't sure what the fuss was all about (as he sang, It don t matter who is in Austin, Bob Wills is STILL the King! ). This special package contains both a CD and DVD of Waylon Jenning s FIRST Austin City Limit s performance, recorded in August 1984.

When he stepped onto the Austin City Limits stage for the very first time on that brisk January day in 1978, Merle Haggard was at the top of his game. It had been over a decade since his first national hit, "Sing A Sad Song", and not that long after "Okie From Muskogee" had firmly planted his music in the public consciousness. He had already been declared "Entertainer of the Year" by both the Country Music Awards and Academy of Country Music - in the same year (1970). He had just released A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (Or MY Salute to Bob Willis), which sparked a revival of interest in western swing. And with his band, The Strangers, it's no stretch to say that he had the best live show in country music of his day. - Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits®). Recorded January 18, 1978 KLRU-TV, Austin, TX.

Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys. Long before the Kinkster became a celebrated mystery writer in New York City, and waaay long before he became a candidate for Governor of the Great State of Texas (thank you very much), there was Kinky the 'country' music singer and songwriter of the mid-1970's. He was a paragon, a veritable pioneer of political incorrectness set to music, and there was nobody quite like him on the Austin music scene (or, for that matter, on the planet). There he was on the Austin City Limits stage on November 11, 1975, in his finest rhinestone suit with fur-lined guitar strap, bounding through his entire catalogue of double-entendre ditties. The band never sounded better (nor looked, well, weirder). The audience loved every lyrically devilish twist. There was only one problem. They said it couldn't be aired. There's still some mystery about exactly who they were who made the decision to pull the show.

The Texas Tornados brought their Tex-Mex sound to the Austin City Limits TV show in 1990. Now that performance is available on DVD. It features Doug Sahm, Freddy Fender, Augie Meyers, and Flaco Jimenez at their best!