Singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen, a native of Bandera, Texas, began playing the guitar as a diversion from journalism classes at Texas A&M. To fend off boredom, he and neighbor Lyle Lovett jammed together and, on Sunday mornings, serenaded churchgoers across the street from Keen's house sitting on the front porch in their underwear. As Keen's songwriting talent blossomed and he began to make a name for himself in Austin, Lovett recorded one of his songs, as did Nanci Griffith, Joe Ely, and Kelly Willis. This provided a springboard for a solo career, which culminated with the simultaneous release of his fifth and most accomplished album, 1994's Gringo Honeymoon, and the birth of his daughter. His sixth album, Number 2 Live Dinner, was released in March of 1996; Picnic followed the next year, and in 1998 Keen returned with Walking Distance.