Texas Music Pioneers (A-M) / Texas Music History Tour

The Texas Music History Tour currently includes:
Texas Music Pioneers | Texas Music Libraries and Archives | Historic Texas Music Venues | Other music tourism sites

Pioneers A-M | Pioneers N-Z

The following Texans, now deceased, made significant contributions to the art or business of music. This list of music pioneers is part of the Texas Music History Tour, a guide to experiencing in present-day locations Texas' rich musical past.

For 563 of the pioneers below, the Texas Music Office lists: website links, the instrument and genre of music played, where they were born and where they attended school, their burial site, as well as additional sites of interest.

If you have photos or information not currently listed below for any of these artists, or if you would like to suggest other Texans to be included, please email us at music[at]governor.state.tx.us.

Texas' music-related museums, libraries, archives and halls of fame frequently have public exhibits devoted to music history. Our guide to these buildings is located here.

Some of the information found below is from the Handbook of Texas Music published August 2003 by the Texas State Historical Association.

The Texas Music Office would like to thank the following folks for their assistance in providing this information: Texas State Historical Association, Texas State University's Center for Texas Music History, TMO intern Cory Kenworthy, Texas Historical Commission, Texas Music Museum, Texas Almanac, FindAGrave.com, TexasEscapes.com, Arhoolie Records, BobKat Designs' Texas Chamber of Commerce & CVB list, AllMusic.com, Gordon Polatnick's Dead Musician Directory, The Red Hot Jazz Archive, Big Bands Database, the Dallas Morning News, the Austin American-Statesman and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Pioneers A-M

Pioneers A-M | Pioneers N-Z

Darrell Lance Abbott 2 3
Genres: Rock
Based in: Arlington
Instrument: guitar
Birthplace: Arlington Birthdate: 8/20/1966 Deathdate: 12/8/2004
Darrell Abbott formed the rock band Pantera along with his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, in the early 1980s. After releasing three albums with singer Terry Glaze, the group explored a harder direction with the addition of new vocalist Philip Anselmo. Pantera soon became one of the world's top metal bands, credited with keeping the genre alive throughout the 1990s. Abbott's heavy but melodic style led to his being recognized as one of the top ten metal guitarists of all time by Guitar Player magazine. After the demise of Pantera, the Abbott brothers formed a new band, Damageplan, in 2003. Darrell Abbott, along with three others, was shot to death in Columbus, Ohio during a performance by Damageplan.
Schools: Arlington High School

Jacques Abram 2
Genres:Classical
Based in: Lufkin
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Lufkin Birthdate: 8/6/1915 Deathdate: 10/5/1998
Abram was a child prodigy beginning piano lessons at age five, by age six he was playing recitals in movie houses across the state. At age 22, he was awarded the National Federation of Music Club's Young Artists Award in a tie with Ida Krehm. Abram was known as a brilliant studio teacher and the originator of "Issues in Music," a popular course at the University of South Florida which was later brought to television. He gave Arthur Benjamin's "Concerto quasi ua Fantasia" its first English performance at the Cheltenham Festival in 1952 and the first American performance in San Antonio in 1953.
Colleges: He received a Diploma with Distinction from Julliard.

Elmer Akins
Genres: Christian
Based in: Austin
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Pilot Knob Birthdate: 3/10/1911 Deathdate: 12/9/1998
The fifth child of sharecroppers Jim and Hattie Akins, Elmer Akins became a beloved and respected gospel radio announcer and live gospel music promoter in Austin. While living in Austin during the early 1940s, Akins listened to WLAC-AM out of Nashville and developed a passion for the live broadcasts of gospel quartets, such as the Fairfield Four. He began singing in choirs and quartets and hosted live gospel programs at KNOW radio. Akins's Sunday morning gospel program on KVET-AM was the oldest continuously running American radio show, and Akins earned recognition as the longest-continuing radio host in the United States by the Texas Association of Broadcasters, when they honored him as a Texas Broadcast Legend in 1998. Akins also earned the titles "Voice of Austin" and "Deacon of Austin Gospel Music" during his half-century of broadcasting.

