Patrick Haggerty didn't care if you liked his singing. Honestly, he didn't care if the Nashville establishment even knew he existed back in 1973. He had a different goal. He wanted to tell the truth about being a gay man in a genre that, at the time, was practically synonymous with conservative, heterosexual storytelling. That’s how Lavender Country was born. It wasn't just a band name; it was a manifesto.
It’s wild to think about now. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association had only just removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Yet, here was a guy from a tenant farming family in Washington state, recording an album funded by the Gay Community Social Services of Seattle. It was the first openly gay country album ever made. And for decades, almost nobody heard it.
Why Lavender Country Matters More Now Than Ever
For a long time, country music felt like a gated community. If you didn't fit the mold, you weren't invited to the party. But Lavender Country proved that the genre's "three chords and the truth" philosophy belonged to everyone. Haggerty’s lyrics weren't metaphors. They were blunt. They were political. They were, at times, incredibly funny and biting.
The 1973 self-titled album only had 1,000 copies pressed originally. Think about that. Only a thousand people could own this piece of history for years. It became a ghost. A legend passed around in underground circles. It wasn't until the 2010s that the world finally caught up to what Patrick Haggerty was doing. When the label Paradise of Bachelors reissued the album in 2014, it wasn't just a "cool find" for vinyl collectors; it was a reckoning for the country music industry.
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People often ask why it took forty years for this to resurface. The answer is kinda simple and kinda depressing: the world wasn't ready. In the early 70s, you couldn't get "Cryin' These Cocksucker Blues" played on the radio. You just couldn't. But today, with artists like Orville Peck, Tami Neilson, and Lil Nas X blurring lines, Lavender Country looks less like an outlier and more like a foundation stone.
The Sound of Rebellion in Three Chords
Musically, the album is fascinating because it doesn't try to be "pop." It’s pure, old-school country and folk. You’ve got the fiddle, the honky-tonk piano, and Haggerty’s reedy, unapologetic vocals. It sounds like something you’d hear in a dusty Montana bar, which makes the lyrics even more jarring for the uninitiated.
Take a track like "Back in the Closet Again." It uses a traditional country bounce to discuss the systemic oppression and the "revolving door" of queer identity in a hostile society. Haggerty wasn't writing about trucks or heartbreak in the way George Jones was. He was writing about the Marxism he studied and the liberation he craved.
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Breaking the Nashville Myth
One of the biggest misconceptions about country music is that it has always been one-dimensional. We’re taught that it’s the music of the "silent majority." Lavender Country blows that wide open. Patrick Haggerty was a radical. He was a member of the Communist Party. He ran for office! His music was an extension of his activism.
When you listen to the record, you realize he wasn't trying to "break into" Nashville. He was building his own world. He once mentioned in an interview that his father, a simple farmer, actually supported his identity—a rare story for that era. That support gave him the backbone to be as loud as he was. Most people think queer country started with k.d. lang or Ty Herndon's coming out in the 90s. Nope. It started in a tiny studio in Seattle with a group of activists who just happened to be great musicians.
The 2022 Revival and the Final Act
In 2022, shortly before his passing, Haggerty released Blackberry Rose. It was the second Lavender Country album, coming nearly fifty years after the first. It’s rare to see an artist maintain that level of fire for half a century. The album featured modern indie-country stars and proved that Haggerty’s voice hadn't lost its edge. He was still singing about social justice, still poking at the establishment, and still incredibly proud.
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The legacy of the band isn't just the music itself, though the music is great. It’s the permission it gave to everyone else. When Trixie Mattel covers a Lavender Country song, or when a kid in a rural town realizes they can love Dolly Parton and be queer at the same time, that’s Patrick’s influence.
Practical Steps for Discovering the Genre
If you're just diving into this world, don't just stop at the 1973 record. The history of queer country is deep and often hidden. To really understand the impact of Lavender Country, you should look into the following:
- Listen to the 2014 Reissue: Start with the self-titled debut. Pay attention to the lyrics of "Lavender Jane." It’s a masterclass in storytelling.
- Watch the Documentary: There’s a short film called Lavender Country (2016) directed by Dan Taberski. It’s a beautiful look at Haggerty’s life on his farm and his late-in-life fame.
- Explore the "New" Outlaws: Check out artists like Adeem the Artist, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and My Gay Banjo. They are the direct musical descendants of Haggerty’s radicalism.
- Read the Liner Notes: If you can get your hands on a physical copy of the reissue, read the history. The story of how the album was funded by a local community center is a vital piece of grassroots history.
The story of Lavender Country is a reminder that "the good old days" weren't as monolithic as we think. There were always rebels. There were always people singing their truth in the face of total silence. Patrick Haggerty just happened to be the one who kept the tapes.
If you want to understand where country music is heading in 2026 and beyond, you have to look back at 1973. You have to look at the man in the purple cowboy hat who refused to whisper. The genre is finally becoming as big and as brave as he always knew it could be.