Richard “Kinky” Friedman died June 27, at the age of 79. Beloved Texas icon, author, songwriter, tequila pitchman, and gubernatorial candidate, Friedman was born in Chicago in 1944 but moved to the Houston area the next year with his family. Nicknamed “Kinky” due to his curly hair, he formed the band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys in 1973. That same year their song “Sold American” hit the charts when it was covered by Glen Campbell. He was also a prolific author, writing a mystery series that starred a fictional version of the author as a detective. In addition, he was a contributor to Texas Monthly, writing a humor column titled the Last Roundup from 2001-2005. In 2006 under the campaign slogan of “How Hard Could It Be?” he ran for Governor of Texas as an independent candidate. For the past twenty years, he lived on his ranch in the Texas Hill Country where he spent his last years surrounded by the Texas landscape he loved.
For a more in-depth obituary, check out this one from Texas Monthly.
Here are the titles by Kinky Friedman in the TBP collection.
Fiction
KINKY FRIEDMAN SERIES
| 1-3. THREE COMPLETE MYSTERIES (DB 39624) |
| 6. ELVIS, JESUS, & COCA COLA (DBC 14308) |
| 7. ARMADILLOS & OLD LACE (DBC 26894) |
| 8. GOD BLESS JOHN WAYNE (DB 45711) |
| 9. LOVE SONG OF J. EDGAR HOOVER (DBC 26309) |
| 10. ROADKILL (DBC 12044) |
| 12. SPANKING WATSON (DB 51194) |
| 13. MILE HIGH CLUB (DBC 18370) |
| 14. STEPPIN’ ON A RAINBOW (DBC 14404) |
| 15. MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH (DBC 18282) |
| 16. CURSE OF THE MISSING PUPPET HEAD (DBC 12055) |
| 17. PRISONER OF VANDAM STREET (DBC 14395) |
| 18. TEN LITTLE NEW YORKERS (DBC 11994, LB 11634) |
Stand Alone Titles
| CHRISTMAS PIG: A FABLE (DBC 12024) |
Non-Fiction
| YOU CAN LEAD A POLITICIAN TO WATER BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE HIM THINK: TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR TEXAS POLITICS (DBC 11945) |