Victor Nicholas Alessandro, Jr.
Genres: Classical
Based in: San Antonio
Instrument: conductor
Birthplace: Waco Birthdate: 11/27/1915 Deathdate: 11/27/1976
Victor Alessandro, Jr. was introduced to music at an early age; he studied horn with his father, a prominent music teacher and conductor. In 1951, Alessandro took over as the conductor of the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra. The next year he also assumed leadership of the San Antonio Symphony Society's Grand Opera Festival. He introduced works by Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler, and Alban Berg to San Antonio audiences before they became fashionable elsewhere. Alessandro received honorary doctorates from the Eastman School and Southern Methodist University, as well as the Alice M. Ditson Award for service to American music.

Alger "Texas" Alexander 2 3
Genres: Blues
Based in: Leona
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Jewett Birthdate: 9/12/1900 Deathdate: 4/16/1954
Buried at: Longstreet Cemetery, Grimes County, Texas
Alexander was the first person to record the classic song "House Of The Rising Sun" with his 1928 recording called "Rising Sun." He is known as one of the most important blues singers of the 1920s to the mid 1950s.

Birdie Alexander
Genres: Classical
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: piano, vocals
Birthplace: Lincoln County, TN Birthdate: 3/24/1870 Deathdate: 8/2/1960
Birdie Alexander is credited with having laid the foundation for the system of music education in Dallas' public schools. She established the teaching of singing in all grades and was the first to form citywide choral groups for public performance. Under her direction the first operetta was performed at Turner Hall on May 24 and 25, 1901, to raise funds for the children's department of the Dallas Public Library. In 1910 she organized the Dallas High School orchestra, which continued to function with annual concerts. In the same year she inaugurated music appreciation lessons in the schools with the purchase of the first record player and recordings with funds subscribed by interested citizens. Miss Alexander was a charter member of the first board of directors of the Music Supervisors' National Conference, and as chairman of the MSNC was responsible for the formation of the music department of the Texas State Teachers Association. In the summers of 1908, 1909, and 1910 she organized and taught courses in music education at the University of Texas. In 1912 she edited Songs We Like to Sing. Because of her health she moved to El Paso in 1913, and there until her death she taught piano and was a leader in musical activities.
Colleges: Mary Nash College in Sherman

Shelly Lee Alley
Genres: Country
Based in: Alleyton
Instrument: vocals, fiddle
Birthplace: Alleyton Birthdate: 7/6/1894 Deathdate: 1964
Fiddler and Western Swing pioneer Shelly Alley is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of the 1930s and 1940s. Descended from some of Stephen F. Austin's original settlers, Alley was born July 6, 1894 in Alleyton, Texas, a community named after his ancestors. Alley led the base orchestra in San Antonio where he was stationed during World War I. In the 1920s, Alley led several different orchestras, which played primarily pop and jazz. Alley became a pioneer in radio broadcasting when his bands got airtime on numerous Texas radio stations, including KRLD Radio in Dallas. In 1936, Alley formed the Alley Cats, which were based out of Houston and Beaumont. The band featured several members who would become famous in their own right, including "Pappy" Selph, Ted Daffon, Floyd Tillman, Clif Bruner, and his stepson, Clyde Brewer. Alley's most famous song, however, was "Travelin' Blues." In 1933, fellow Texan Jimmy Rodgers, accompanied by Shelly and his brother Alvin on the "twin-fiddles," first recorded the song in 1931. Over twenty different artists have since recorded "Travelin' Blues," including Merle Haggard, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, and more recently, Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

Irl Allison, Sr.
Genres: Classical
Based in: Austin
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Warren Birthdate: 4/18/1896 Deathdate: 9/6/1979
Irl Allison, Sr., pianist, music educator, was founder of the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Although Allison was best known to hundreds of thousands of music teachers and their pupils by his signature on certificates awarded by the National Guild for participation in the Annual National Piano Playing Auditions, he was also a renowned music teacher. He was also the founder and president of the guild-sponsored American College of Musicians and of the National Fraternity of Student Musicians. He founded the Golden Rule Peace Movement and began the World Peace Programs for radio in 1948 as well. Additionally, Allison compiled and edited the Irl Allison Library of Music in thirty-three volumes and initiated and promoted into an international event: the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In Austin, where the Allisons made their home after 1943, he was largely responsible for developing the Azalea Trail, and presented azaleas to Lady Bird Johnson for the Lyndon B. Johnson Library.

