Butch Hancock (b. 1945) is a beloved singer/songwriter from Lubbock and an original member of the Flatlanders.
Hancock studied architecture at Texas Tech University from 1963 to 1971, before pursuing a musical career in 1972 with high school buddies Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Joe Ely in their newly formed group, The Flatlanders. Disbanding rather quickly, Hancock founded his own record company, Rainlight Records, in 1978 and released his debut solo album, Texas Waltzes and Dust-Blown Tractor Tunes. In 1983, Hancock co-founded the Artist Seven Studio in Austin with George Howard and went on to produce over 150 video recordings of Texas musicians. Throughout his life, Hancock enjoyed and excelled at drawing and photography. His works are exhibited at the CUE Art Foundation, curated by longtime friend, Terry Allen, as well as the Texas State Capitol Rotunda (1978). In 1990, Hancock opened “Lubbock-or-Leave-It,” a public studio, book and record store, and movie theater in Austin. In the 2000s, The Flatlanders reunited, releasing two albums and appearing on the Don Imus and David Letterman Shows. Hancock’s most recent release is War and Peace (2006), which he wrote and recorded almost every instrument.
Butch Hancock was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in 1998.
