Music
414 stories
He’s Daniel Johnston, And He Was Gonna Be Famous »
He was, for a while, and look what happened: Today one of the great songwriters in the alternative-rock universe is a 44-year-old manic-depressive living with his parents in Waller. And the worst thing about it is, he’s about to be famous again.
February 2005 by Michael Hall
Since She’s Been Gone »
The L.A. life of a girl from Burleson (or, You can take Kelly Clarkson out of Texas . . .).
May 2005 by Skip Hollandsworth
The Queen Is Dead »
When Selena Quintanilla Perez was killed on March 31, Texas mourned—and around the world, the veneration began.
May 1995 by Joe Nick Patoski
Get Your Groove Back »
A new book on dance halls explains why Texans are itching to go boot-scootin'.
August 2002 by Joe Nick Patoski
With Envy »
Pat Green’s fans—and they are legion—love his songs about the joys of Luckenbach and Lone Star beer. His critics—also legion—think his lyrics are trite. But no matter how you feel about him, there’s no denying that he’s the hottest country music act in Texas. And that he has made the state cool again.
June 2002 by Skip Hollandsworth
Green's Day »
Executive editor Skip Hollandsworth talks about Pat Green and this month's cover story, "With Envy."
June 2002 by Skip Hollandsworth
Mack McCormick Still Has the Blues »
His cache of unpublished interviews and unreleased recordings is unrivaled—but both collector and collection are showing signs of age. Who will save the legacy of the man who saved Texas music?
April 2002 by Michael Hall
"Cheap! Cheap!" »
To change the way recording contracts are created, the Dixie Chicks are taking their act to the courtroom.
January 2002 by John Spong
A Long, Strange Trip »
The life of Roky Erikson—one of the most influential Texas rock and rollers of all time—has been one calamity after another. His family and friends have taken care of him with the best of intentions, but you know what they say about the road to hell.
December 2001 by Michael Hall
Shaggy »
Tuning in to Shaggy.
September 2001 by John Morthland
Daddy's Little Girl »
LeAnn Rimes was a marshmallow-cheeked
thirteen-year-old when she made it big. Now, five years later, she is locked in bitter legal battles with both her estranged father and her Nashville record company, and her life and career are collapsing around her. Can America's country princess get back
on track?
May 2001 by Skip Hollandsworth
The Slow Life and Fast Death of DJ Screw »
He was one of the most influential cultural figures in Texas–a generous godfather to a generation of rappers, an entrepreneur of Houston's mean streets, the master of a scene fueled by codeine cough syrup and hip-hop beats. When he overdosed in November at the age of 29, it was easy to dismiss him as yet another musician who succumbed to his own success. But his story is more complicated than that.
April 2001 by Michael Hall
Tennison, Anyone? »
Chalee Tennison wants to reclaim old-time country music.
April 2001 by John Morthland
Blue Notes »
Goree prison unit inmate Hattie Ellis had a short-lived recording career, but her music made a lasting impression.
May 2003 by Skip Hollandsworth
The Beat Goes On »
How are Texas' top two symphonies staying financially viable and relevant to young audiences? One concert at a time.
March 2001 by Chester Rosson
T Bone, Well Done »
He's produced albums for the likes of Roy Orbison and Elvis Costello for years, but now Fort Worth's T Bone Burnett is writing songs again and composing music for movies and plays. At 53 he's on a creative roll and, as he says, "Never bored."
March 2001 by Katy Vine
The Widow’s Pique »
In Lubbock they call her the "Spanish Yoko Ono," and María Elena Holly, Buddy Holly’s widow, has always had a troubled relationship with his conservative hometown. Some folks rave on that it’s her greed that has killed the city’s Buddy Holly Music Festival. But it’s more complicated than that.
February 2001 by Joe Nick Patoski
Unsentimental Journey »
Ornette Coleman's radical theory of harmolodics helped redefine jazz. His relationship with the music business has always been troubled, however, and today the Fort Worth native suffers from benign neglect. But his tenor sax still packs an emotional wallop.
January 2001 by John Morthland
Hall of Justice »
Although Texans from Scott Joplin to Jack Teagarden have made noteworthy contributions to the history of jazz, a music form that may be our country's greatest artistic achievement, they are all but forgotten now. It's high time Texas did something about that.
January 2001 by Jeff McCord
Poster Boy »
Artist Frank Kozik has been called a "rock-poster genius," creating jarring, macabre images for bands like the Butthole Surfers and Sonic Youth. So why did he leave Austin for San Francisco seven years ago? He had his designs.
January 2001 by Eileen Schwartz
The Hit Parade »
Twenty essential recordings by Texas' best jazz musicians.
January 2001 by Jeff McCord
Merry Texas Christmas, You All »
Ten tunes by Texas artists to jingle your bells.
December 2000 by John Morthland
Viva Fort Hood »
Before Elvis Presley became an overweight entertainer in a rhinestone jumpsuit, there was a brief, more innocent time when he wore khakis as an Army private in Central Texas. It was his last chance to be a normal human being. And to be happy.
December 2000 by Michael Hall
On the Fringe »
You might have thought Waco’s Hank Thompson, a forebear of today’s alt-country scene, was dead and gone. But faster than you can say “No Depression,” he’s back, and even at 74, he shows no signs of slowing down.
July 2000 by John Morthland
My Library
