Gary P. Nunn

Gary P. Nunn is a Texas singer/songwriter whose career began in the 1960s with the Fabulous Sparkles before he settled in with the Lost Gonzo Band the following decade. Today he is a Texas institution, thanks to his frequent appearances, and songs that hail the state's culture and people. He got a taste of his future career in the seventh grade, when he joined a garage band. Later, he continued his education at South Plains College and Texas Tech University, gigging on weekends in West Texas. By 1968, he was a pharmacy major at the University of Texas, located in Austin. The city spawned country outlaws like Willie Nelson, who settled there in 1972, as did Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Martin Murphy. He ended up playing bass for all three musicians at one point. By the 1970s, Nunn was backing Walker with the Lost Gonzo Band. His songwriting skills flourished during this time. Artists who recorded his tunes include David Allan Coe and Roseanne Cash, as well as Murphy, Nelson, and Walker. His skills paid off with platinum and gold records. Walker, Nunn, and the Lost Gonzo Band put out six albums through MCA Records over the course of four years.

Nunn's time with Walker ended in 1977, and Nunn and the band put together three more albums, which were issued by Capital and MCA. In 1980, the Lost Gonzo Band dissolved. Nunn struck out on his own, minus help from any manager or agent. Since then, he publishes music, issues a newsletter to fans, and runs all aspects of his business, including his performance bookings. Nunn put out four albums through several independent labels before hooking up, in 1993, with Campfire Records, another independent based in San Antonio. The label released It's a Texas Thing in 2000. Mark White, governor of Texas in 1985, named Nunn the state's Official Ambassador to the World. The Texas Music Association's San Antonio division honored Nunn with its Award of Appreciation in 1990. Honors continued the following year, when Oklahoma's House of Representatives cited his contribution to southwestern music. In 1995, Nunn's name was included in Lubbock's West Texas Walk of Fame. Austin City Limits has made the songwriter's "London Homesick Blues" its theme for more than two decades. He continues to tour with the Sons of the Bunkhouse, his backing band. Nunn and his wife own and operate a cattle ranch in Oklahoma.