Overview of music traditions in the U.S. state of Texas
The U.S. state of
Texas
has long been a center for musical innovation and is the birthplace of many notable musicians. Texans have pioneered developments in
Tejano
and
Conjunto
music,
Rock 'n Roll
,
Western swing
,
jazz
,
punk rock
,
country
,
hip-hop
,
electronic music
,
gothic
industrial music
,
religious music
,
mariachi
,
psychedelic rock
,
zydeco
and the
blues
.
[1]
Religious music
[
edit
]
Sacred music has a long tradition in the state of Texas. The
East Texas Musical Convention
was organized in 1855,
[2]
and is the oldest
Sacred Harp
convention in Texas, and the second oldest in the United States. The Southwest Texas Sacred Harp Convention was organized in 1900.
[3]
Sacred Harp and other books in four shape notation were the forerunners of seven
shape note
gospel music
. According to the
Handbook of Texas
, "The first Texas community singing using the seven shape note tradition reportedly occurred in the latter part of December 1879. Itinerant teachers representing the A. J. Showalter Company of Dalton, Georgia ? including company founder A. J. Showalter ? ventured west to
Giddings
in East Texas and conducted a rural music school that lasted for several weeks." Texas has been home to several gospel music convention publishers, including the National Music Company, Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Company (founded in 1924 by
V. O. Stamps
, who later partnered with
J. R. Baxter
), and the Stamps Quartet Music Company (founded by Frank Stamps). Convention gospel music and community singings still occur in a number of Texas towns, including
Mineral Wells
,
Brownfield
,
Jacksonville
,
Seymour
, and
Stephenville
.
[4]
Gospel singer, songwriter, and musician
Washington Phillips
was from
Freestone County
. Gospel singer and pianist
Arizona Dranes
, who introduced
ragtime
and
barrelhouse
to gospel music, was from Texas as well.
[5]
Ragtime and vaudeville
[
edit
]
Ragtime
composer
Scott Joplin
was born in 1868 near
Texarkana
, and later became famous playing music halls in
Missouri
.
[6]
Gene Austin
was born in
Gainesville
in 1900. Austin popularized the song "
My Blue Heaven
", which sold more than 10 million copies. He is remembered as the original "
crooner
", and was commonly known as "The Voice of the Southland".
[7]
Country music
[
edit
]
Texas has long been the birthplace of numerous
country musicians
and continues to host a vibrant country music culture. Texan
honky-tonk
musicians like
Milton Brown
and
Bob Wills
helped popularize
Western swing
, and modern artists like
Asleep at the Wheel
continue the genre's distinct style. Other genres of country also evolved in Texas.
Marcia Ball
, born in
Orange, Texas
, combined country with
Cajun
influences.
Ernest Tubb
and his country song "
Walking the Floor Over You
" set the stage for the rise of stars like
Lefty Frizzell
and
Johnny Horton
.
Ponty Bone
,
Joe Ely
,
Lloyd Maines
,
Butch Hancock
,
Terry Allen
,
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
, and
Tommy Hancock
, helped invent the 1960s
Lubbock sound
, based out of
Lubbock, Texas
.
Mac Davis
is a singer and songwriter from Lubbock who became one of the most successful country singers of the 1970s and 1980s.
[8]
Outlaw country
is another offshoot that has its roots in Texas, with Texans like
Waylon Jennings
,
Jerry Jeff Walker
,
Michael Martin Murphey
, the
Lost Gonzo Band
,
Gary P. Nunn
, and
Willie Nelson
(attended
Baylor University
from 1954-1956 and studied agriculture) leading the movement, ably supported by writers like
Billy Joe Shaver
. It was this scene, largely based out of
Austin
, that inspired performers like
Guy Clark
and
Townes Van Zandt
, whose poetic narratives owe much to the folk tradition and proved enormously influential on younger Texan artists such as
Nanci Griffith
and
Steve Earle
, who in turn inspired the
alternative country
scene.
Tex Ritter
and
Jim Reeves
both grew up in
Panola County
in
East Texas
.
Bob Luman
was born in
Nacogdoches
.
Kenny Rogers
, from
Houston
, has a career spanning more than 50 years. His 1978 album
The Gambler
remains one of the most famous country albums ever released, having sold a reported 35 million copies worldwide.
[9]
Also from the Houston area are
Clint Black
(grew up in
Memorial
),
Robert Earl Keen
(
Sharpstown
), and
Lyle Lovett
(grew up near
Klein
) and more recently
George Ducas
(grew up in
Memorial
).
Modern musicians like
George Strait
, from the
San Antonio
area, continue to carry on the tradition of country music in Texas. Strait "The King of Country"
[10]
is a singer, actor, and music producer known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and traditional country music. He holds the world record for the most #1 hit singles by any artist in the history of music on any chart or in any genre, having recorded 60 #1 hit singles as of 2016.