Joe Marion Allison 2 3
Genres: Country
Based in: McKinney
Instrument: songwriter, producer
Birthplace: McKinney Birthdate: 10/3/1924 Deathdate: 8/2/2002
Buried at: Woodlawn Memorial Park, Nashville, TN
Joe Allison wrote songs recorded by Jim Reeves, Tex Ritter, Faron Young, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby and Patsy Cline. Joe Allison's most important songwriting credit came in 1960, when Jim Reeves took "He'll Have to Go" to the top of the Country chart for 14 weeks. A song he wrote for Tex Ritter, "When You Leave Don't Slam the Door," hit the Country Top Five in October 1946.
Schools: East Van Vandt in Fort Worth; McKinney Texas Jr. High; Denison Texas High School
Colleges: Murray Jr. College in Tishomingo, OK
Sites of interest:
In 1943, Joe's first radio job was at KPLT in Paris, TX.
In 1944, Allison worked at radio station KMAC in San Antonio.

Ruby Allmond
Genres: Country
Based in: Bonham
Instrument: songwriter, fiddle, guitar
Birthplace: Fannin County Birthdate: 5/2/1923 Deathdate: 1/23/2006
Ruby Allmond played fiddle and guitar, but is best remembered for her songwriting. Texas songwriter Cindy Walker introduced Ruby Allmond to Chet Atkins in Nashville starting Allmond's association with RCA Records. She wrote "I Mustn't Pass This Way Again" for Ferlin Husky and Dottie West took Allmond's song "Reno" into the Top 10. Ruby Allmond performed in fiddle bands in the 1940s when most female entertainers were regulated to vocals and provided the musical accompaniment to fellow Bonham resident Sam Rayburn's campaigns for Congress.
Schools: Bailey

Guadalupe L. "Wally" Almendar 2
Genres: Polka, Tejano
Based in: Premont
Instrument: saxophone
Birthplace: Premont Birthdate: 9/12/1933 Deathdate: 9/15/1996
During the last four years of the the Beto Villa Orquesta from 1957 to 1960, son-in-law Wally Almendariz played saxophone and helped Beto with the band. Then joined Paulino Bernal Orquestra and helped record their hit "Mi Unico Camino." He also worked with Armando Marroquin at Ideal Records backing Chelo Silva, Narciso Martinez, Las Hermanas Mendoza, Rosita Fernandez and others. Armendarez recorded "Quatro Milpas" for Ideal and later worked with Nori Cantu, Esteban Jordan, Manny and the Sunglows and Shorty and the Corvettes.

Ventura Alonzo 2 3
Genres: Tejano
Based in: Brownsville
Instrument: accordion, vocals
Birthplace: Matamoros, Mexico Birthdate: 12/30/1904 Deathdate: 12/14/2000
Mrs. Alonzo represented one of the first lady big band musicians in the state of Texas and the first Tejana accordionist to record. A mural dedicated in Ventura Alonzo's honor is located at Firestone Tire at 1601 Harrisburg at Macario Garcia Drive, Houston, Texas.
Sites of interest:
Ventura Alonzo's mural

Pearl Amster 2
Genres: Classical
Based in: Austin
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: New York City Birthdate: 5/17/1917 Deathdate: 9/22/2000
Born Pearl Salzman, this classical pianist became a beloved patron of many Austin youth music programs and performing arts venues. Her many musical accomplishments include her debut performance at New York City's Town Hall at age 16, her recognition as the first woman awarded an artist diploma from the National Guild of Music and Teachers, her 1953 performance at Carnegie Hall's Steinway Concert Hall, and her release of her CD Inspired Collections, which was recorded on her 80th birthday. Amster studied under Rose Raymond and Roslyn Tureck and performed as a concert pianist and taught music for many years before she and her husband, Gus, moved to Austin in 1967. After moving to Austin, Amster continued to perform and teach piano. In 1984, the Austin Civic Orchestra named its annual youth concerto competition and accompanying scholarship in honor of Amster for her support of youth performance opportunities.

