Texan singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen has said, “I always thought that I wanted to play music, and I always knew that you had to get some recognition in order to continue to play music.”

Keen, 57, visits the Tower Theatre Tuesday having managed to play his beloved brand of Americana for a few decades now, forging a musical life through raucous live shows and a deep bag of songs ranging from witty, even absurd, to insightful and sensitive.

In his formative period, he wrote “The Front Porch Song” with Lyle Lovett, but unlike Lovett, Keen recorded his debut “No Kinda Dancer” on his own. “It was difficult, because I didn’t know what I was doing … I literally opened up the phonebook and looked for studios,” Keen has said. “I basically put it all together through brute force and ignorance.”

Skip ahead a dozen or so records, and Keen’s a huge success both in Texas and out.

Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King) included 2011’s “Ready for Confetti” in his list of that year’s best albums, and No Depression had this to say: “’Ready For Confetti’ (is) a keeper. It’s a must if you’re a Robert Earl Keen fan and a recommended try if you’re new to him.”

If you go

What: Robert Earl Keen, with Casey Prather

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, doors open 6 p.m.

Where: Tower Theatre, 835 N.W. Wall St., Bend

Cost: $31 and $49, plus fees, available through the venue

Contact: www.towertheatre.org or 541-317-0700