A Long Over-due Return of a Great Talent {New Braunfels concert photography}

I'm one of those lucky people who meets a lot of people. It's part of my line of work. With my former career as a journalist I was honored to cross paths with many great civic and political leaders -- and some not so great political leaders. I could smile and nod and perform my interview and then be gone, never revealing to my subject whether I had any intention of voting for them.

Being married to a writer has also allowed me access to many of the great writers of this generation. There isn't enough time in my world to read all of their books, but they're lovely people to know.

But I get down right giddy when I get an opportunity to meet and photograph an entertainer I admire from my own youth, especially someone as talented as the Great Hal Ketchum.

Hal came into fame in the late 80s and early 90s. Most of you will know him for his hits "Small Town Saturday Night," "Past the Point of Rescue," and "Hearts Are Gonna Roll," which all took top 3 spots on the Billboard Hot Country charts. In all he's had about 17 entries on that chart with one of his albums certified Gold by the recording industry.


His daughter approached me several months ago about photographing his return to the public eye at the famous Luckenbach Dance Hall. Hal has taken a break from recording for the past few years to take care of his health -- being diagnosed with a neurological condition and having to relearn to play the guitar.

He took advantage of his break, however to write some new material, which I was honored to hear the other night. I had never been to Luckenbach before although I'd heard about it often. It's comfortable and clean with just enough cheesy old junk to be interesting for the non-country folk. And they sell Shiner of course so there's another plus. Jayme and I took The Boy with us on this gig, thinking it would be fun for him too and it was. He had fun catching fire flies near the horseshoe pits and playing with his official potato gun they sold in the gift shop for only three dollars and 50 cents.


His return to performing live was well received by his public in Luckenbach. The crowd of hundreds fell silent during his a capella performances, mesmerized by his voice. Yet happy and boisterous during his upbeat tempos. I'm hoping this is the start of a new paragraph in the biography of the Great Hal Ketchum.



Lisa On Location Photography