Clifford Jamal Antone
Genres: Blues
Based in: Austin
Instrument: Nightclub, Record Label and Record Store owner, bass
Birthplace: Port Arthur Birthdate: 10/27/1949 Deathdate: 5/23/2006
Clifford Antone acquired a taste for the blues at a young age, first from gospel music, then by ventures to juke joints on both sides of the Texas/Louisiana border. Antone moved to Austin in 1969, planning to study law at the University of Texas. Dropping out after a drug arrest that was later dismissed, he ran the local branch of the family delicatessen. On July 15, 1975, Antone opened Antone's nightclub at Sixth and Brazos, in what was then a rundown part of town. Soon blues superstars and sidemen made the club, where Antone would pay the band out of his pocket on a slow night, a regular stop. The first generation of Antone's performers included Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Albert King, Albert Collins, B.B. King,Bobby Blue Bland, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins and James Cotton. Local musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, W.C. Clark, Lou Ann Barton, Keith Ferguson, Doyle Bramhall, Angela Strehli, Denny Freeman, Paul Ray, and Kim Wilson, who served as the backing bands for the touring acts soon began to develop and establish their own followings combining and recombining into numerous acts and becoming the second generation of Antone's performers. As two of those acts, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble began their rise to international fame, the club moved to an old pizza parlor on Guadalupe, just north of the University of Texas, growing to include a record store across the street. In 1987, Antone expanded the brand to include Antone's Records and Tapes, issuing recordings by many of the acts who frequently played the nightclub. In 1997, the nightclub moved to its current location at 213 West Fifth Street where a third generation of talent began to emerge including: Eve Monsees, Gary Clark Jr. and Bob Schneider and the Scabs. Antone's philanthropy did not only extend to musicians. He began a series of ongoing benefits to "Help Clifford Help Kids" for local nonprofit American YouthWorks and was a principal organizer of the Neighbors in Need benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims. He taught a courses on the history of the blues at both the University of Texas in Austin and Texas State University in San Marcos and once stated, "My job is done if one kid is inspired to buy a Muddy Waters CD who didn't know who he was."
Colleges: Antone taught at The University of Texas and Texas State University
Sites of interest: Antone's Nightclub

Ernest Alvin "Texas Tom" Archia, Jr. 2
Genres: Blues, Jazz
Based in: Houston
Instrument: tenor sax
Birthplace: Groveton Birthdate: 11/26/1919 Deathdate: 1/16/1977
Buried at: Oakwood Cemetery in Hempstead, TX
Tom Archia is a Texas tenor man that has performed with such giants as Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, and Milt Larkin. Archia studied under Percy McDavid, who taught an eclectic repertoire to his high school orchestra classes. Duke Ellington himself visited the school to hear the orchestra. In high school, Archia's own band consisted of Richie Dell on piano, the Jacquet brothers and Arnett Cobb on tenor saxophone and that was just the beginning.
Schools: Phyllis Wheatley High School
Colleges: Tom majored in Education at Prairie View A&M, graduating in 1939
Sites of interest:
Archia was living as a teenager in the Fifth Ward, at 4519 Lyons Avenue in Houston, across from the old St. Elizabeth's Hospital. (Illinois and Russell Jacquet lived down the street.)
Tom played with Milton Larkin and his band at the Aragon Ballroom in Houston in 1936.

John Ardoin 2 3
Genres: Classical
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: music critic
Birthplace: Alexandria, LA Birthdate: 1/8/1935 Deathdate: 3/18/2001
John Ardoin, longtime music critic of The Dallas Morning News, was internationally known as an expert on opera diva Maria Callas. Ardoin often wrote about Callus, who was considered the godmother of the Dallas Opera, and penned four books about her as well. He was considered the foremost expert on her life and career. In June 1966 he became only the second music critic ever at The Dallas Morning News.
Colleges: University of North Texas; B.A. in music theory and composition from the University of Texas at Austin; Master's Degree from the University of Oklahoma; Michigan State University.

Robert Wright Armstrong
Genres: Classical
Based in: Brownwood
Instrument: band leader
Birthplace: Brownwood Birthdate: 12/18/1892 Deathdate: 9/15/1966
Buried at: Greenwood Cemetery in Fort Worth
Robert Wright Armstrong, railroad executive, soldier, and musician, was born in Brownwood, Texas, on December 18, 1892. The former military school cadet was active in both world wars. In the early 1920s. he organized the Old Gray Mare Band, which became the official band of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce. Armstrong was also a member of civic clubs in Fort Worth and Houston and the Western Railway Club of Chicago. He was active in the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and was president of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce from 1952 to 1954. In addition, he belonged to the Sons of the American Revolution and the Thirty-sixth Division Association (of which he was president in 1947-48).
Schools: Brownwood Public Schools

Joseph "Joe Tex" Arrington, Jr.
Genres: Blues
Based in: Navasota
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Rogers Birthdate: 8/8/1935 Deathdate: 8/12/1982
Joseph Arrington, now known as Joe Tex, introduced a style of music that has been copied by Isaac Hayes, Barry White, and others. In songs and ballads, in particular, he slowed the tempo slightly and started "rapping," that is, speaking verse that told the story in the middle of the song, before repeating the refrain and ending the song. The biggest hits of Joe Tex included "Hold On To What You Got," "Papa Was Too," "Skinny Legs and All," and "South Country," an album of Country and Western songs; his biggest seller was "I Gotcha," which went platinum (made 1,000,000 in sales) in 1971.

