Joe Pat Hennen grew up listening to the radio. His parents gave him a small radio to put by his bed for his tenth birthday. "I would pull the covers over my head and with the help of that little radio I would be beamed to Rick's Hamburgers and hear the teenagers hanging out and request and talk about their favorite songs. The radio was actually a bigger influence on my life than TV. First came rock and roll and then came the folk scene of the sixties. I was never the same after hearing the folk rock of Bob Dylan, The Byrds, the Lovin' Spoonful. I know this stuff really dates me, but these were my true influences. Then came the Texas music scene and that put me over the edge. I had to become a folksinger/songwriter!" Hennen admits to being a songwriting product of the transistor radio generation, when an earphone and a 9-volt battery brought the music and stories of the outside world into the bedroom of a north Texas youngster. Hennen may now be the writer instead of the audience, but he has maintained the keen ear of a listener, wryly observing and chronicling the often-overlooked events that make everyday life far from ordinary.

And Hennen's latest release "A Little Bit Easy..." (February 2006) is produced by Texas guitar legend John Inmon (Lost Gonzo Band). It's twelve Hennen penned songs that will appeal to the ear of the most critical roots music fan. Inmon claims Hennen's songwriting skills match those of Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark and it's just a matter of time until listeners and the music world discover the same. Inmon should know. He's been on the Texas music scene for three decades and has influenced a generation of guitarists and songwriters including the late Stevie Ray Vaughn. Inmon called on Austin percussionist Paul Pearcy, bassist Glenn Fukunaga, and violinist Richard Bowden to join him and Hennen band members Barney Venables, Susie and Whitney Hennen (wife and daughter) to put together a collection of songs that reflect his skills at the craft of songwiting and his Texas roots. "A Little Bit Easy..." is the road less traveled. The songs are: Shiva Me Rik - Monahans - Captain and the Crew - Lousiana Clay - Raggedy Man - 7 a.m. to Houston - Soho to Tupelo - Grandpa's Blues - Emus and Goats - A Little Bit Easy... - No Right to Sing the Blues - She Sings Harmony -

And Hennen's latest release A Little Bit Easy... (February 2006) is produced by Texas guitar legend