Casey photo exhibit opens in Lubbock
Albany rancher Watt Casey Jr. is also a professional photographer, and last weekend he was the featured artist at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock.
The Center hosted a gallery talk, book signing, and opening reception for Showtime: Photographs of Music Legends by Watt Casey, Jr. on Sunday, June 2.
In addition to taking photographs of ranch scenes, in the 1970s Casey began photographing countless musicians who either lived in Austin or came to Austin on tour.
A choice selection of images Casey captured of various famous musicians, both on stage and away from the spotlights, are featured in My Guitar Is a Camera.
Casey’s book was published by Texas A&M Press in 2017 and is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Books, the Grammy Museums in California and Mississippi, and other book stores both online and brick and mortar.
“The opening was in the well-designed gallery space,” said Casey. “There were eight folks from Albany there, along with friends of mine from other places and people that I did not know. I ended up talking and answering questions for about 50 minutes.”
A few, like Casey, had ties to the music industry.
“One man had lived in Freehold NJ, which is where Bruce Springsteen is from,” said Casey. “So we had a good visit about Bruce after the talk.”
Casey also met photographer Chris Kelly.
“Chris spent a lot of time with Stevie Ray Vaughan and really knew him well,” said Casey. “I knew Stevie pretty well but nothing like Chris, so we had an interesting visit about our mutual friend who we both had great respect for.”
Casey not only signed books for the guests, he also signed extra copies of My Guitar Is a Camera, and they are now available in the museum’s gift shop.
“One of the wonderful things about the exhibit being up now is that so many people visit the Buddy Holly Center during the summer,” said Casey, “not only from the USA but from other nations around the world. Buddy’s influence went way beyond Lubbock!”
The Buddy Holly Center is a historical site and has dual missions – preserving, collecting, and promoting the legacy of Buddy Holly and the music of Lubbock and West Texas, and providing exhibits on contemporary visual arts and music, for the purpose of educating and entertaining the public.
The museum is free during normal hours and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. It is located at 1801 Cricket Avenue in Lubbock.
Holly and J.I. Alison rehearsed and wrote songs including “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue” in the bedroom of Alison’s childhood home, which was moved next door to the museum a few years ago.
“If you haven’t been there, it is worth the trip,” said Casey. “They have done a magnificent job with Buddy’s stuff which includes guitars, amps, clothes, and letters. A lot of writing in the displays tells the story of Buddy’s place in the music world and how he influenced so many.”
Old Jail Art Center executive director Pat Kelly, who curated Casey’s exhibit for the local museum two years ago, was one of the guests at the opening.
Casey’s work has been on tour at museums in the U.S. for the past two years.