[11]
Within country music, the distinct styles of singers such as
The Randy Rogers Band
,
Robert Earl Keen
,
Kevin Fowler
,
Cory Morrow
,
Jack Ingram
,
George Ducas
,
Jerry Jeff Walker
,
Pat Green
,
Wade Bowen
,
Rich O’Toole
& the
Eli Young Band
and others are often dubbed "Texas music".
The
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
is located in
Carthage, Texas
.
[12]
Zydeco
[
edit
]
Zydeco, a musical genre that evolved in
Southwest Louisiana
by French Creole speakers, is popular in
Southeast Texas
cities in
Houston
,
Beaumont
,
Port Arthur
, and
Orange
.
[13]
It was brought to the region by early pioneers of the music like
Clifton Chenier
who relocated in the late 1940s and early 1950s during the region's oil boom when many Creole and Cajun people moved seeking better employment opportunities.
[14]
Texas blues
[
edit
]
The
blues
originated in the
Mississippi Delta
and spread to Texas by the 20th century. The original audience was African-American workers at lumber camps and oilfields. When the
Great Depression
hit, many musicians moved to cities including Houston and
Galveston
, where they created a style known as
Texas blues
.
Blind Lemon Jefferson
(in and around
Dallas
) was the first major artist of the field, and he was followed by others such as
Henry Thomas
,
Blind Willie Johnson
(who was principally a gospel singer),
Big Mama Thornton
,
Lightnin' Hopkins
,
Mance Lipscomb
, and
T-Bone Walker
, as well as
Melvin Jackson
,
Alger "Texas" Alexander
,
Little Hat Jones
,
Buster Pickens
,
Johnny "Guitar" Watson
, and
Goree Carter
.
Freddie King
, born in
Gilmer
, was active from the 1950s to the mid-1970s.
[15]
[16]
By the 1970s, Texas blues had lost much of its original popularity, but was eventually revived by the blues rock stylings of artists including
John Nitzinger
,
Johnny Winter
,
Edgar Winter
,
ZZ Top
,
Bugs Henderson
, and
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
, who set the stage for a 1980s blues revival led by
Stevie Ray Vaughan
and
Albert Collins
.
Boogie-woogie
[
edit
]
Boogie-woogie
is a music genre that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in the 1870s. It was eventually extended from piano, to piano duo and trio, guitar, big band, country and western music, and gospel. While the blues traditionally expresses a variety of emotions, boogie-woogie is mainly associated with dancing.
Rock
[
edit
]
Goree Carter
's "
Rock Awhile
" (1949) has been cited by several writers as the
first rock and roll record
.
[17]
[18]
[19]
It featured an
over-driven
electric guitar
style similar to that of
Chuck Berry
years later.
[17]
[19]
The song was recorded in
Houston
, where Carter was born and lived most of his life.
[19]
One of the first major Texan musical stars was
Buddy Holly
, who was born in Lubbock in 1936, died in the 1959 plane crash, and is buried in Lubbock. Another
rock and roll
singer,
Roy Orbison
, from
Wink, Texas
, also became popular in the 1950s. He was followed by
Buddy Knox
,
Bobby Fuller
, and
Dallas
rockabilly
stars
Gene Summers
,
Johnny Carroll
, and
Ronnie Dawson
.
Southern soul
singer
Joe Tex
was born in
Rogers, Texas
.
The 1960s witnessed many influential rock artists such as
Janis Joplin
, from
Port Arthur
; she is ranked #46 on
Rolling Stone
magazine's 2004 list of the
100 Greatest Artists of All Time
.
Doug Sahm
's
Sir Douglas Quintet
released several influential performances, as did
psychedelic rock
underground legends
13th Floor Elevators
, led by
Roky Erickson
.
Garage rock
band The Heart Beats, formed in 1966, were based in Lubbock. The hard rock of
ZZ Top
was born out of the bands
American Blues
and
Moving Sidewalks
in Houston in 1969. In 1971,
Bloodrock
, from
Fort Worth
, released "
D.O.A.
", which became a major international hit.
Don Henley
of the Eagles grew up in
Linden
.
Psychedelic rock
[
edit
]
The
psychedelic rock
movement of the 1960s and 1970s has deep roots in Texas.
The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
were an American rock band from
Austin, Texas
, formed by guitarist and vocalist
Roky Erickson
, electric jug player
Tommy Hall
, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969. During their career, the band released four LPs and seven 45s for the
International Artists
record label.
Bubble Puppy
was formed in 1966 in San Antonio by Rod Prince and Roy Cox. The name "Bubble Puppy"
[20]
was taken from "Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy", a fictitious children's game in
Aldous Huxley
's
Brave New World
. Bubble Puppy's live debut was as the opening act for
The Who
in
San Antonio
.
