There seems to be a place for everything in the great state of Texas. There's a strawberry capital (Poteet), an apple capital (Medina), a cowboy capital (Bandera — or Stephenville, depending on who you ask), and if you're looking for the love capital of the Lone Star State, well, look no further than Valentine, Texas. The West Texas town (population 217), located just outside of the word famous artsy Marfa, has become a destination for sweethearts who want to celebrate Feb. 14 Texas-style. (Thousands of people from around the world even send their valentines to the tiny town to have them postmarked from Valentine, Texas.)
Who better to immortalize this Texas tradition in song than The Panhandlers? The supergroup of proud Texans, made up of Josh Abbott, John Baumann, William Clark Green and Flatland Cavalry's Cleto Cordero, are celebrating the most romantic day of the year with the release of "Valentine, For Valentines," which exalts a road trip out west with your significant other over swanky dinner reservations or a night in watching rom-coms.
The song, a duet between Cordero and singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts, is featured on The Panhandlers' forthcoming sophomore album Tough Country (out March 3).
"Because John [Baumann] wrote 'Valentine,' he originally sang on it but ended up not liking his vocal on the song and then asked Cleto if he would like to sing it instead," Kaitlin Butts tells Wide Open Country. "That day, I just happened to be in the studio when they were recording that song and they asked me to hop on it. I sang on the first record and it felt like it made a lot of sense to have Cleto and I singing a love song about a place where we have a lot of great memories, West Texas!"
Listen to "Valentine, For Valentines" below.
Josh Abbott says Tough Country, the follow-up to the group's 2020 self-titled debut and 2022 EP West Texas is the Best Texas, is a celebration of a region near and dear to each band member.
READ MORE: The Best Romantic Movies on Netflix To Stream This Valentine's Day
