He spent the summers in Red River, New Mexico, playing folk music in hootenannies with a trio known as Three Faces West.

[4] During his time in New Mexico, Hubbard wrote "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother"[4] first made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker's 1973 recording, and covered by a wide variety of other artists since.

[6] Unbeknownst to Hubbard, producer Michael Brovsky had decided to "Nashville-ize" the sound by adding overdub mixes and female backup singers to the recordings.

[4] Hubbard then recorded albums for various other labels for the next decade, but struggled with the sales of his mix of country, folk and blues.

He returned to recording in the early 1990s, and released his album Lost Train of Thought in 1992,[4] followed by Loco Gringo's Lament in 1994.