The Sherwoods
[21]
were a
Corpus Christi
quintet that was popular from 1968 to 1969 and made two 45s on
Smash Records
in 1969. They were a psychedelic pop group, patterned after the
Moving Sidewalks
(featuring Billy Gibbons) and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators.
Red Krayola
and
The Golden Dawn
carried the genre into the 1970s, but as George Kinney of The Golden Dawn said, "when the whole Elevator/Golden Dawn mystique was gone forever, at least as an actual presence on the Austin music scene. It all disappeared like a mysterious dream of super substantial reality, like the shadows of a once and future dawn."
[22]
The front man of Red Krayola,
Mayo Thompson
, made a respectable career as a producer of some of the underground's biggest names ―
Pere Ubu
,
Primal Scream
,
The Fall
,
The Raincoats
, and
Scritti Politti
to name a few.
[23]
In the 1990s, the significant influence shown by notable rock pioneer Roky Erickson was honored in the 1990
Warner Brothers
release of
Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson
, on which various rockers recorded his songs.
[24]
The Black Angels
from Austin formed in May 2004; the band's name derives from the
Velvet Underground
song "
The Black Angel's Death Song
". In 2005, the Black Angels were featured on a dual-disc compilation album of psychedelic music called
Psychedelica Vol.1
from
Northern Star Records
.
Smoke and Feathers
were formed in Austin in 2007.
[25]
Austin Psych Fest
was founded in 2008 by members of the psychedelic music scene,
The Reverberation Appreciation Society
, to honor the legacy of Austin's musical history as the birthplace of psychedelic rock through the creation of a music and multimedia art festival.
Punk rock
[
edit
]
Texas has long had a distinctive
punk rock
sound emergent from a number of urban scenes, especially those of
Austin
and
Houston
. Austin in particular has been considered a significant punk city; major venues there in the late 1970s and early 1980s included Raul's, where the Austin punk/new wave scene began, spearheaded by
the Skunks
and the Violators in the first weeks of 1978. Other significant venues included the Continental Club on South Congress Avenue and the (now defunct) Club Foot Fourth Street downtown. The Skunks, which featured
Jesse Sublett
on bass and vocals, attracted significant attention to the scene because of their loyal following and also because touring bands, including
Patti Smith
,
Elvis Costello
,
the Clash
,
Blondie
, and others dropped in at their gigs at Raul's and the Continental Club to jam with them.
Radio played a major role in spreading the sound and creating the culture of punk. In Houston, two pioneering radio programs in particular, Marilyn Mock's
S&M Show
on KTRU-FM and Perry Coma's
The Funhouse Show
on KPFT-FM, were instrumental in helping create the punk scene in that city, through band interviews and playing import-only records, as well as the flamboyant personalities of the DJs. Local punk zines like
XLR8
and music weeklies such as
Public News
, and independent record outlets like Real Records, Record Rack, Record Exchange, and Vinal Edge not only brought in punk and "new wave" sounds from across the world, but they hosted in-store concerts where fans could meet the artists. The punk scene flourished in the early 1980s, led by
the Skunks
, the
Big Boys
,
The Dicks
,
MDC
,
Really Red
,
The Degenerates
,
Mydolls
, The Hates,
The Judy's
, the Volumatix,
DRI
,
Sik Mentality
, the Killerwatts and
Culturcide
; so did the scene in Dallas, with groups such as The Telefones, NCM, Bobby Soxx & the Teenage Queers,
Bomb Squad
,
The Hugh Beaumont Experience
and
Stick Men with Ray Guns
. Some notable Houston clubs were the Island, Cabaret Voltaire (a punk rock club in the warehouse district of downtown), the Apocalypse Monster Club (in the Clear Lake area near NASA), the Axiom (in one of the old Cabaret Voltaire locations),
Fitzgerald's
, The Abyss, and Numbers (a predominantly new wave club). In the mid-1990s, post-hardcore act
At the Drive-In
formed in El Paso, along with its two offshoots,
Sparta
and
The Mars Volta
. Among some notable horror punk and
psychobilly
bands that hail from Texas are
The Reverend Horton Heat
, Horror Cult, and The Flametrick Subs.
Alternative rock and metalcore
[
edit
]
Several
alternative rock
bands from Texas also reached mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. These included bands like
Toadies
(whose biggest hit, "
Possum Kingdom
", was named for a
lake
west of Fort Worth),
Flickerstick
,
Fastball
,
Butthole Surfers
(from San Antonio; formed at
Trinity University
), The Duckhills,
Tripping Daisy
,
Blue October
, and, by the end of the 1990s,
The Polyphonic Spree
and
Chlorine
. In the 2000s,
Bowling for Soup
achieved significant popularity, as well as
Burden Brothers
, which was co-founded by Toadies lead singer
Vaden Todd Lewis
.
Memphis May Fire
formed in
Denton
.
