Lipinsky leaves lasting legacy

Whether you grew up in Wimberley or a newcomer to Hays County, it’s very possible you have heard the name Lance Lipinsky. From class clown troublemaker of Wimberley High School’s 2003 class, to his controversial underground newspaper the “Sir Lance Alot’s Herald,” and to his now success in the mainstream roots music world, the story of this local boy done good is a classic Wimberley tale. That unique style didn’t just come out of nowhere, though. Both nature and nurture combined as the community of Wimberley – and more importantly his family – helped grow his gifts.

Many locals equally knew Lance’s dad Paul as a respected carpenter and hotrod car builder. His love for music helped nourish a profound career for one of Wimberley’s favorite son’s Lance Lipinsky, as he coached him behind the scenes leading to success in the mainstream music world.

At a wedding reception on December 1st, Paul choked on a piece of brisket that lead to minutes lost in getting to the hospital. A coma turned into epileptic seizures that resulted fatal after two weeks in intensive care. He is survived my his wife Barbara, and children Lance and Kelly.

“Toward the end of the summer, he built his last house in Austin,” Lance said. “This house was built with the intention for my whole family to live, including a private room/studio wing for myself. In March of 2019, we were all going to come back to live together as a family and come home to Texas after years of me touring. The house just got finished but now this has happened and he never got to enjoy his last home.”

Paul’s Wimberley roots date back to the early 1960s as his family used Wagon Wheel on Flite Acres as their Blanco River vacation destination when the town was barely a villiage.

Capitalizing on the south central carpentry boom of the 1980’s, Paul would settle in Wimberley and created a 30-plus year legacy of being one of the most respected and sought after home builders of the Hill Country area. For over three decades, he provided affordable middle class shelter to a lot of happy families. His signature trademark was a longhorn skull with Christmas lights placed in the eyes in the center of a beautiful hand picked rock fireplace.

Locals remember his show stopping classic cars he built as his own personal hobby. “His love was for the late 50s and early 60s,” said his son Lance, “He would drop me off to school in a turquoise 57 Ford Fairlane and then pick my sister up in a red 57 Belair. Folks must’ve thought we were rich...but we were just hillbillies…”

Paul’s love for hotrods and music would be inherited by his son Lance and would later become a Wimberley prodigy. “He wasn’t musically inclined but he was the world’s greatest stage dad coach. His record collection was huge and because of it, I owe all my success to him.”

Utilizing any resource in the Wimberley area for his son to gain experience, Lance sat in at local venues in the early 90’s including the Woodcreek Lodge, the Cypress Creek Crawfish Boil, Devil’s Backbone Tavern and more.

When son Lance attended Wimberley High, he created a local sensation with his own newspaper that reported satirical “fake news” of the time. This even included a famed ufo “crop circle” hoax that got nationwide attention in 2001.

Through his dad’s grooming, Lance dropped out of school at a mere 16 years old and found fame and fortune headlining on the Las Vegas strip by age 17. At age 25 in 2010, he headlined the Tony Award winning Broadway musical “Million Dollar Quartet” at the Apollo Theatre in Chicago portraying piano legend Jerry Lee Lewis.

He went on to appear on the Dave Letterman show and made his tv debut at the Ryman Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. He was recently voted “Rockabilly Artist Of The Year,” by Dale Watson’s Ameripolitan Awards in Austin, TX.

“I owe my success to the people and culture of Wimberley and my dad who will be very missed,” Lance said.

Paul Lipinsky was a decorated Vietnam veteran, a trail blazing builder, skilled mechanic, loving father and a Wimberley staple. Known for his antics and classic mustache, his accident was a tragedy considering he was very healthy mentally and physically for a 72 year old man.

“Dad loved his family, his country, God, his hoodlum friends, Rock & Roll music, hotrod cars, barbeque, and cheap beer!” Lance said. “My sister and I will always appreciate his sacrifices, patience, unconditional love and limitless dreaming. As he always said in accordance with Elvis, dad loved to “TCB: Take Care of Business IN A FLASH!”