Welcome to the great nation of Texas, Jason Isbell. The singer-songwriter recently posted about a new honor bestowed upon him by Texas: citizenship. Or at least the honorary kind.
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At his third straight sold-out performance in Austin, Isbell received a certificate from Gov. Greg Abbott's office declaring him an honorary Texan. Brendon Anthony, who heads up the Texas Music Office, bestowed the honor. Anthony is himself a longtime fiddle player for acts like Pat Green.
Isbell Tweeted a picture of the certificate with a surprised look. "Doesn't get much better than this," Isbell writes. "Thanks to Austin, ACL Live and all of Texas! What an incredible weekend."
Doesn't get much better than this. Thanks to Austin, @acllive, and all of Texas! What an incredible weekend. pic.twitter.com/GzV68Ro3Qr
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) July 17, 2017
The proclamation reads: "To all whom these presents shall come. Greetings: Know ye that Jason Isbell is hereby commissioned an Honorary Texan under the laws of the State of Texas, and emoluments appertaining to said office. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name, and caused the Seal of the State of Texas to be affixed at the City of Austin, this, the 9th Day of June, 2017."
Isbell played the three straight shows at Austin's Moody Theater this past weekend. The 38-year-old Americana darling sold them out, a first in his career.
He originally hails from Green Hills, Ala., but he's played many shows in Texas, both as a solo act and a member of Drive-By Truckers. His wife and fiddle player Amanda Shires grew up in Lubbock and Mineral Wells, Texas. So it's not too far of a stretch to see the Isbell family's roots in the state.
Plus, Texans love to adopt great musicians as their own. Isbell recently released his new record with The 400 Unit called The Nashville Sound. The album earned critical praise pretty much instantly.
Since his 2013 album Southeastern, Isbell remains one of the hottest acts outside the mainstream. His 2015 follow up album Something More Than Free snagged two Grammy Awards. He then took across the world to tour before returning to the studio to work up the new record.