The New Bohemians
,
Forever The Sickest Kids
,
Crown The Empire
, and
Fit for a King
are from
Dallas
.
Myka, Relocate
is from
Houston
.
Kublai Khan
hails from
Sherman
.
Heavy metal
[
edit
]
The
Arlington-area
band
Pantera
went on to become heavily influential in the
metal
genre.
[26]
Other notable bands include
Las Cruces
,
Brutal Juice
,
Drowning Pool
,
The Sword
,
Fair to Midland
, Coilback,
Oh, Sleeper
,
Fire From the Gods
,
Texas Hippie Coalition
,
Upon A Burning Body
and
Element Eighty
.
Houston
metal bands from the 1980s include
Helstar
,
King's X
,
Galactic Cowboys
,
The Hunger
,
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
, and
Dead Horse
.
Christian rock
[
edit
]
Christian based bands like
Seventh Day Slumber
and
Addison Road
were formed in Dallas.
Flyleaf
is from
Belton
.
Industrial
[
edit
]
Tactical Sekt, Lesson Seven, was a Dallas band from 1987-1992 that toured with Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails. During those years they performed with Ministry, Laibach, Swans, Front Line Assembly, Meat Beat Manifesto, Weatherman, Clan of Xymox among others. International Thief Thief, Audio Assault, The Hunger, Sin D.N.A., Virus Filter, Souless Affection are
aggrotech
bands based in Texas, as is the multifaceted electronic duo
Mentallo and the Fixer
.
Bozo Porno Circus
from Houston was awarded "Best Industrial Band" by the
Houston Press
six years straight from 1998 to 2004, and re-activated in 2009 with new members.
Chant
out of Austin was awarded "Best Performing Industrial Band" in the 2009-2010 Austin Music Awards.
Torque Order
is an industrial metal band based in Austin. Dallas-area industrial acts include
RivetHead
,
The Razorblade Dolls
,
Echelon High
, and
Koppur Thief
.
Singer
Esther Phillips
and pianist and singer
Camille Howard
were born in
Galveston
.
Electric blues
and
R&B
guitarist, singer, and songwriter
Barbara Lynn
was born in
Beaumont
. She is best known for her 1962 hit "
You'll Lose A Good Thing
".
Kelly Rowland
and
Beyonce
are from Houston.
Hip-hop
[
edit
]
Houston
has long been the focus of an independent hip-hop music scene, influencing and influenced by the larger
Southern hip-hop
and
gangsta rap
communities. Notable artists include
Travis Scott
,
Chamillionaire
,
Paul Wall
,
Bun B
,
Pimp C
,
Z-Ro
,
Big Hawk
,
Big Moe
,
Big Mello
, Big Steve, Chris Ward,
C-Note
,
Devin The Dude
, DJ DMD,
E.S.G.
,
Fat Pat
, J-Dawg, Killa Kyleon,
Kirko Bangz
,
Lil' Keke
,
Lil' Flip
,
Lil' O
,
Lil' Troy
, Mike D,
Mike Jones
, K-Rino, Al-D, Mr. 3-2,
Slim Thug
,
South Park Mexican
, Yungstar,
Trae Tha Truth
,
Scarface
and groups such as ABN,
Boss Hogg Outlawz
,
Botany Boyz
, Coughee Brothaz, D.E.A., Guerilla Maab,
Geto Boys
, Herschelwood Hardheadz, M.O.B.,
Screwed Up Click
, South Park Coalition and
UGK
. The Houston hip-hop scene is known for the
chopped and screwed
sound invented by
Screwed Up Click
leader
DJ Screw
, and remains the location most associated with the style.
Vanilla Ice
was born in Dallas, and grew up moving between Dallas and
Miami
.
[27]
[28]
The D.O.C.
is from West Dallas. He worked with
Dr. Dre
as an artist and writer. Christian hip hop artist
D-Boy Rodriguez
received moderate commercial success and was part of the burgeoning christian hip hop scene in Dallas and the rest of Texas in the late 80s, until he was murdered in 1990. Other rappers such as
Big Lurch
,
Mr. Pookie
,
Mr. Lucci
,
Big Tuck
,
Dorrough
, and
Dondria
also hail from Dallas. Rappers such as legends Lil Sin, and
P.K.O.
as well as
Worldwide
,
Richie Branson
Str8-RaW, Tivona, Ian Frxst, K.C. Bangs,
Jah K, Kilo Jones, Atum Raw, and Wryane all hail from San Antonio. There is also a burgeoning
R&B
scene that includes alumni such as
Destiny's Child
and
Gary Clark, Jr.
, as well as up-and-comers Leon Bridges, The Suffers, Latasha Lee, Tameca Jones, and Alesia Lani among others.
Tejano music
[
edit
]
Tejano music
is the fusion of several different musical influences, such as Mexican
rancheras
, German
polka
, jazz, and zydeco, among others.
