It was a Texas Cruise
While most of you were freezing last week, I was walking the beaches of Grand Cayman and swimming in very warm, crystal clear Caribbean waters full of brightly colored fish. I just thought you wanted to know that. We had been to Cozumel the previous day and
At Las Palmeras in Cozumel with friends Linda, Shirley, and Phil.
the next day we were in Jamaica which is always warm and sunny.
Of course, today as I write this, the freezing weather has returned to Texas, but it’s not as bad as it was the week we were in the warm Caribbean. So I have actually participated in winter here to some extent. If it makes you feel any better, you might know I spent the first few days back from our cruise fixing bursted water pipes here at Sherwood Ranch.
It was all part of the Tex Mex Fandango cruise and you can see plenty of photos in the near future at TexMexFandango.com
We sailed out of Galveston on January 30 and spent 7 days on the water. Sailing with us was T. Gozney Thornton and the Old Hat Band, Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes, and Kenny Daniel of Kenny and the Kasuals fame. Also performing was Joe Forlini and Cynthia Jordan.
Two old pro's - T. Gozney Thornton and Augie Meyers
The cruise was coordinated by Texas Cruise Company and there were 105 of us from the Tex Mex Fandango group on board the Royal Caribbean ship Voyager of the Seas. The band had 3 private performances just for our group and an additional ship wide performance. The Old Hat Band featuring T.Gozney Thornton wowed the crowd and our group of over 100 turned into twice that many due to party crashers who knew a good thing when they heard it.
T. Gozney Thornton sang his new song “Necesita Nada Mas” which I predict will be a big hit on both the country charts and the Tejano charts. It’s danceable, singable, and catches the imagination of everyone who hears it. It was a crowd favorite. T. Gozney Thornton is a professional all the way and knows how to put on a great performance every time he sets foot on the stage.
I had a number of opportunities to visit one-on-one with Augie Meyers and he is
Augie Meyers and David Werst
one of the all time legendary greats of the music world. From his time with Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet, to the great Texas Tornadoes, Augie Meyers is a living legend. He took command of the stage and belted out hit song after hit song including “Hey baby, Que Paso!“ and “Who were you thinking of, when we were making love“. Augie told me some of the stories of the times with Doug Sahm and Flaco Jiminez and a short story about his famous Vox Continental that made the sound that made the Texas Tornadoes famous. He is one of the most humble and unassuming music stars you would ever want to meet. He and his wife Sara made a lot of new friends and a lot of new fans on the cruise.
Kenny Daniel played his unique brand of rock and roll and middle age go-go girls (who were a part of our cruise bunch) danced together on the cruise ship dance floor like teenagers. Back in the day, Kenny Daniel and his band Kenny and the Kasuals were the top teen band in North Texas and opened for some pretty famous acts.
Cindy Jordan, the fantastic lady who wrote the #1 hit song “Jose Cuervo, You are a Friend of Mine” sang her song on the Tex Mex
Joe Forlini, T. Gozney Thornton, Cindy Jordan, Pam Thornton, Tiana Thornton
Fandango Cruise and she also was asked to sing at several of the other venues on the ship. She is a musical talent in many different ways and was a real high spot on the cruise for so many of her fans. Her song, “If Texas Was a Woman,” just blew us all away. She sings, she composes, she plays musical instruments, she writes #1 hit songs, and she is a heck of a nice person.
Guitar virtuoso Joe Forlini was a workhorse on the cruise with his lead guitar. His renditions of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Pride and Joy” were amazing and the crowd sang along to Forlini’s version of Delbert McClinton’s “Every Time I Roll The Dice.”
There were also impromptu jam sessions where anyone could join in and several cruisers took advantage of the sessions and jammed along with the featured performers. James Archer performed several songs right along with T. Gozney Thornton, Joe Forlini, Tiana Thornton, Kenny Daniel, Cindy Jordan, Johnathin Schaab and some of the ship’s regular performers who joined in.
How can you join in on all this fun? Simply join us on next year’s Tex-Mex Fandango Blues Music Cruise IV. It’s a new ship, new itinerary, and some of the same great music along with some Texas Blues Music with Jeff Strahan. It’s going to be a Real Texas tradition that you can be a part of. Drop me a note if you want more information.
We drank margaritas and whiled away an afternoon at Las Palmeras in Cozumel. We swam and para-sailed in Grand Cayman, and visited Dunne’s River Falls and Croydon Plantation in Jamaica.
Next year the destinations are Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. Yes, you and your friends can join us. It’s gonna be a Real Texas Cruise party.
My dog Bowie
The only bad part? Yes, you guessed it. After being gone for 7 days of cruising, fun and making merry and 2 additional days before the cruise……I really missed my dog. It’s a Real Texas thang, y’all.
I’m David out in Real Texas
P.S. My dog was really glad to see me
