Author to host book signing at Hudson's on Mercer

Author Dave Dalton Thomas recently released “Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition,” published by Texas A&M University Press. The book is the only complete history of the event’s 50-year history and the culmination of decades of obsession and research.

Thomas will be signing books at Hudson's on Mercer, located at 381 Mercer St. in Dripping Springs on Saturday, May 11 at 7 p.m.

Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic started on a ranch near Dripping Springs in 1973 and has traveled across Texas and even the nation as a somewhat-annual fest, including lengthy stops in Luckenbach and Fort Worth. The picnic has featured legends such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Neil Young, Leon Russell, George Jones, the Grateful Dead and many more.

In endorsing the book, John Spong, senior editor at Texas Monthly, said: “Dave Dalton Thomas turns a seemingly narrow slice of Willie World into a highly specific telling of the wider Willie story ... Essential reading for fans of Willie and students of life.”

Ray Benson, who attended many of the Picnics with Asleep at the Wheel said: “Dave has done an incredible job in documenting the many years of Willie’s picnics. Even though I appeared at most of them, the details of the inner workings of so many moving parts was enlightening.”

In a review of the book, Michael Barnes of the Austin American- Statesman added: “For my money, ‘Picnic’ belongs on the list of the best books about Texas.”

Preview the book at davetexas.com and see a complete list of events from the “Picnic World Tour of Texas.”