The Real Bill Lewis

From " The Luckenbach Moon"THE REAL BILL LEWIS Lubbock to LuckenbachBeginning in Decatur,Texas, Bill Lewis has run the gamut of places in the music business to get run out of. He probably didn’t get run out of his hometown, Decatur. That’s where as a youngster he learned classical piano in and around church. So what kind of trouble can you get into doing that?It seems there just wasn’t enough culture in Decatur, for Mr. Lewis. So he moved away seeking culture and art and other real things. His learned companion, Michael Hilton said about Decatur, "Any kind of art is illegal in Decatur."Michael Hilton was a "real writer." "Real writer" means you get paid for writing. Michael Hilton actually got paid for writing more than once and ended up with articles in Texas Monthly, Sports Illustrated,the Atlantic Monthly and Harvard Magazine.Together, Lewis and Hilton became Street and Caraway, the two main characters in a Hunter S. Thompson-like series they wrote called PARADISE 817, wherein two song writers travel the country seeking appreciation and ultimate pay for their art, their culture and their real music. The duo featured one guy on a guitar, Bill, and the other, Michael, on the typewriter. They took their art performance show from New York to LA to rave reviews and high acclaim by some literary giants whose names this reporter can’t remember and couldn’t possibly spell. They also took off on their adventure armed with two novels they had penned called PARADISE 817 and a musical stage play written in the Broadway tradition called CODE OF THE WEST. CODE OF THE WEST depicts the creation, the fall, and the redemption of the Cowboy.Read excerpts of Paradise 817 in Bill’s my spaceblog: www.myspace.com/therealbilllewisSomehow they got lost and ended up in "music city", Nashville, long enough to get "pee ceed" that’s "politically corrected" out of town. They also spent enough time participating in the legendary Lubbock,West Texas Music Movement of the Seventy’s, to be regarded as musical icons from the past. Having shared the Lubbock space and stage of the historical Cotton Club they joined the ranks of Tommy Hancock, Texana Dames, John Reed, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jay Boy Adams and others who left the Lubbock scene behind to become Texas Music legends.Recently at a Luckenbach Ladies Lynchin’ League Luncheon Bill Lewis accompanied by his piano were the guest entertainers. Bill took the stage, sat down at the piano and started to croon a country song. As if one, the entire LLLL let out an audible swoon. Madam Prez Allegani Jani was so over come she fell out of her lawn chair. In an effort to revive her Magnolia Thunder Blossom leaned close to see if Allegani was still breathing. Opening one eye, and in a pitiful whimper, Jani said, "I think I need mouth-to mouth resuscitation from Bill Lewis." Exasperated by Allegani’s theatrics the other ladies crawled back to their lawn chairs where they could enjoy the rest of their margaritas and the concert.So inspired by this display of new found appreciation Bill says he is going to retrieve all of his novels,plays, songs and other creative efforts from under the spare tire in the trunk of his car. When asked what he plans to do with this veritable plethora of literary treasures he replied, "Oh, I’m just waitin’ for somebody to come along and tell me what to do with it."These days you can find Bill out under the live oak trees at Luckenbach, playing his guitar and singing songs from his extensive repertoire and generally soaking up all that Luckenbach culture. Michael Hilton has gone on to that big typewriter in the sky leaving Bill to carry on their quest for appreciation and maybe even payment for their creative efforts. Perhaps Bill has found what they were looking for right here in Luckenbach.Some people come to Luckenbach seeking some kind of reality. Some people even claim to have found reality In Luckenbach. Bill Lewis is reality. That’s why he belongs in Luckenbach at this point in time. That’s why those who love him call him Real Bill .Lewis...............................................Magnoli a Thunder Blossom Real Writer