New Braunfels: James McMurtry at Gruene Hall

James McMurtry is hitting the road in 2025 to promote his latest album, The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, which was released on June 20, 2025. The tour includes performances across various venues, featuring both solo and full-band shows.

McMurtry’s new album delves into themes inspired by personal experiences and fictional narratives. The title track draws from hallucinations his late father experienced during his battle with dementia, featuring imagery of a black dog and a wandering boy. The album includes ten tracks, including “Laredo (Small Dark Something),” “Annie,” and “Broken Freedom Song.”

Collaborators on the album include Sarah Jarosz, Charlie Sexton, and BettySoo, among others.

James McMurtry is celebrated for his richly detailed narratives about everyday folks, small-town decay, and political grit. He’s an acknowledged influence on Americana stars such as Jason Isbell, with John Mellencamp praising him as “one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth.”

Born March 18, 1962, in Fort Worth, McMurtry was raised in Virginia. He got his first guitar at age 7, thanks to his novelist dad, Larry McMurtry. He got his early start at university beer gardens in Tucson before eventually winning the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk contest in 1987. John Mellencamp co-produced his debut, Too Long in the Wasteland (1989), which reached #125 on the Billboard 200 chart.