MEXIA, Texas — There has been a lot of talent and fame produced from Central Texas. Amongst the long list is legendary songwriter Cindy Walker.
The daughter of a cotton broker, she was born July 20, 1918, in Mart, Texas, but Walker spent most of her life in Mexia, Texas.
At 87 years old, Walker died in 2006, but there is a group who is working to make sure her legacy lives on in Central Texas and in the music industry.
Lindsay Liepman, founder of the Cindy Walker Foundation, is the driving force in honoring the legendary songwriter. The 501 (c)(3) non-profit is starting the tribute by restoring Walker's Mexia home.
"It's falling apart on the outside, and it's caving in on the inside and I just felt like how can I tell her story and leave this piece of her legacy sitting here to eventually fall to pieces," Liepman said.
The foundation was able to raise enough money to buy the historic home form the Adkinson family, who had gain ownership after Walker's housekeeper died.
As the restoration process has started, Liepman has discovered an unshared archive of Walker's life.
"What we didn't know was there was music inside," she explained. "We didn't know there was art that Cindy had painted inside, there was a typewriter, there was multiple historic pieces of clothing, including ballgowns, that she had worn to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame."
The music recovered in the home was found on reels and is estimated to be from the late '50s to '60s. The foundation has sent them off to an archivist to see if they can be restored.
Liepman said Walker's home deserves to be promoted and preserved as she did so much for the city of Mexia and also American music.
"I think it's just time for the community to reinvest back into Cindy Walker's legacy," she said. "Most of her greatest hits were written in this home and that's what makes it a sacred place because what songwriters are able to do is to connect those every day, moments or feelings and put them into words and into songs that impact people for generations."
The home will soon be fixed up and maybe even some of Walker's unshared art will keep her gift going for even more generations to come.
"She loved this town so much and we need to give some of that love back to her and make sure that we are preserving her legacy in a way that honors her," Liepman added.
The foundation plans to apply for a historical marker in the spring and then the future remains up in the air.
Liepman said there have been talks about making the historic home a museum or even a place where kids can attend a music camp or retreat.
In 1997, Cindy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She wrote hits for some of music's biggest stars, including Elvis, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Bob Wills, Bing Crosby, Gene Autry and more. Her hit "You Don't Know Me" is now a standard and has been recorded by more than two dozen artists since she first wrote it for Eddy Arnold.
The non-profit is still accepting donations as they restore and preserve the home. If you are interested in donating click here.
All donations to the Cindy Walker Foundation are considered charitable contributions and tax-deductible.
The foundation is also looking for volunteers to help clean-up the property.
