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 orld War II had an enormous cultural effect on Texas. Thousands of Texans served in the military and many more thousands came to Texas to train. When it was over, the music reflected the changes that the massive exchanges of information had wrought. T-Bone Walker was ready with his new kind of electric blues developed just before the war with which he had entertained the troops on his tours of army bases. He had settled in Southern California, and the rhythm and blues scene he fostered attracted other musicians from Texas, including Ivory Joe Hunter, who wrote hits that moved into mainstream American music, subtly changing perceptions of R&B. Meanwhile, the Memphis explosion of rock and roll ignited the imagination of young musicians in the Texas Panhandle, foremost among them Buddy Holly of Lubbock. Of course, not everyone took to rock and roll. In the post-war years Texas was also a strong contributor to the country music scene in Nashville. Hank Thompson and Floyd Tillman were the honky-tonking Texans who defined the genre in the late forties and fifties. Toward the end of the fifties Ornette Coleman set the jazz world on its ear with his raucous free jazz sound. In the very different world of classic music, Van Cliburn was an international success after winning the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Among Hispanics in Texas, the post-World War II popularity of Orquesta-leader Beto Villa's la onda tejana established a vibrant new form of latino music.
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