Artists

In June 1967, a unique country-gospel-folk-bluegrass-rock-jug band mashup forms in Austin, Texas. Whistler's instrumentation and vocal harmonies are reminiscent of '60s groups The New Christy Minstrels, the one-hit wonder We Five, and The Mamas and Papas. But even as a mash-up of many genres, this talented quartet performs in a style mostly influenced by Austin's strong late '60s folk and country-rock music scene. Whistler takes its name from Whistler's Jug Band, a Louisville, Kentucky, jazz combo popular in the 1920s. Whistler – that is, the Austin version in the '60s and '70s – frequently plays The Vulcan Gas Company – Austin's iconic hippie live music emporium – and The Chequered Flag, Austin's premiere folk-jazz cabaret, gathering a cross-over audience of hippies and folk and Americana aficionados alike. Mixing well-known modern folk songs like The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and May The Circle Be Unbroken with the band's original songs, by spring 1970, Whistler captures a regular Wednesday night slot at Bonnie's Place, a modest but popular BBQ joint on East 6th Street in East Austin. Whistler becomes an Austin cult favorite, bringing notoriety – and large, hungry crowds – to Bonnie's.

Spring 1970 also is when Whistler comes to record with Sonobeat co-founder and producer Bill Josey Sr. Although the Sonobeat archives are silent on the location of Whistler's recording sessions, we're reasonably certain that they're held at Sonobeat's intimate home-based Western Hills Drive studio in northwest Austin. The sessions yield two tracks – Jean Harlow and We Crossed The Line, both originals by the band's guitarist and lead vocalist, Roy Robinson. We've been unable to locate the original half-inch 4-track session masters, which the archives refer to; we find only monaural mix-downs of the two songs, both of which are solidly performed. We can assume that Bill Sr. intends to release them as a Sonobeat single during summer 1970. But Whistler's single is never released, and we think we know why: the band abruptly moves to San Francisco in late spring, shortly after completing its Sonobeat sessions. This makes the band's personal appearances in Central Texas – Sonobeat's primary market – to promote the single impossible, thus assuring a Sonobeat regional release would be a commercial failure. The band moves to California in hopes of capitalizing on the folksy hippie movement that coalesces during 1967's Summer of Love in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, and, indeed, Whistler plays gigs at The Family Dog and Fillmore West, both iconic Bay Area venues, and briefly tours with Santana. But the band returns to Austin in August and, immediately on returning, books regular weeknight gigs at the New Orleans Old World Nightclub and The Chequered Flag, both in downtown Austin. And Whistler is one of only three acts selected to play the opening night – August 7, 1970 – at Vulcan Gas Company's successor, Armadillo World Headquarters. The band's return to Austin rekindles Sonobeat's interest in releasing the single, but only weeks after Whistler's Armadillo grand opening performance, the unit falls apart. Core members reform in September '70 as country-boogie trio Cross Country, performing frequently at the Armadillo as well as at The Chequered Flag, but with the trio sporting a new name and new sound, once again Sonobeat abandons plans to release Jean Harlow and We Crossed The Line, this time permanently shelving the tracks.

The Whistler unit Sonobeat records in spring 1970 features Roy Robinson (professionally known today as Amos Staggs), Linda Robinson (Roy's wife), Jenkins Garrett, and Bill Dorman. In 1973, after a three year hiaitus, Whistler regroups, this time with a line-up featuring Bill Dorman, Roy and Linda Robinson, Richard "Red" Schulz (pedal steel and dobro), and George Smid (drums). This new incarnation of Whistler opens and then continues to play regular gigs at Austin's Soap Creek Saloon, Castle Creek, and River City Inn (where it holds down a regular Sunday night spot for months). On April 18, 1973, an Austin Statesman newspaper feature by Mary Pat O'Malley warmly captures Whistler's "homey country rock" return to Austin on the occasion of the band's "whing-ding" performance with Willie Nelson at Armadillo World Headquarters. In 1974, the band takes its final bow. Roy, taking the stage name Amos Staggs, continues a long-running career touring the U.S. with dozens of country and pop music icons and writing dozens of hit songs.

As noted above, we haven't found Whistler's 4-track session masters, so in 2023, to demonstrate the band's excellent harmonies, we've used AI audio tools to extract and stereoize the vocals and offer below an excerpt from We Crossed The Line.

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