Legendary Americana pioneer Robert Earl Keen to perform at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre on April 11

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The St. Augustine Amphitheatre, in partnership with Flying Saucer Presents, announced legendary Americana pioneer Robert Earl Keen will perform at The Amp on Sunday, April 11, for a limited-capacity concert with distanced seating. Enhanced safety measures and protocols are in place, including contactless digital ticketing, face covering requirements and mobile ordering for concessions.

It's not always easy to sum up a career, let alone a life's ambition, so succinctly, but those five words from Robert Earl Keen's calling-card anthem — "and the party never ends" — just about do it. But it's the part about the journey that gets right to the heart of what makes Keen tick. Some people take up a life of playing music with the goal of someday reaching a destination of fame and fortune; but from the get-go, Keen just wanted to write and sing his own songs, and to keep writing and singing them for as long as possible.

"I always thought that I wanted to play music, and I always knew that you had to get some recognition in order to continue to play music," Keen said. "But I never thought of it in terms of getting to be a big star. I thought of it in terms of having a really, really good career and writing some good songs, and getting onstage and having a really good time."

Now three-decades on from the release of his debut album, with 19 other records to his name, thousands of shows under his belt and still no end in sight to the road ahead, Keen remains as committed to and inspired by his muse as ever. And as for accruing recognition, he's done alright on that front, too. From his humble beginnings on the Texas folk scene, he's blazed a peer, critic and fan-lauded trail that's earned him living-legend, not to mention pioneer, status in the Americana music world. And though the Houston native has never worn his Texas heart on his sleeve, he’s regarded as one of the Lone Star state's finest true singer-songwriters.

A breakthrough album for Keen, “A Bigger Piece of Sky,” and its songs, such as "Amarillo Highway," "Whenever Kindness Fails" and "Corpus Christi Bay" are mainstays of his live set. The album was recorded in Nashville, produced by Garry Velletri, and mixed by Velletri and Jeff Coppage. The project features an amazing lineup consisting of Garry Tallent (E Street Band) on upright and electric bass, Marty Stuart on mandolin, Dave Durocher on percussion, Jay Spell on accordion, Jonathan Yudkin on violin and Maura O'Connell on vocals. It also features guest musicians George Marinelli (Bonnie Raitt) on harmony vocal and electric guitar, Tommy Spurlock on guitar, Michael Snow on tenor banjo, Bryan Duckworth on violin, Dave Heath on upright bass and Jennifer Prince on harmony vocals.

Tickets for Robert Earl Keen are on sale at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Box Office and online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are sold in pre-configured pods (groupings) ranging from two-to-eight seats per pod. Each pod is at least six feet from one to the next, and all seats within the pod must be purchased together. Additionally, all tickets are digital. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Box Office will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The box office will only accept payment via debit or credit card.