WITH 90 MINUTES UNTIL SHOWTIME, parking is already scarce at the Curry County Events Center. I hurry toward the front gates, passing out-of-towners as they help their children down from dusty pickups and young couples dressed in pearl snaps and cowboy hats, huddled close against the brisk April night. A long line of ticket holders snakes into the Clovis Music Festival, which draws thousands to this annual celebration of the town’s musical history.
Inside, I sidestep the flow of bodies pouring in the double doors to have a look around. The large oval arena, home to traveling circuses and rodeos, bustles with activity. A raised platform with giant speakers dominates one end, along with stage lights and rows of floor seating by the stage. At last, the lights dim, a roar from the crowd fills the arena, and an announcer grabs the microphone for a quick shout-out.
“Norman Petty’s success as a record producer, and the legacy he left behind, has led us here tonight,” the announcer says, spotlighting how the Clovis native’s contributions to early rock and roll still reverberate throughout this town just nine miles west of the New Mexico–Texas border.
Uncle Kracker takes the stage to kick off the evening with his large ensemble band. Their rollicking, catchy songs shrink the massive venue to an intimate honky-tonk bar. Best known for his 2001 hit “Follow Me,” the Detroit singer has an