Charline Arthur 2 3 4
Genres: Country, Rockabilly
Based in: Henrietta
Instrument: vocals, guitar
Birthplace: Henrietta Birthdate: 9/2/1929 Deathdate: 11/27/1987
Buried at: Fort Worth
Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley, heard Charline on a West Texas radio station and, in 1952, brought her to the attention of RCA Records. She toured with the top country stars of the time and appeared on such important programs as "Louisiana Hayride" and Dallas' "Big D Jamboree."

Samuel Erson Asbury 2 3
Genres: Music history
Based in: Bryan
Instrument: composer
Birthplace: Charlotte, NC Birthdate: 9/26/1872 Deathdate: 1/10/1962
Buried at: College Station City Cemetery located at 2530 Texas Avenue South.
Ashbury accepted the position of assistant state chemist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station on the campus of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) in 1904. In 1951 he published a pamphlet, entitled Music as a Means of Historical Research, in which he discussed music as a medium for the presentation of historical narrative. He proposed to produce an opera to interpret the Texas Revolution through a cycle of music dramas, but it was never completed.
Colleges: North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering at Raleigh
Sites of interest:
Samuel Erson Asbury Papers, 1920-1955 are located at the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
Asbury attended the First Methodist Church in Bryan (one of the oldest downtown churches in Bryan) at 506 East 28th Street.

Jesse Ashlock
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Fort Worth
Instrument: fiddle
Birthplace: Walker County Birthdate: 2/22/1915 Deathdate: 8/9/1976
Jesse Ashlock started playing violin at age nine. In 1932 Ashlock joined a band named Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies. In 1935 Ashlock joined Bob Wills's Original Texas Playboys as a fiddle player. He stayed with Bob Wills throughout the rest of Wills's career and continued playing shows until three days before his death. Ashlock's playing style had its roots in jazz. His fiddle style was characterized by hot breaks and hot choruses. His idol was jazz violinist Joe Venuti. Ashlock's attempt to play his fiddle like a horn earned him placement in the category of the "hot fiddlers."

Gene Austin
Genres: Pop
Based in: Gainesville
Instrument: vocals, composer
Birthplace: Gainesville Birthdate: 6/24/1900 Deathdate: 1/24/1972
Although singer and composer Gene Austin - born Eugene Lucas - composed more than 100 songs, he never learned to read music. He was one of the original crooners, and his tenor voice was well known in the early days of radio and on the hand-cranked phonographs of the 1920s and 1930s. His RCA Victor recordings sold a total of more than eighty-six million copies; one of the recordings, "My Blue Heaven" (1927), sold over twelve million records. He started his recording career in 1923, and the next year Jimmy McHugh produced his first hit song, "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street," with lyrics by Austin and Irving Mills. Other hit songs Austin introduced were "My Melancholy Baby," "Girl of My Dreams," "Ramona," "Carolina Moon," and "Sleepy Time Gal." His compositions included "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street," "How Come You Do Me Like You Do?" and "Lonesome Road." Austin debuted in the movies in 1932 and ultimately made three: "Sadie McKee," "Gift of Gab" and "Melody Cruise."

Orvon Gene Autry 2 3 4
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Tioga
Instrument: guitar, vocal
Birthplace: Tioga Birthdate: 9/29/1907 Deathdate: 10/3/1998
Buried at: Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Gene Autry's first hit, "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine," eventually sold a million copies. His recording of this song set an industry record for sales and became part of the first album in history to go gold. He was the first film actor ever to become a major television star. And, his 1949 recording "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," became the first record in history to go platinum. Autry is the only entertainer with 5 stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame (motion pictures, radio, music recording, television, live theater).
Schools: Autry graduated from Ravia High School (Oklahoma) in 1925.
Annual event: Tioga Museum & Heritage Association sponsors an annual Gene Autry Festival.

