Americana Roots has an interesting piece on Robert Earl Keen, written by Don Henry Ford Jr, cowboy, writer, horseman, seeker of things spiritual and social activist.
I’ve avoided writing about Mr. Robert Earl Keen for one reason. Doing justice to the man is a daunting task. Today, he’s reached iconic status here in Texas. So much so that the Governor named a day in his honor.
REK has a way of championing causes without offending, a rare ability in this world. He does this with parables. Instead of saying, you suck, he paints a picture of something that so obviously sucks there’s no denying the fact, kind of like Jesus was known to do.
Robert Earl Keen does what he does with a very limited voice. The man can barely sing. Which is quite amazing when you consider how good his songs sound. There are others out there now that emulate the man and do a good job. Adam Carroll comes to mind. But Robert Earl is the pioneer. When he began doing what he did, there was no one else out there quite like him.