Lydia Mendoza
,
Anselmo Martinez
,
Isidro Lopez
,
Santiago Almeida
,
Flaco Jimenez
,
Joe Hernandez
,
Freddie Fender
,
Rosita Fernandez
,
Texas Tornados
, and
Narciso Martinez
remain some of its most influential figures.
La Mafia
and Else Garcia paved the way for and built a strong Tejano foundation in Texas for
Selena Quintanilla
helped bring the genre more attention in the 1990s with one of the first Spanish to English crossover hits ever, adding influences from Mexican
cumbia
to the
R&B
trend of the day.
San Angelo
band
Los Lonely Boys
fuse Tejano with contemporary blues and jazz.
Opera
[
edit
]
Barbara Smith Conrad
, born in
Center Point
, was an internationally acclaimed
operatic
mezzo-soprano
.
Major music scenes
[
edit
]
Austin
[
edit
]
Austin
's artistic community helped popularize artists such as
Stevie Ray Vaughan
,
Stevie Nicks
of
Fleetwood Mac
,
The Police
, and
Elvis Costello
in the Southwest.
[
citation needed
]
Tex-Mex/
new wave
bands Vallejo and
Joe King Carrasco & the Crowns
gained some national fame. Local punk and new wave bands in the late 1970s included The Huns and
the Skunks
, along with The Delinquents, Standing Waves, and Jack Limbo. These bands soon clashed with an influx of
hardcore punk
bands like
The Dicks
,
The Offenders
, and
Big Boys
. Other notable Austin bands, such as ambient duo
Stars of the Lid
, eschewed this clash all together.
Austin, especially through its central music scene in the corridors of Red River Avenue, South Congress Avenue and
6th Street
, has been dubbed "The Live Music Capital of the World". The Texas Music Hall of Fame and Texas Music Museum are also located here. The Austin area is home to
Austin City Limits Music Festival
and
South by Southwest
(est. 1987), one of the largest annual music festivals in the United States. Austin has long been a hub of innovative psychedelic sound, from the pioneering
Roky Erikson
and the
13th Floor Elevators
to the
Butthole Surfers
, and hosts an annual festival celebrating the genre and Austin's contributions to it called
Austin Psych Fest
.
Austin is currently home to a number of bands that are enjoying popularity as part of the American
indie rock
scene. These include
Spoon
(singer
Britt Daniel
attended the
University of Texas
),
Ghostland Observatory
,
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
,
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
,
Explosions in the Sky
,
Okkervil River
,
The Black Angels
,
The Bright Light Social Hour
, and
White Denim
, among others.
The transition of the Austin music scene from the mid-seventies progressive country scene to the punk/new wave and alternative influence that followed is captured in
Jesse Sublett
's memoir,
Never the Same Again: A Rock n' Roll Gothic
, which details Sublett's experiences with
the Skunks
and other bands during that time period. Sublett has also documented the Austin music scene in his music-themed crime novels,
Rock Critic Murders
,
Tough Baby
, and
Boiled in Concrete
.
[29]
Beaumont-Port Arthur
[
edit
]
This area on the Gulf Coast northeast of Houston is also home to many legendary musicians:
George Jones
(d. 2013),
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
,
Janis Joplin
,
Barbara Lynn
,
Edgar
and
Johnny Winter
(d.2014),
J.P. Richardson
a.k.a. "The Big Bopper", country stars
Mark Chesnutt
,
Tracy Byrd
,
Clay Walker
, and Jimmy and David Lee Kaiser, and rappers
Pimp C
(d.2007) and
Bun B
of
UGK
.
Corpus Christi
[
edit
]
Known primarily for Tejano star
Selena Quintanilla
,
Corpus Christi
was also home to
Reverend Horton Heat
singer Jim Heath and
garage rock
band
Zakary Thaks
.
Dallas
[
edit
]
Dallas
has a rich musical heritage. The number of prolific musicians who played in the Deep Ellum Central Track area was rivaled in the South only by
Memphis
'
Beale Street
.
T-Bone Walker
,
Lead Belly
,
Blind Lemon Jefferson
,
Blind Willie Johnson
, and even
Robert Johnson
himself first recorded in this area, just as
Bob Wills
and the
Light Crust Doughboys
were leaving the studio. In the 1960s, Dallas produced notable entertainers
Trini Lopez
and
Stevie Ray Vaughan
. Other notable musicians from Dallas include
Erykah Badu
,
Cedar Walton
,
Gibby Haynes
of the
Butthole Surfers
,
Mike Nesmith
of
The Monkees
,
The Polyphonic Spree
,
Old 97's
,
St. Vincent
,
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
,
LehtMoJoe
,
Meat Loaf
,
Norah Jones
,
Willie Hutch
,
Baboon
,
The Secret Machines
,
Dorrough
,
The Paper Chase
,
Devourment
,
Absu
,
Course of Empire
,
MC 900 Ft. Jesus
,
Jena Rose
,
Reverend Horton Heat
and
Pantera
.
