The Flatlanders

The Flatlanders represent a pivotal, if initially overlooked, junction in American roots music. Formed in 1972 in Lubbock, Texas, the trio of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock combined Gilmore's high-lonesome mysticism, Ely's rock-and-roll energy, and Hancock's Dylanesque songwriting.

Their early recordings for Shelby Singleton at Sun Studios were famously rejected by the industry, leading to the band's dissolution and the subsequent rise of all three as solo titans of the Texas scene. The 1990 reissue of their 1972 sessions, 'More a Legend Than a Band', retroactively established them as the architects of what would become Americana. Their sound is characterized by a unique blend of traditional country structures and 'cosmic' folk sensibilities, most notably the inclusion of Steve Wesson's musical saw, which provided an eerie, psychedelic texture. Critical consensus views them as a 'supergroup' that existed before the term was earned, serving as a bridge between the folk-revivalism of the 60s and the alt-country explosion of the 90s.