by John Morthland
Top Music Events--Late July
Youth Movement
What's in the Metroplex water these days? Recently, 13-year-oldLeAnn Rimes, of Garland, climbed high up the country charts, followed by 13-year-old Quindon, of Plano, on the black charts. Now,Mercury Records has signed--and assigned top priority to--Dallas rockers Radish, whose oldest member is 15.R.I.P. Grey Ghost
Roosevelt Williams, aka the Grey Ghost, the last of the state's original barrelhouse blues piano-pounders, died in Austin on July 17. His inimitable, immaculately-honed style was a wonder to behold.Lollapalooza
The tiring alt-rock fest makes its sole Texas stop July 25 at Old Fort Dallas in Ferriss. Headliners are Metallica, Rancid, Soundgarden, and the Ramones (on their swan-song tour).Smokin' Grooves
The hip-hop answer to Lollapalooza boasts a scintillating lineup featuringCypress Hill,Ziggy Marley, theFugees, andTribe Called Quest at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas July 27 and Velvet Park in Houston July 28.Houston Press Music Awards
Space City's alternative weekly sponsors showcases July 28 featuring 30-odd nominated acts in five clubs. The winners in each category are announced in the paper August 8, and the awards ceremony is August 12 at Rockefeller's. Alt-rockers theJinkies, honky tonk heroes the Hollisters, and singer-songwriter Trish Murphy are the leading nominees.Ian Moore Gets Kicks
On Route 96. The Austin guitarist played tour director whenVH1's Route 96 staff hit Austin for a program airing July 29 on the cable channel. Moore took the crew to Waterloo Records, Sixth Street and Green Mesquite BBQ.VH1 also checked out a Threadgill's Supper Session, the Antone's 21st birthday celebration, and the Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial statue at Auditorium Shores.Houston International Jazz Festival
Tenorman Stanley Turrentine and David "Fathead" Newman, Brazilian singer/pianist Tania Maria, and jazz-popstersSpyro Gyra blow at the Omni Hotel and Sam Houston Park August 2-4.Shaver: Highway of Life (Justice)
Billy Joe Shaver, arguably the top writer of the '70s Country Outlaw scene, has also aged better than his peers. Though this is more acoustic, and less rocking, than other recent efforts, his songs are as rich and penetrating, and his voice as seasoned, as ever.Herb Steiner: Texas Bandstand Favorites (Norris Family Music)
The Austin steel guitarist's instrumental arrangements of standards, swing and honky-tonk are serene and contemplative, and equally full of life and good spirits.Kingsbury, Paul: The Country Reader: Twenty-five Years of the Journal of Country Music (Vanderbilt University Press/Country Music Foundation Press)
One of the more enlightening pieces in this exemplary anthology is Fort Worther Kevin Coffey's critical profile of Bob Dunn, the blazing electric steel pioneer of Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, the Cowtown group even more responsible than Bob Wills for the creation of western swing. Texans George Jones, Tanya Tucker, and Jimmy Bowen are also spotlighted.
