Texas Country Music Legend Tommy Alverson Has Died

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Perhaps east of the Sabine River, or west of Amarillo or Abilene, the most you might get from someone if you mention the name Tommy Alverson is, “sounds familiar.” But down in Texas, he might as well be a patron saint. Everybody in Texas music knows of Tommy Alverson, because he is synonymous with the music of the state, and was one of Texas country’s founding fathers. That is why the Lone Star State is in mourning today at the news of Tommy’s passing on November 14th.

Originally from Hill County just south of Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tommy Alverson graduated from Itasca High School where he played varsity football. Alverson’s father Tom Alverson was also a musician and singer. When Alverson released a tribute album to his fellow Hill County native son Willie Nelson from nearby Abbott, it was a full circle moment when Alverson recorded “Uncloudy Day.” Along with being a hit for Willie, Tommy’s dad sang on a version of the song from 1954.

While attending junior college, Alverson landed a gig playing guitar for another Texas legend, James Hand, and would go on to produce Hand’s first album. Throughout his career, Alverson would share the stage with the likes of Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Charlie Robison, Johnny Bush, Johnny Gimble, Jerry Jeff Walker, and many more legends of Texas music, and all of those legends of Texas music counted Tommy as one of their own.

But it happens to be that Tommy Alverson spent much of his early Texas country career as a moonlighter and weekend warrior. He worked for the Miller Brewing Company for 30 years while writing and performing songs on the side. He released a couple of cassette records early on that would become the album Texasongs released in 1995.

Somewhat fittingly, it was the song “Una Mas Cerveza” off of Alverson’s 1999 album Me on the Jukebox produced by Lloyd Maines that blew up into a big regional hit, and finally allowed Alverson to quit his day job for Miller Brewing. Even if you’ve never heard of Tommy Alverson or his music, you’ve probably hear your favorite Texas band play “Uno Mas Cerveza.” It’s required learning as you’re coming up in the honky tonks in Texas.

Tommy Alverson’s songs were of Texas, from Texas, and for Texas. Well before it became cliché for Texas artists to sing about Texas, Tommy Alverson was doing it. One of the reasons Texas bands sing about Texas is because they all want to be like Tommy Alverson. If people from other states wanted to listen along to his Texas songs, that was perfectly fine with Tommy. But his heart, his sound, and his spirit was always true to the Lone Star State.

It wasn’t just his songs that helped give music from Texas a distinct identity separate from the Nashville influence. In 1998, Tommy Alverson put together a small event at the Melody Mountain Ranch in Stephenville, Texas he called the Texas Music Family Gathering. It went so well, he decided to make it a little bigger the next year. Each year, it continued to grow until it was one of the most legendary gatherings in Texas music around.

Alverson’s Texas Music Family Gathering became the stuff of legend and a proving ground for talent for 20 years, helping to inspire other Texas music festivals like the Larry Joe Taylor Festival.

Tommy Alverson released eight albums overall including a couple of live records. When news came down that he was seriously ailing, a tribute was assembled at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, where Alverson was so instrumental in helping develop a local music scene. On October 27th, close friend Walt Wilkins, along with Michael Martin Murphy, Gary P. Nunn, Larry Joe Taylor, Deryl Dodd, Courtney Patton, Matt Hillyer, and many more performed, speaking to the respect Tommy Alverson pulled from his fellow performers.

“We lost one of the best today,” said fellow musician and DJ Dallas Wayne. “I’m not talking about his songwriting, singing or his guitar playing. Although he was amazing at all those things…I’m talking about him as a man, father, husband and a friend. Tommy Alverson was all about kindness, heart and compassion. He always displayed those core values every time you were around him. I loved watching him with Amy, Piper and Willie. The love he had for his family and friends made me believe in goodness.”

Tommy Alverson’s wife, Amy Carol Alverson, announced Tommy’s passing on November 14th. Tommy also leaves behind a young son he had later in life, Willie.

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