Country music veteran and mystery writer Kinky Friedman has died, aged 79
nme.compic.twitter.com/sIXnoglSby— Kinky Friedman (@FriedmanKinky) June 27, 2024Born Richard Samet Friedman, he was raised by Jewish parents in Chicago before the family moved to Texas when he was young.
Friedman formed his first group while majoring in psychology at the University of Texas. The band, named King Arthur & The Carrots, were a surf-rock parody group that earned him the nickname Kinky.In 1973, he formed the satirical country rock band Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys.
Together, the band parodied a myriad of topics ranging from the taboo to everyday happenings and American politics. Their debut album ‘Sold American’ released in 1973, and Friedman released a self-titled album the following year.Friedman soon became close friends with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, touring with the latter between 1975 and 1976.
He released four more albums between 1974 and 1983 before taking a sabbatical from music to try his hand as a novelist.He wrote a number of detective novels based around the Kinky Friedman character, who was shaped after Sherlock Holmes.
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