Charlie Robison will be The MusicFest artists tribute to a legend at the 2025 MusicFest at Steamboat.
The late songwriter and artist whose career was crucial in raising the profile of Texas Music not just in Nashville and industry circles but around the world, was the only option for the 23rd edition of the tribute, according to MusicFest founder John Dickson. Robison’s death in September 2023 at age 59 marked not just the passing of a legend in the scene, but of a husband, brother, father, and a longstanding friend to The MusicFest at Steamboat.
“It’s so wonderful that John and Robin Dickson have chosen to honor Charlie as this year’s tribute artist,” Bruce Robison says. “I sure think he deserves this, and I’m sure proud to be Charlie’s little brother. MusicFest is a wonderful community of artists and music lovers that I believe were much influenced and entertained by ol’ Charlie. The Robison family is so proud and appreciative of this honor from Charlie’s friends and peers, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
John Dickson, who — like Charlie — saw his career in Texas Music take off while attending Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, became fast friends with Charlie, who ended up being a champion of MusicFest and one of its annual top-draw performers.
“I’ll say this — he was very straightforward with me, and I loved it,” Dickson says. “I have highest regards for anybody who’s just honest and straightforward, and he did that. He had his opinion about certain things, but he didn’t push it unless it was something he truly wanted to voice. And, he was selective about shows and festivals that he wanted to do, and he really embraced MusicFest. I will forever be thankful to him and his family for supporting it.”
Both Bruce and sister Robyn Ludwick will be a part of the tribute. At the 2024 festival, Bruce performed an emotional Dung Beetle Saloon set in which he shared the void left, personally and musically, by Charlie’s passing. “I know I want to go out and play shows, but — it’s hard,” Bruce told the crowd at one point. Dickson said the highest priority at the 2025 tribute will be showing support for Robison’s family, including widow Kristen Robison, his four children, and his siblings.
As part of the tribute and the entire 2025 festival, the Robison family will share a brand-new foundation and scholarship in Charlie’s honor. Ludwick is working this summer to finalize My Hometown: The Charlie Robison Music Foundation for Youth, a nonprofit dedicated to continuing Charlie’s legacy by enriching the lives of kids and young adults through music. The foundation will also work to provide scholarships to high school seniors striving for a career in music.
“Although there are more details to the scholarship and recipient requirements, the inspiration is to find the unlikely All-American boy and girl,” Ludwick says. “That’s what Charlie was to me. His grades sucked. He was poor, from a broken home, but somehow pushed through all of it while excelling in every sport — and then music. He also loved ranching, hunting, rodeo, fishing and kids.
“Charlie could do anything, or at least that is what he had us all believe. He lived life, charmingly irreverent and authentic, with odes to everyday people. He left bottles of whiskey buried in the desert and pistols hidden in every corner — and a legacy that burns bright, like his million-watt smile. I hope to honor (his legacy) in a way that would make him proud. He will never let me live it down if I don’t … Ha!”
MusicFest tributes tug at heartstrings regardless of who is honored. They are not just a celebration of music, but of artists who inspired both their peers and generations who followed in their footsteps. Charlie Robison always fit that bill. For him to be honored after his passing will make for a heavy, poignant showcase that is as much about comfort and healing as it is about hearing fellow musicians perform his songs.
“These tributes all have an emotional element to them,” Dickson says. “And this one is going to be very special and meaningful. In talking to Robyn and Bruce, I told them I want to make this about his music. But, because he was so close to everyone, and everybody respected him so much, and he had a lot of close friends who will be there — it’s going to be a memorable afternoon for all of us. But I want it to be uplifting. I think it’s going to be a real positive day, to be able to focus on his immense impact on the scene and on music, but also on the impact he had as a person.”
At the 2024 MusicFest, Reckless Kelly was honored as the tribute artist during an extended showcase inside the Steamboat Grand Ballroom after the band announced a year earlier that it intends to retire from touring. After Robison’s passing, members of Reckless offered to give up their tribute in favor of one for Robison, but Dickson insisted that waiting a year would allow some of the shock to wear off before respectfully attempting to honor Robison. Over the same timeframe, Reckless has occasionally incorporated “El Cerrito Place” into their live show, including during an encore at the Ryman Auditorium that Mike Harmeier and Jason Boland joined. Reckless Kelly co-founder and frontman Willy Braun says that every tribute to Robison is befitting of his legacy.
“Charlie was the real deal,” Braun says. “A tremendous songwriter, a monster of an entertainer, a great singer, and he even played a mean third base.
“He was one of those guys who was always on fire, and always the life of the party — hell, he even had an album called Life of the Party — but calling him “one of those guys” is wildly inaccurate. There wasn’t anyone else like him. He was unapologetically who he was, and he shot you straight every single time.
“We will all miss his music and his paramount role in shaping this little scene of ours, but what I’ll miss most is his genuine personality, his ‘I don’t give a shit’ attitude, and just finding out what he was gonna do next.”
That particular song, “El Cerrito Place,” is one of a handful of songs written by Keith Gattis — another songwriting icon and friend of Texas Music who passed away in 2023 — that Robison recorded over the course of six studio albums and a pair of live albums. His ten-plus minute rendition of the song on 2013’s Live at Billy Bob’s is regarded as one of the all-time great single performances in modern Texas Music. It’s an impressive compliment for a songwriter whose own catalog includes the timeless “Barlight” and his own singalong anthem, “My Hometown.”
As part of a tribute to Robison in a 2024 MusicFest edition of The Motel Cowboy Show, Bri Bagwell added, “Charlie has always been unbelievably kind to me, and I’m so thankful that we got to share the stage multiple times throughout my career. Charlie is the epitome of Texas Music — from the raw, truthful songwriting (with no boundaries), to the rock-and-roll attitude and stage show. The live versions of his songs capture the Texas Music underground movement happening in real time. It gives me goosebumps.”
The 2025 MusicFest will take place from January 6-11 at its annual home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It will be the 39th such party on the ski slopes. The precise day and time for the Robison tribute will be announced in the weeks leading up to the festival, along with the full music schedule. Dickson says to expect a lot of artists telling a lot of stories and cutting deep into Robison’s catalog. He also says to expect some emotional moments as we all reflect on his immeasurable contribution as an artist, genuine demeanor and authentic friendship.
“I don’t want to put expectations on what the tribute will be like,” Dickson says. “But, you know, it’s going to be a very special event, and one that is very dear to all especially for me and my family.”
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Josh Crutchmer is a journalist and author who has covered the Texas Music scene since 2000. His upcoming book, Red Dirt Unplugged, is available for pre-order now and will be a part of the 2025 edition of The MusicFest at Steamboat.
Access to the Tribute Show
Free tickets for the tribute show are available exclusively for MusicFest attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. Claim your ticket near The MusicFest General Store in The MusicFest Base Camp (mountain base near the Outdoor Stage) on January 9 at 12pm. (Limit 4 tickets total per person; every tribute ticket holder must be a registered MusicFest attendee—no exceptions.)
