Frank Clay Hill OLD BANDIT TIME is a film to celebrate the life and music of one of Texas’ original cosmic cowboys.
Scott has been an artist since the 1970’s in some form or medium. His list of original songs numbers in the 300’s. He has performed across the United States in venues large and small. His paintings have been exhibited in many settings and his sculptures have been represented in fine galleries across the US.
Scott’s musical influences are rooted in the sounds of Woodstock Rock and traditional country music. His own sound evolved with the 70’s Texas music revolution and has been rounded out by a sense and sound of Folk and Americana.
In 2014 Scott added playwright to the list of artistic endeavors, as his play Dust Bowl Motel debuted to three sold out performances at the J. Philip Gibbs, Jr. Centre for Performing Arts. Dust Bowl Motel was then chosen for Summer Rep at Sam Houston State University in 2015. Then in March 2016 the play opened at the historic Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas. The play was accompanied by an art show also titled Dust Bowl Motel at the Madley Gallery in downtown Conroe. This resulted in three nights of a successful run of theatre and art.
2019 marks the beginning of Scott’s film career. With a few small projects under his belt, the documentary Frank Clay Hill OLD BANDIT TIME will debut around the country. The film celebrates the life and music of Frank Clay Hill, one of Texas’ original cosmic cowboys.
Spending more time on songwriting and perfecting his craft through words has opened new doors for the seasoned musician, which include the theatrical productions. Scott has three CD’s that were released under the SpringStreet Records Label. “Too Old”, originally released in 1997, was a compilation of country and folk reflecting on a 25 year songwriting experience. His CD, “Smiling In The End”, released in 2005, shows the maturity of this songwriter who will leave a legacy of honest and real life songs for years to come. His 2007 CD, ”Highway 19”, chronicles the stories of growing up in a small Texas town, Friday night football games, two chair barber shops, one stop-light and a Dairy Queen. Scott’s forth CD was released in 2016 and is titled Dust Bowl Motel and features music from his play of the same name.
He has been fortunate enough to have been married to the same fine lady for over half his life and is blessed with a wonderful daughter that allows him to spoil two beautiful grand children. If that were not enough, he has had the pleasure of owning several fine horses.
I met Frank Clay Hill at the Kerrville Folk Festival perhaps ten years ago. He was known to have been a mainstay at the festival since near its beginning. He had many songs to add to the song circles. With his failing hearing, they were not always in tune but were deep and profound. He was always a true showman who lived the lyrics as he delivered them in a way only he could.
The more I listened to Frank the more intriguing he became. His stories ranged from the wars in South East Asia, high security government intrigue and flights of spy planes and that was all before we even get to the history of the music scene in Austin. He was one of the original cosmic cowboys. He was in the middle of the music scene of Austin as the Willie and Waylon era changed the way music evolved and became a movement. His songs have been covered by such notable artist as Gary P. Nunn.
This film captures the nature of this iconic songwriter as his memory has started to fail him. His place in the music community of the Kerrville Folk Festival, Austin and the world needs to be documented. The song Old Bandit Time, which he co-wrote with his ex-wife Judith Delmar, is highlighted in the film and shows the things he tries to hang on to even as his memory fades.