CMT News

Singer-songwriter Rusty Wier's family and friends will gather Thursday (Oct. 15) at the Saxon Pub in Austin, Texas, to celebrate his life and music. Wier, a mainstay of the Austin music scene, died Friday (Oct. 9) following a two-year battle with liver cancer. He was 65. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, he moved to Austin during the mid-'60s and became a leading figure in the progressive country movement of the '70s. Wier recorded more than a dozen albums for a variety of labels, including Stoned, Slow, Rugged (1974), Don't It Make You Wanna Dance (1975) and Black Hat Saloon (1976). Bonnie Raitt recorded one of his songs, "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance," for the Urban Cowboy film soundtrack.