Dallas has a vibrant live music scene around
Deep Ellum
, an area near downtown that is currently gentrifying.
[30]
Denton
[
edit
]
The music culture that exists in
Denton
arose with the founding of the
University of North Texas College of Music
Jazz studies program in 1947, the first of its kind in the country. In the last 20 years Denton's vibrant and diverse music culture has grown beyond the collegiate world of UNT's College of Music. In 2007 and 2008, Denton's music scene received feature attention from
The Guardian
,
Pop Matters
,
[31]
and
The New York Times
.
[32]
Paste Magazine
named Denton the best music scene in the United States in 2008.
[33]
The Denton music scene received the #1 rank for "Top 10 under recognized music locations" in the world, on a culture blog called Listverse.
[34]
Denton bands include longtime mainstay and two-time Grammy Award-winning
Brave Combo
, EXIT 380,
The Wee-Beasties
,
Norah Jones
, Deep Blue Something, The Ducks (not the former Moby Grape band),
Lift to Experience
,
Centro-Matic
,
Brutal Juice
, Six Hard Brothers and a Dog, Drunk Skunks, Harry Has a Head Like a Ping Pong Balls, SayWhat, Chyeah Boi, the Don't Be Scurd, OkieDoke,
South San Gabriel
,
Slobberbone
, Pops Carter and the Funkmonsters,
The Drams
,
Bosque Brown
,
Eli Young Band
, Matthew and The Arrogant Sea,
Midlake
,
Record Hop
, History At Our Disposal,
The Marked Men
,
Fergus & Geronimo
, The Wax Museums, Violent Squid, and
Neon Indian
.
Several music festivals are hosted in Denton, including
35 Denton
and the
Denton Arts and Jazz Festival
.
Fort Worth
[
edit
]
From the 1960s to the 1980s, an independent label out of Fort Worth known as Bluebonnet recorded numerous albums of high-quality material by many pioneer artists in the country music and religious genres such as
Bradley Kincaid
, the
Girls of the Golden West
,
Buddy Starcher
,
Yodelin' Kenny Roberts
, and many other country music and gospel pioneers, many of whom had been popular on radio in the first half of the 20th century.
Before this, however,
Bob Wills
got his start just north of Fort Worth in Saginaw at the Light Crust Flour Mill. This is where Bob Wills, Leon McAuliffe, and Tommy Duncan first started playing music together. Wills recruited the Light Crust Doughboys and they later changed their name to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.
Free jazz
pioneer
Ornette Coleman
was born and raised in Fort Worth, as were fellow
jazz
artists
Ronald Shannon Jackson
,
Charles Moffett
,
Prince Lasha
,
John Carter
,
Dewey Redman
,
Julius Hemphill
, and
Cornell Dupree
, all of whom attended
I.M. Terrell High School
, where G.A. Baxter was the music instructor.
[35]
[36]
[37]
[38]
[39]
[40]
[41]
In 1971,
Bloodrock
had 3 albums at once on
Billboard Magazine
′s top 100 charts. After 8 albums on E.M.I./Capitol, they maintain a worldwide cult following. A co-writer of Bloodrock songs and hits, Johnny Nitzinger still plays local venues and creates recordings.
Toadies
' debut album
Rubberneck
went platinum in 1996.
T-Bone Burnett
grew up in Fort Worth.
Nintendocore
band
Sky Eats Airplane
formed in Ft. Worth.
Also, many songwriters of note have come from Fort Worth including
Townes Van Zandt
,
Delbert McClinton
,
Ray Sharpe
, Johnny Redd and
David Persons
.
Houston
[
edit
]
Houston has been home to some of the more experimental music of Texas. From
Mayo Thompson
's psychedelic free music group the
Red Crayola
and the experimental work of composer
Pauline Oliveros
to the hardcore rap of the
Geto Boys
and the primordial sludge rock of Rusted Shut, Houston has long been home for experimental music.
The Pain Teens
,
Charalambides
, and
Richard Ramirez
are among the better known Houston artists. Notable rising bands include
Spain Colored Orange
,
Southern Backtones
, Jennifer Grassman, and The Ton Tons. Among the city's most influential punk bands were the hardcore
Really Red
and
DRI
. The local scene has also included
Culturcide
,
Verbal Abuse
, Stark Raving Mad, Sik Mentality,
Dresden 45
, Legionnaire's Disease, The Hates, AK-47, The Killerwatz, Free Money,
Asmodeus X
,
The Black Math Experiment
, The Recipients,
30 foot fall
, Gone Rogue, and
The Degenerates
. Houston is known for its
chopped and screwed
rap music, popularized by
DJ Screw
and the
Screwed Up Click
.
