For all the miles beloved Texas troubadour Lyle Lovett has logged in circling the world many times over while sharing his full-bodied blend of country, folk and Western swing music, he has never forgotten his Aggie roots.
The four-time Grammy Award winner recently stopped in College Station for a two-day February campus visit hosted by the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts. While in Aggieland, he toured the school's facilities, met with school leadership and faculty, and spoke with students and local press.
Lovett, a 1979 graduate of Texas A&M University, honed his musical craft in college, networking with fellow Aggie musicians like Robert Earl Keen ’78 — also a College of Arts and Sciences graduate and legendary performer in his own right — and playing gigs at local restaurants and venues.
“Without being here at Texas A&M, I would not have had that experience,” Lovett said.
Lovett made time to speak to two performance studies classes, where he answered questions from students and reflected on his musical influences, shared stories from his college years and discussed life as a touring musician. In between campus appearances, he also stopped by the Grand Stafford Theater along with school leadership to chat with students who were working with one of the school's staff members there.
“I have gotten to do in my life, my whole life so far, what I love to do,” Lovett said. “Playing and singing was something I did for fun. Playing and singing was something I never imagined turning into a job, and I feel really fortunate.”
As a languages and journalism major, Lovett said he is particularly inspired by Texas A&M’s invigorated academic emphasis on the performing arts, joking that during his time in Aggieland in the ’70s, the only performing arts program was the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. Back then, Lovett recalled his musical passion being fueled by strumming guitars with dorm buddies and listening to a steady rotation of singer-songwriters like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.
In addition to working for The Battalion, he also became involved in the student organization the Basement Coffee House, now known as Coffeehouse and part of MSC Town Hall, where he both performed and booked shows throughout the year.
“Right here, in school, at Texas A&M — you will never again in your life have as great of access to people you want to be around as you do right now,” Lovett said. “It’s church, in a way. You’re together with people who are like-minded to a certain degree, who are interested in the same thing. It was a valuable part of my education here at Texas A&M.”
Be open to all the tangents that come from what you are doing here at Texas A&M… You’re going to be great at doing whatever is authentically you.
Throughout his nearly 40-year career as a full-time mainstream entertainer, beginning with the debut of his self-titled album in 1986, Lovett has made it a priority to stay connected to Texas A&M through the Aggie Core Value of service. In 2000, he and his old friend Keen, an English major, joined forces for The Bonfire Benefit Concert, raising more than $90,000 to help victims’ families with medical and other expenses. He is a member of The Association of Former Students Endowed Century Club and once served on the College of Arts and Sciences (then the College of Liberal Arts) development council. He was recognized with the Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015.
In a parting message, Lovett encouraged students, no matter their life trajectory, to stay authentic to themselves.
“I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but be open to all the tangents that come from what you are doing here at Texas A&M,” Lovett said. “Being open to all of the incidental possibilities could shape the rest of your life. That’s an awesome responsibility — to decide what you’re doing, how you’re going to do it… You’re going to be great at doing whatever is authentically you.”