An Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places
Austin, Texas – May 2, 2023 – As part of the 100 Years of Texas State Parks Celebration, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) in partnership with Rambler Sparkling Water, introduces Texas Wild—an album featuring well-known Texas musicians and rising stars as they pay tribute to classic Texas tunes that showcase the untamed spirit found only in Texas music.
Produced by Texas singer/songwriter Walker Lukens (The Song Confessional, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Darkbird, CocoZandi), Texas Wild is a standout album that blends the sounds of traditional Texas genres like blues, cumbia, and country with modern sounds like hip-hop, R&B, and electronica, sure to please old-school country fans and new listeners alike.
“(Hey Baby) Que Paso” by Fat Tony featuring Paul Wall, the first single for the highly anticipated album, was released today and is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. To listen to single, click here.
The song was originally written and released 40 years ago by Augie Meyers and his band Sir Douglas Quintet in 1983 and then rose to popularity with the 1990 version by supergroup The Texas Tornados, composed of some of country music’s most prominent artists, including Meyers, Flaco Jiménez, Doug Sahm, and Freddy Fender. Its Tex-Mex spirit and Tejano music made it an instant classic, and it was referred to by Doug Sahm as the “San Antonio national anthem.” The Texas Wild version injects elements of R&B and hip-hop with a new musical arrangement by producer Walker Lukens, members of Grupo Fantasma, The Texas Gentlemen, Sir Woman, and vocals from Fat Tony and Paul Wall.
“(Hey Baby) Que Paso” is just the first of several single releases slated for Texas Wild, with a second single scheduled for release in June 2023, followed by a third in July 2023, and culminating with the entire digital and limited edition vinyl release in Fall 2023. Influential Texas illustrator Mishka Westell created unique block print style art for each of the three single releases and the album cover art, which features Texas native wildlife, including a screech owl, mockingbird, and other Texas critters. Sales from the album will benefit TPWF.
“Texas Wild is an album that encompasses that wild, untamed spirit for which Texas is best known. Incredible artists from across the state have come together to put their unique stamp on Texas classics, resulting in an exciting playlist that music fans will want to play on repeat,” said Anne Brown, executive director of TPWF. “We’re thankful for the many talented artists who made this extraordinary album possible.”
A full track listing will be available closer to the album release, but tracks include:
- Fat Tony featuring Paul Wall – “(Hey Baby) Que Paso”
- Original Track: Sir Douglas Quintet
- The Texas Gentlemen – “(That’s Right) You’re Not From Texas”
- Original Track: Lyle Lovett
- Shane Smith and The Saints featuring Hayes Carll – “Pancho and Lefty”
- Original Track: Townes Van Zandt
- LUNA LUNA – “Si Una Vez”
- Original Track: Selena Quintanilla
- Ryan Bingham – “Possum Kingdom”
- Original Track: Toadies
- The Suffers – “My Maria”
- Original Track: B.W. Stevenson
- Shakey Graves featuring Jess Williamson – “True Love Will Find You In The End”
- Original Track: Daniel Johnston
- Sir Woman featuring Ray Wylie Hubbard – “Texas Sun”
- Original Track: Khruangbin and Leon Bridges
- Adrian Quesada featuring US and The Soul Supporters – “Say My Name”
- Original Track: Destiny’s Child
- Sarah Jaffe – “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground”
- Original Track: Willie Nelson
- Toadies – “Since U Been Gone”
- Original Track: Kelly Clarkson
Additional live events celebrating Texas Wild will be announced soon. To keep up with album news, visit TexasWildAlbum.org to sign up for updates, or follow TPWF on Instagram at @texasparkswildlifefoundation.
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About Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation:
Since 1991, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has raised and invested more than $235 million to advance Texas’ proud outdoor traditions and conserve our state’s wildlife, habitat and natural resources. Our vision is for all Texans to have access to the wild things and wild places of our state, both now and for generations to come. For more information, please visit www.tpwf.org.