Houston also is the home of
lo-fi music
straddling blues, folk, and antiphonal traditions, as epitomized by elusive cult hero
Jandek
and the slightly more visible
Jana Hunter
. Houston is the birthplace and final resting place of
Chris Whitley
(1960?2005) who won a Grammy for his
Living with the Law
, revolutionized the steel
dobro
guitar, and enjoyed a massive cult following, but died prematurely of lung cancer in 2005. Houston is home to
Beyonce
,
Hilary Duff
,
ZZ Top
,
Kelly Rowland
, and the other original members of
Destiny's Child
. Houston is the birthplace of Grammy Award Winning Gospel Artist
Yolanda Adams
; who in 2009 was named the #1 Gospel Artist of the last decade by
Billboard Magazine
.
Jazz
artists born in Houston include saxophonists
Billy Harper
and
Walter Smith III
, pianists
Robert Glasper
and
Jason Moran
, and drummer
Eric Harland
.
Prairie View Co-eds
formed at
Prairie View A&M University
in the 1940s.
Kashmere High School
was home of
Kashmere Stage Band
from the late 1960s to 1978. Houston has had sizable folk-country and blues scenes dating back to the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, which included many now famous performers such as
Nanci Griffith
,
Guy Clark
,
Townes Van Zandt
,
Lyle Lovett
,
Robert Earl Keen
(Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen both attended
Texas A&M University
) and
Lightnin' Hopkins
,
Albert Collins
,
Big Mama Thornton
, and
Johnny Copeland
who were signed with the hometown
Peacock Records
.
San Antonio
[
edit
]
Still known primarily for
Tejano music
and
Heavy Metal
,
San Antonio
throws the
Tejano Conjunto Festival
, an annual three-day event celebrating
Conjunto
music, the largest of its kind in the world. Many of the Conjunto legends lived and recorded here. Names like Valerio Longoria,
Santiago Jimenez
Sr. and Jr.,
Flaco Jimenez
(who has recorded with everyone from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones), Steve Jordan and many others.
San Antonio was also one of the major centers for
Chicano Soul
along with Los Angeles, California.
Sunny & the Sunliners
cracked the Top Ten and were the first Mexican American act to appear nationally on Dick Clark's
American Bandstand
. Other significant Chicano Soul bands included Rudy & The Reno Bops, Royal Jesters, Dimas Garza, The Dell Tones, Joe Bravo, The Lyrics, and Sonny Ace. At first thought, San Antonio, Texas, is not immediately associated with the development of jazz, yet the city does have a long and very creditable history. In the 1920s and '30s, many of the legendary
territory bands
played there as they swung through south-east Texas, among them
Alphonso Trent
and Tenrrence T. Holder. Resident in San Antonio itself for long periods was Troy Floyd's band, sometime home to trumpeter
Don Albert
, and tenor saxophonists
Herschel Evans
and
Buddy Tate
. Floyd's band regularly played at both the Shadowland Ballroom and the Plaza Hotel; from the latter, they were broadcast over station HTSA. When Don Albert later formed his own band, which included clarinetists and saxophonists
Herb Hall
and
Louis Cottrell
plus trumpeter
Alvin Alcorn
, they, too, played the Shadowland. Albert, incidentally, was the first bandleader to use the word "swing" in his billing: "America's Greatest Swing Band". And drummer Clifford "Boots" Douglas formed his band, Boots and his Buddies, in San Antonio in 1932 and remained based there. Among individual musicians with long associations with the city were brothers
Ernie
and Emilio Caceres. Clarinetist and saxophonist Ernie played with many swing-era bands, including those led by
Jack Teagarden
,
Glenn Miller
,
Benny Goodman
,
Tommy Dorsey
, and
Woody Herman
. After years in New York, where he played with
Eddie Condon
and
Bobby Hackett
, he settled in San Antonio, remaining there for the rest of his life. His brothers, the violinist Emilio and trumpeter Pinero, also played in San Antonio. Another member of the Caceres family, David, was a bop altoist at nightclubs throughout the 1990s.
[42]
San Antonio also spawned the
Butthole Surfers
, a hardcore
alternative rock
band which broke into the mainstream in the mid-1990s, signing to
Capitol Records
and successfully charting several singles and albums. Other successful acts born and bred in San Antonio are:
Boxcar Satan
,
Two Tons of Steel
,
The Union Underground
, Las Cruces, Sane,
Hyperbubble
and
Fearless Iranians from Hell
. San Antonio has deep roots in America's classical music,
Jazz
, with
KRTU-FM
representing one of the most significant jazz radio stations in the country, and the
Jim Cullum Jazz Band
serving as a staple act on the
San Antonio Riverwalk
. Fellow college radio station,
KSYM-FM
, features 'The Best of the Beatles' with Richard Turner, relying on one of the most comprehensive collections of Beatles recordings ever amassed to spin on his weekly show.
