Robert was at Texas A&M until about 1980 or so. His fiddle player Bryan Duckworth was always a little smarter than he was. Robert was an English major. Duckworth was an agriculture major. A&M stands for agricultural and mechanical. "Go figure," he says.

Robert lived at this house at 302 Church St. in College Station with Sunny Fitzsimmons and Bryan Duckworth until he eventually graduated. This, of course, is the house behind the Dixie Chicken and across from the Presbyterian church sung about in "The Front Porch Song" that Robert co-wrote with Lyle Lovett. His landlord was Mr. Jack Boyett.