Etheldreda Belle "Dreda" Aves
Genres: Classical, Opera
Based in: Galveston
Instrument: soprano
Birthplace: Norwalk, OH Birthdate: 1890 Deathdate: 4/17/1942
Etheldreda (Dreda) Aves, operatic soprano, was born in the 1890s in Norwalk, Ohio. She was taken as a child to Galveston, where her father was rector of Trinity Episcopal Church. She first studied singing with H. T. Huffmeister, director of the Galveston Choral Club and organist at her father's church. Her father reportedly had "vigorous moral objections" to Dreda's singing in public, with the result that she sang only at church services until she left Texas. She debuted with the De Foe Carlin Opera Company in the title role of Carmen in Baltimore in 1922. Although she began her career as a contralto, with the advice and help of Vilonat, her last teacher, she became a dramatic soprano. Aves joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1927 and made her debut in Aïda in 1928. She remained with the Metropolitan through the end of the 1931-32 season. She moved from New York City to Buckeye Lake in Ohio in 1940 or 1941, and died on April 17, 1942, in the nearby town of Newark, after an illness of several months.
Colleges: University of Texas; Columbia University; Damrosch Institute of Musical Art in New York

Pedro Ayala 2 3 4
Genres: Polka, Tejano, Conjunto
Based in: Rio Grande Valley
Instrument: accordion
Birthplace: Nuevo Leon, Mexico Birthdate: 1911 Deathdate: 12/1/1990
Ayala was one of the respected performers of Norteño and Conjunto music. The initial accordion-bajo lineup was complemented by the addition of the tololoche, or upright bass. This development is variously credited to Pedro Ayala. He turned full-time professional in his mid-twenties, playing throughout the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. His style and grace was unequaled by any of his contemporaries during the 1950s.

Harry "The Bear" Babasin 2
Genres: Jazz
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: bass
Birthplace: Dallas Birthdate: 3/19/1921 Deathdate: 5/21/1988
Harry "the Bear" Babasin became interested in music at an early age; he was a skilled musician mastering many instruments: bassoon, bass, cello, and the clarinet. It wasn't until after his graduation from North Texas College that he was introduced to jazz. While attending a Charlie Fisk Orchestra concert he landed his first big break when he and a friend told Fisk that he could outplay any member of his orchestra. When asked to prove it, Babasin and his friend Ellis embarked on a staggering bit of showmanship. Impressed, Fisk hired the boys immidately and took them with him to Chicago. A year later Babasin joined the Bob Strong Orchestra in New York City. He worked with various other groups before joining up with Charlie Barnet, with whom he relocated to California with in 1945. While in Los Angeles, Babasin worked with several musicians, including Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, and Chet Baker. Babasin was also involved in establishing the Los Angeles Theasum, an archive specializing in the preservation of jazz and other music recordings as well as instruments and other artifacts donated by musicians.
Colleges: University of North Texas

Amandus Oscar "A.O." Babel
Genres: Classical, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Seguin
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Seguin Birthdate: 12/22/1858 Deathdate: 1/19/1896
The original Texas Cowboy Pianist, A.O. Babel was born in Seguin, TX in 1858. Before becoming a musician, he worked as a guide, scout, cowboy, and interpreter. He discovered his gift as a pianist while convalescing at Fort Sill, Indian Territory. During his career, he played in New York City and for European royalty. A. O. Babel died January 19, 1896 in Randolph, Cattaraugus County, New York.

Heinrich Backofen
Genres: Classical, German
Based in: Bettina
Instrument: clarinet, composer
Birthplace: Unavailable Birthdate: 1768 Deathdate: 1839
One of the earliest references to musical instruments among Texas German immigrants, Heinrich Backofen, son of a prominent Darmstadt clarinet maker, brought "a whole chest" of instruments with him to Bettina in 1847. Complete name may be: Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen.
Sites of interest:
Bettina, Texas

Mollie Arline Kirkland Bailey
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Houston
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: near Mobile, AL Birthdate: circa 11/2/1844 Deathdate: 10/2/1918
Buried at: Hollywood Cemetery, Houston
Mollie Bailey - "Circus Queen of the Southwest" - eloped and married James A. Bailey, and together with James's brother they formed the Bailey Family Troupe, which traveled through the country dancing, singing, and acting. During the Civil War, Mollie served as a nurse to the Hood's Texas Brigade. Some believe that she was a Conferderate spy who disguised herself as an elderly woman, passing through federal camps pretending to sell cookies. Mollie and her family enjoyed immediate success when they started the Bailey Circus, "A Texas Show for Texas People." At its height, the one-ring tent circus had thirty-one wagons and about 200 animals; it added elephant and camel acts in 1902. She is also credited for her generosity to various churches and for allowing poor children to attend the circus free. She was a pioneer as well, some say she was the first to show motion pictures in Texas including a one-reel film of the sinking of the USS Maine.