San Antonio is also home to
Local782
, a musician-led, non-profit initiative seeking to educate and empower Texas-based musicians by organizing events throughout the year, including seminars, performances, mixers, showcases, and fundraisers. A slew of new rock bands started in the 2000s have joined a couple longer-running favorites,
Girl In A Coma
- whose song "Clumsy Sky" won Best Punk Song in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards - and Buttercup, to develop a burgeoning 'indie' scene. These bands include: Blowing Trees, Morris Orchids, We Leave At Midnight, Cartographers, and Education, the last of whose 2011 album,
Age Cage
, was produced by
Gordon Raphael
, renowned producer of
the Strokes
'
Is This It
and
Regina Spektor
's
Soviet Kitsch
. Exponential Records has helped put San Antonio
Electronica
on the map, catapulting artists like Diego Chavez, a.k.a. Aether and Ernest Gonzales, a.k.a. Mexicans With Guns, to much wider audiences.
San Antonio has a thriving
hip hop
community as well, including emcee/producer
Worldwide
, the
R&B
-tinged duo Mojoe, of Classic.Ghetto.Soul fame, the rapper Question, collaborator with
Talib Kweli
and
Bun B
on the track "I'm So Tall", the producer/rapper
Richie Branson
, born Marcus Brown, whose clientele include Def Jam Recordings and
Sony Music Entertainment
,
[43]
and
the Vultures
crew, whose album
Desert Eagles, Vol. 1
was praised by the
San Antonio Current
's Best Music Advocate of 2010 as "the most complete record to ever come out of San Antonio". San Antonio is also home to Texas Death core band
Upon A Burning Body
.
Christopher Cross
from San Antonio had 2 #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "
Sailing
" in 1980.
San Marcos
[
edit
]
San Marcos
, in the greater Austin area, has a number of local bands, including
This Will Destroy You
,
BROCKHAMPTON
, and
The Oh Hellos
.
Hits
[
edit
]
The following Texans have had a #1
Billboard Hot 100
hit (since 1957):
Beyonce
(5 #1 hits like "
Crazy in Love
" in 2003),
Destiny's Child
(4 #1 hits like "
Say My Name
" in 2000),
Kelly Rowland
(4 #1 hits like
Dilemma
in 2002),
Kelly Clarkson
(3 #1 hits like "
A Moment Like This
" in 2002), rock and roll pioneer
Roy Orbison
(d.1988) (2 #1 hits like "
Oh, Pretty Woman
" in 1964), country singer
Kenny Rogers
(d.2020) (2 #1s like "
Islands in the Stream
" in 1983),
Christopher Cross
(2 #1s like "
Sailing
" in 1980),
The Crickets
(w/
Buddy Holly
(d.1959), "
That'll Be the Day
" in 1957),
B.J. Thomas
("
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
" in 1970),
Janis Joplin
(d.1970) ("
Me and Bobby McGee
" in 1971, she attended the
University of Texas
),
Johnny Nash
("
I Can See Clearly Now
" in 1972),
Meat Loaf
("
I'd Do Anything for Love
" in 1993),
Lisa Loeb
("
Stay (I Missed You)
" in 1994), country group
Lonestar
("
Amazed
" in 2000), Houston rapper
Chamillionaire
("
Ridin'
" in 2006), Dallas rapper
Post Malone
4 #1's (like "
Rockstar
" in 2017), Houston rapper
Travis Scott
with "
Sicko Mode
" in 2018, and Houston rapper
Megan Thee Stallion
("
Savage (Megan Thee Stallion song)
" ft. Beyonce) in 2020.
In addition, Texas musicians with a #1 album on the Billboard 200 chart include:
George Strait
with 4
(
Carrying Your Love with Me
)
in 1997,
Pantera
(
Far Beyond Driven
)
,
Selena
(
Dreaming of You
)
in 1995,
LeAnn Rimes
with 2 in 1997, rapper
Scarface
in 1997,
Dixie Chicks
with 3 (
Home
in 2002),
Norah Jones
with 3 (
Come Away With Me
in 2003),
Hilary Duff
with 2 (
Metamorphosis
in 2003),
Ashlee Simpson
with 2 like (
Autobiography
in 2004),
Paul Wall
in 2005,
Jamie Foxx
in 2006,
UGK
in 2007,
Demi Lovato
in 2009,
Selena Gomez
3 #1's like
(
Revival
)
in 2015,
Miranda Lambert
(
Platinum
)
in 2014, rapper
Lecrae
in 2014, rapper
Travis Scott
(2 #1's), and
Solange Knowles
in 2016.
Pentatonix
has had 2 #1 albums on the Billboard 200. Hip hop group
Brockhampton
from San Marcos had a #1 album in 2018. R&B singer
Khalid
from El Paso had a #1 album in 2019.
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External links
[
edit
]