In honor of celebrated songwriter and Mexia native Cindy Walker’s 100th birthday, the Mexia Chamber of Commerce, with support from KWTX-Waco, Mexia High School Operation Project Graduation, and many sponsors, hosted and coordinated a day of events in tribute to the songs of Walker, and to the cultural contribution she has given the world.
Downtown, a gorgeous new mural dedicated to Walker spans the side length of a Caritas donation building; our dear songstress focused in the middle, a sunburst pattern emanating from her, with brightly hued zenias, sunflowers, and daisies at the fringes, courtesy of artists Calina & Kevin Johnson, of Abilene.
In the early evening, seasoned musician Roland Brown, of Wimberley, headed a ‘pickin’ circle’ in front of the mural, joined by several more eager instrumentalists, sharing songs and communing merrily despite the pressing heat of the day.
Later in the evening at the Civic Center, Chamber President Linda Archibald welcomed a crowd of nearly 500, and introduced the event’s Master of Ceremonies as Gordon Collier, an accomplished musician who primarily works as TV anchorman for KWTX News.
Collier informed the guests, many of whom were from out of town, that earlier this year City Mayor Troy Miller announced July 20th as Cindy Walker Day, in anniversary of her birth.
Next, the affable host introduced the delightful Farris Music Studio Children’s Choir, of Tehuacana, the first act of the evening.
The 15 children, ranging from ages six to early teens, were decked in cowboy regalia, intoning and gesturing in impressive harmony through a handful of Walker originals, including her first written song “Dusty Skies.”
Muleskinner, a five-piece country ensemble from Freestone County, were up next, and had already staged themselves next to their instruments and microphones, so the transition from host to performance was smooth — the band got right into the swing of things with a cover of “Miss Molly,” first released in 1942 by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.
Bassist and front man Jeff Harrison proffered interesting and informative trivia on each song they played, as the band mates took turns lending their singing voices, Harrison alternating songs with guitarist Stephen Yates and pianist Daron Stone.
To finish off the first half of Muleskinner’s set, the band was joined by Sissie Ingram, a former church choir peer of Cindy Walker’s. Mrs. Ingram lent her gentle yet soulful gospel voice to the touching ode “Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me.”
As the band took a break, Mrs. Ingram introduced the audience to the Early Youth Children’s Choir, a group formerly led by Walker during her lifetime.
Led by Ingram, the talented church choir, now ranging in age from fifties to sixties, offered two hymns, joined, as with so many songs that night, in chorus with the audience.
Host Collier quipped, “Those kids sure do sound good!” Though it was a warm comfort to share reminiscence with contemporaries of Cindy Walker, it was all the more endearing to next meet Alysa Carrizales, a young ukulele-wielding singer-songwriter from Mexia.
Carrizales cited Walker as a primary influence in her own songwriting, and shared a charmingly elegant vocal cover of “Going Away Party”, as well as her own original “Small Town Girl”.
Muleskinner closed down the house with their second set, which began with a rousing version of “Cherokee Maiden”, and ended with a bittersweet rendition of “You Don’t Know Me”, both songs eliciting thunderous applause from the audience.
From longtime friends both in the audience and on the stage, to new fans, admirers and would-be protégés, the event was replete with adoration and honor as hundreds of people fellowshipped together at the tribute event.
In 2006, just nine days before Cindy Walker’s death, Willie Nelson released a tribute album of her songs. But before Nelson and others more recent, Bob Wills reigned in country music.
Over a three decade period, beginning in 1940, Walker composed dozens of songs for Wills, many of which became enduring hits.
More telling than her influence with contemporaries, however, is her seminal role in the progression of singer-songwriters from past to present — weaving influence that can be traced to current country and folk artists, such as Band of Horses, and the Avett Brothers, both of whom toured with Willie Nelson in 2017, and also to aspiring artists as close to home as Mexia.
This lasting, woven influence forms a beautiful tapestry — testament to the timeless contribution of Cindy Walker’s legacy.
The Mexia Chamber of Commerce has spoken on the likelihood of making the Cindy Walker tribute concert an annual event.
