(CelebrityAccess) — Richard Samet “Kinky” Friedman, the author, musician, and satirist known for songs such as “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore,” has died. He was 79.
His passing was announced in a post on his official social media account: “Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends. Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung.”
Born in Chicago in 1944, Friedman attended the University of Texas at Austin where he formed his first band, King Arthur & the Carrots in 1966 but recorded just one single featuring the songs Schwinn 24 and Beach Party Boo Boo.
In 1973, he launched his second foray into music when he founded the group Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys, seemingly a riff on the legendary Texas Swing band Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.
That same year, Friedman signed with Vanguard Records and recorded music that ranged from social critiques such as “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and The Ballad of Charles Whitman,” to ballads such as “Western Union Wire.”
In 1975, Friedman and his band appeared on Austin City Limit but the show was never broadcast due to the reportedly controversial nature of the performance.
“I’ve seen it many times – it’s a very popular party tape among friends. I think it was a great show, and it might be as offensive today as it was back then,” executive producer, Terry Lickona, told the Austin Chronicle in 2004.
After his music career began to fade in the late 1970s, Friedman pivoted to writing, penning several novels along with a regular column for the magazine Texas Monthly.
He also launched a career in politics, campaigning unsuccessfully for a series of offices that included Justice of the Peace in 1986 followed by a for Governor of Texas in 2006.
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