Kinky Friedman on Working With Sister Marcie on The Echo Hill Ranch Gold Star Camp

As said by Rolling Stone in 2018 about Kinky Friedman: “At 73, the Texas oddball has landed on a newfound sincerity. Friedman has arrived at a more empathic narrative voice, spinning old yarns in new ways.”

Last year, legendary singer/songwriter Kinky Friedman released “Resurrection” via Echo Hill Records. Produced by superstar producer, multi-instrumentalist, and three-time Grammy Award winner Larry Campbell, Kinky Friedman’s latest studio effort featured contributions from 3-time Grammy-winning engineer Justin Guip, co-writer Doc Elliot, and long-time pal Willie Nelson. In support of “Resurrection,” Friedman immediately kept busy with the “Merry Kinkster Tour,” and I had the pleasure of interviewing him in-person for the Jewish Journal during a New York City stop in late 2019.

However, there is a lot more to Kinky Friedman – who NPR called “the most outrageous Jewish cowboy in Texas” back in 2015 – than his 50-ish years in music. Sure, he was first full-blooded Jew to take the stage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and has had his sounds covered by the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits, Kelly Willis, Lyle Lovett and the aforementioned Willie Nelson. But philanthropy has also been a big part of the Kinky Friedman equation.

Friedman’s parents “Uncle Tom” and “Aunt Min” Friedman ran the 266-acre Echo Hill Ranch for 50 years, and their children operated it for another 10, before the echoes of happy campers’ laughter faded in 2013. But Kinky and his sister Marcie Friedman wanted to hear that laughter again, particularly from kids who could really use a chance to build happy, positive memories through nature hikes, horseback riding, canoeing and campfire singalongs; many of its campers are kids who were traumatized from the loss of an active-duty military or first-responder family member. So the Friedmans have resurrected the Texas Hill Country camp as the Echo Hill Ranch Gold Star Camp, where children of Gold Star families can experience the healing power of summer-camp fun, free of charge.

In turn, the Friedman siblings have established the nonprofit Echo Hill Ranch Foundation and are raising funds to cover all costs, including travel; donations may be made online via echohill.org. The foundation has partnered with several military nonprofits serving those families to identify “campership” candidates. Each of its 3 10-day sessions slated for 2021 will include 50 to 60 campers ages 8 through 12, while the third session is for children of deceased first-responders.

On Sep. 9, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kinky Friedman for a second time, as embedded below. We talked about the Echo Hill Ranch Gold Star Camp, his 2019 album “Resurrection,” his Jewish roots, his friend Willie Nelson and plenty more.

More on Kinky Friedman can be found here and here.