Texas Music News — August 21, 2026
Ray Wylie Hubbard just released his 20th studio album, Reel 2 Reel 4 Real, and at 79 he sounds meaner than ever. Most songwriters ease into their later years. They trade the electric guitar for something quieter and softer. Not Hubbard. The Patron Saint of “Grit, Groove, Tone and Taste” released the album today on Bordello Records. It hits less like a farewell tour and more like a bar fight spilling onto the street. Jonathan Tyler produced most of the record at his Austin studio, cutting songs live to tape with Hubbard’s road band. That crew includes drummer Kyle Schneider, bassist John Michael Schoepf, and Hubbard’s own son, guitarist Lucas Hubbard.
Hubbard grew up in Oak Cliff, the gritty South Dallas neighborhood that shaped his outlaw voice. He broke through in the 1970s Austin scene. Jerry Jeff Walker turned his song “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” into a regional anthem back in 1973. Decades later, Hubbard settled into the Texas Hill Country. Today, his home in Wimberley, Texas, still doubles as a writing room. The Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inducted him in 2018, putting him alongside Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.
Louder, Not Softer, at 79
The new record leans on guest musicians who know Hubbard’s sound cold. Cody Braun of Reckless Kelly adds fiddle and mandolin, while Bukka Allen brings organ and Tobin Dale contributes guitar. Two songs came together differently. Hubbard cut them in Los Angeles with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ringo Starr made the introduction, which says plenty about who respects Hubbard’s music.
Hubbard isn’t shy about how the record turned out. “You know, a lot of artists when they put out a record, they go, ‘This is the best record I’ve done up to this point,'” he says. “But I’m not going to say this is the best record I’ve done. I’ll say it’s the best record I’ve ever heard.”
That confidence extends to how the album got its name. Hubbard didn’t plan on making a full record when he walked into Tyler’s studio to demo songs. But Tyler had three mics up on the drums, they hit record, and the songs stuck. Three tracks came together live to tape, right there on the spot — hence Reel 2 Reel 4 Real. Lead single “Cassette Mix Tape” dropped in May, a song about stealing his dad’s Chevy Vega as a teenager. “Dog or Wolf” followed this summer to build anticipation for the full record.
Hubbard’s horoscope sign nears 80 this November. Still, nothing on Reel 2 Reel 4 Real sounds like a man slowing down. He’s still shaking the devil’s cage, one tape reel at a time.
Details at Saving Country Music.
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Austin City Limits Festival turns 25 this October. The festival returns to Zilker Park for two weekends, Oct. 2-4 and Oct. 9-11, 2026. Charli XCX, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, and the xx headline the bill. Skrillex closes out weekend one, and Kings of Leon closes weekend two. Details at ACL Festival.