A handful of records had debuted in the 50s before, but “Luckenbach, Texas” came in at #48 in its first week. It went on to claim the #1 slot just five weeks later on May 21st, spending six weeks at the summit, one of only three country singles to achieve this feat during the 1970s (the others are Freddie Hart’s “My Hang Up Is You” in 1972 and C. W. McCall’s “Convoy” in late 1975 and early ‘76).
Suddenly the small town of Luckenbach (there really is such a place, basically just a wide spot in the road 50 miles north of San Antonio) was besieged by network reporters and camera crews.
Reportedly, over one hundred city limit signs have been stolen from the town since Waylon’s famous record first hit the airwaves in 1977. Twenty years later, toward the end of his career, Jennings finally made an appearance in Luckenbach for the first time, performing a concert there on July 4, 1997. Neither of the song’s writers (Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons) ever made their way to the tiny community.