When you think of Texas country music cities, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s heading to the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin, or visiting the Stockyards at Fort Worth.
There’s one town ~60 miles from San Antonio that every Texas resident needs to put on their country music road trip itinerary — Luckenbach.
Today, we’re giving you a glimpse into the surprising history of this country paradise.
The beginnings of Luckenbach
Jacob Luckenbach (1817-1911) settled in Texas in the mid-1830s and was among those who helped to win the state’s independence from Mexico. The Luckenbach family was allocated a town lot + 10 acres southwest of Fredericksburg, which was later sold in 1852. Luckenbach then moved further south to found the town.
Once the post office was established in 1886, a general merchandise store featuring a smithy, cotton gin, saloon, and warehouses soon followed. The dance hall (Tanz Halle) also served as a center for social gatherings. It still stands today + hosts various concerts year-round.
Airplanes: Texas did it first
In 1865, Luckenbach teacher, inventor, and musician Jacob Brodbeck built + flew what could be considered the world’s very first airplane. During a test flight, Brodbeck’s plane crashed and his investors wouldn’t help him try it again.
Brodbeck was later mugged and robbed of all his airplane diagrams while awaiting his invention patent + seeking new investors. It wasn’t until 15 years later that the Wright brothers got their airplane off the ground.
The song that changed everything
Waylon Jennings’ 1977 hit, “Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love),” can be considered what catapulted the town into a country paradise. During Waylon’s time in a Nashville recording studio, Willie Nelson dropped by unannounced and ended up adding the last verse of the song.
The song made Billboard history with the first single to debut in the top half of the country chart (soon after claiming the No. 1 spot for six straight weeks).
