Music
June 30, 1994
The Devil in George Jones
The survivor of a long and torturous journey, George Jones stands alone as the greatest country singer alive.
Music
Storytelling and reviews about the artists and trends that define the sounds of the Lone Star State
Latest
1701-1750 of 1830 Articles
Music
April 30, 1994
True Blues
In Houston a handful of juke joints and beer bars offers blues the way they used to be—a soulful, gritty communal rite.
Music
March 1, 1994
Switch-hitter
Can tejano heartthrob Emilio Navaira survive the crossover to country music?
Music
February 1, 1994
Axes to Grind
When Stevie Ray Vaughan died, Texas lost its premier guitarist. Can any of these ambitious young players fill his boots?
Music
January 1, 1994
Nashville City Limits
Once, country acts made art in Austin and money in Nashville. Today each place is a lot like the other, which is why more Texas singers are heading east.
Music
December 1, 1993
Lucken Back
Twenty years later, Jerry Jeff Walker returns to the town his music put on the map.
Music
December 1, 1993
Vocal Minority
When top black country artists like powerhouse singer Mary Cutrufello take the stage, people listen.
Music
September 30, 1993
Long Shot
A new album showcases the smoky vocals and guitar of Long John Hunter—the man who gave West Texas the blues.
Music
September 1, 1993
The Comeback Kink
After ten low-key years, country singer turned mystery novelist Kinky Friedman is once again poised to hit the big time.
Music
August 31, 1993
The Natural
In his new release, Jimmie Dale Gilmore sings country music the way it’s supposed to be sung—pure and easy.
Film & TV
May 31, 1993
Deconstructing Willie
Carnality, Castration Anxiety, and Jouissance in Willie Nelson’s Taco Bell Commercial.
Music
April 1, 1993
French Twist
In Texas, singer Calvin Russell can barely fill a club. In France, he’s more popular than Willie—and sells more records.
Music
January 1, 1993
The Sound of Música
Texas’ tejano radio stations dish out a spicy mix of music and patter in English and Spanish, and the ratings are magnifico.
Music
November 1, 1992
Out of Sync
Nearly everyone agrees that the nation’s best college jazz program is in Denton, but critics wonder if it isn’t mired in the past.
Music
September 30, 1992
What a Disc!
From Scott Joplin to ZZ Top, a comprehensive guide to the best Texas music on CD.
Music
September 30, 1992
O Janis
Janis Joplin’s life was about music, rebellion, and excess—but she was influenced most by her tormented relationship with the people and spirit of Port Arthur.
Music
September 30, 1992
Lyle’s Style
Nothing about Lyle Lovett suggests he’d ever make it big. That’s precisely why he did.
Music
August 31, 1992
Roadhouse Warrior
Ely may have a new album, but his best performances have always been live, in person.
Music
April 1, 1992
Western Exposure
Igor Fedotov and Eugene Cherkasov fiddle around in Midland.
Music
February 1, 1992
Well Strung
An Austin artist makes a stringed instrument of monumental scale.
Music
February 1, 1992
Ernest Tubb Goes Electric
The great polka boycott, Willie’s Sunday school status, the cold truth about Vanilla Ice, and other notable moments in Texas Music.
Music
January 1, 1992
In Tune
Houston’s Young Turk music producers have cut a new groove in the record industry.
Music
December 1, 1991
Golden Oldies
Seven legendary Texas musicians who won’t ever let the music stop.
Music
November 1, 1991
Plains Song
When Lubbock-born songwriter Butch Hancock steps onstage, West Texas haunts his music.
Music
July 31, 1991
Sound and Fury
When a rare disorder damaged his voice, Johnny Bush had to decide between singing and speaking.
Music
April 30, 1991
Poor Willie
When the IRS seized all that Willie Nelson had, it was a case of the man who can’t say no meeting the men who won’t take no for an answer.
Music
April 1, 1991
Jump Starter
The music of T-Bone Walker, the Texas guitarist who put the boogie into “jump” blues, is now definitely on record.
Music
February 1, 1991
Yo, Y’all
Carrollton’s Vanilla Ice is the country’s coolest rapper, and several other Texas acts are hot on his heels.
Music
December 1, 1990
“I’m Just Me”
When country singer Charley Pride isn’t on the road, chances are he’s puttering around a Dallas golf course—or riding herd on his business holdings.
Music
December 1, 1990
Fine Tuning
From the Panhandle to the Bayou City, homegrown classical music ensembles are our best-kept secret.
Music
October 1, 1990
Requiem in Blue
Recollections of guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Music
September 1, 1990
Fortune’s Smile
Tevin Campbell, the thirteen-year-old soul sensation, is Texas’ answer to Michael Jackson.
Music
July 31, 1990
Squeeze Play
Three masters show why conjunto, the accordion music of the Tex-Mex border, is hotter thatn Lajitas in August.
Music
March 1, 1990
Strike Up the Bands
The bands play on and on and on in Austin.
Music
December 1, 1989
Black to Basics
Newcomer of the year Clint Black plays tributes to early country music—with an unintentional Texas twist.
Texas History
November 1, 1989
Cowboy Songs
Five favorites from the wide-open spaces, in words and pictures.
Music
July 1, 1989
The Semi-Reluctant Rock Star
How did shy, sweet Edie Brickell become America’s hottest new performer? By sticking to her vision —and doing what the record company told her.
Music
April 1, 1989
Beyond the Blues
The unlikely twosome of eccentric rocker Doug Sahm and blues champion Clifford Antone has rescued from obscurity a distinctively rhythmic, indisputably raunchy regional sound.
Music
March 1, 1989
Songs of Innocence
In Joe Scruggs’s music Everymom evicts under-the-bed monsters, Everykid remembers on Monday morning the fifteen things he needs for school that day, and Everybody delights in Scruggs’s corny but sensitive portrayal of childhood.
Music
February 1, 1989
This is Now
Looking forward to Jerry Jeff Walker’s second Luckenbach, looking into a new way to settle feuds, and looking back over the career of Texas’ most prolific unknown author.
Music
February 1, 1989
Blithe Spirit
It took a bit of coaxing, but when R. T. Williams finally sat down at the piano again, the Grey Ghost came back to life.
Music
January 1, 1989
Playing It Safe
Take two Aspern: one a world premiere by the Dallas Opera, the other the Henry James novella on which the opera is based. Which is better for you?
Music
December 1, 1988
Sax to the Max
A Houston bellhop by day, tenor saxman Grady Gaines has come out of retirement to bring back the trademark sound of a great rock and roll band.
Music
October 1, 1988
One Brick Shy of a Load
Not your run-of-the-mill pickers and singers, these performers are determined to carve out new territory.
Music
October 1, 1988
The Fall of Country, the Rise of Country
As Nashville pandered to the lowest common denominator, Texans found a new audience hungry for old traditions.
Music
September 30, 1988
The Good, The Bad, and The Country
In the small world of country’s New Traditionalism, George Strait and Steve Earle still manage to be worlds apart.
Music
August 31, 1988
Off the Road Again
Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic at Carl’s Corner was the picnic to end all picnics. It did just that.
Music
August 1, 1988
The Big Squeezy
Get hip to zydeco, the born-on-the-bayou sound with the accordion accent. Ready for it red hot? Check out a Saturday-night church dance in Houston.
Film & TV
April 30, 1988
Border Bandstand
Tex-Mex variety is the new spice of TV life, and Brownsville’s Johnny Canales Show has the red-hot ratings to prove it.
Music
February 1, 1988
With Strings Attached
Willie Nelson’s true love may have a body that’s worse for the wear, but woe to the man who tries to pick it up.