Sykes "Smith" Ballew 2 3
Genres: Jazz, Polka
Based in: Palestine
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Palestine Birthdate: 1/21/1902 Deathdate: 5/2/1984
Buried at: Laurel Land Memorial Park, Fort Worth
Singer, Actor and Bandleader. He worked with a number of bandleaders including Ted Weems, Hal Kemp, and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. In 1929 he organized the Smith Ballew Orchestra, and in the same year he signed his first recording contract with Okeh Records in Chicago. He appeared in twenty four films, 1936-50 including "Western Gold" (1937), "Under Arizona Skies" (1946), and "The Red Badge of Courage" (1951).
Schools: Sherman High School
Colleges: Austin College; University of Texas

Martin Banks 2 3 4
Genres: Big Band, Jazz
Based in: Austin
Instrument: trumpet, flugelhorn
Birthplace: Austin Birthdate: 6/21/1936 Deathdate: 8/20/2004
Considered a jazz giant in the Austin musical scene, Martin Banks is a member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame. In the 1960s he was a long time member of the Apollo Theater House Band in New York, a regular session musician at the original Motown recording studio. Martin played and/or recorded with many renowned musicians such as Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, James Brown, BB. King, Sun Ra, King Curtis, David "Fathead" Newman, Larry DC Williams, Freddie King, Dizzy Gillespie and countless others.

William Archibald Barclay
Genres: Christian
Based in: Temple
Instrument: organ
Birthplace: Temple Birthdate: 2/26/1907 Deathdate: 1/28/1969
Buried at: family plot in Temple
William Archibald Barclay was a gifted pianist and organist from his early days. He began with his mother as his first piano teacher. As a teenager he would travel alone by train to Dallas to study organ playing and he had the ability to play any piece of music by ear. Because of this skill he was playing in church by age 10. He graduated from Baylor University in Waco and afterwards moved to Fort Worth where he accepted the position of proffesor of organ at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He held numerous other positions in and around Fort Worth, including staff organist at WBAP radio in Fort Worth (1928–42), professor of organ at Trinity University in Waxahachie (1933–36), organist at Hemphill Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth (1933–36), organist (1942–46) and minister of music (1946–69) at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth, staff organist at WBAP-TV in Fort Worth (1949–53), and "director of serious music" at WBAP–FM in Fort Worth (1955–57).

Benny Barnes 2
Genres: Rock, Country
Based in: Beaumont
Instrument: vocals, guitar
Birthplace: Beaumont Birthdate: 1936 Deathdate: 8/8/1987
Benjamin M. Barnes Jr. combined rock and country to become a popular singer/guitarist that had several hits covering songs by "The Big Bopper." In the beginning of his career, he played guitar on an early George Jones Starday Records recording. After an oilfield injury, he began singing locally and joined the Starday roster. The next year he enjoyed a number 2 country hit with "Poor Man's Riches." However a followup was hard to come by. In 1960 he gave up singing and opened up a bar, The Blue Lantern in Beaumont. He made various other recordings, namely for Hallway (1962-65), Musicor (1965-68), Kapp (1968), Mega (1972), Starday (1973) and Playboy (1976). Only "I've Got Some Getting Over You To Do" on Playboy made the charts - a very modest number 94, in 1977.

Chase Baromeo
Genres: Classical, Opera
Based in: Austin
Instrument: operatic bass-baritone
Birthplace: Augusta, GA Birthdate: 8/19/1892 Deathdate: 8/7/1973
Chase Baromeo enjoyed a highly succesful operatic career and made his debut in 1923 at the Teatro Carcano in Milan, Italy. From 1923 to 1926 he was a member of La Scala where he sang under Arturo Toscanini. Because of Italian's difficulty with pronouncing his last name he changed his name, originally Sikes, to Boromeo which he used for the rest of his life. He also sang at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, with the Chicago Civic Opera Company, and with the San Francisco Opera Company. From 1935 to 1938 he was with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. He also performed with many of the leading symphony orchestras in the United States. He was married to Delphie Lindstrom on May 12, 1931; they had three children, one of whom predeceased him. While with the University of Texas, he directed and performed in many university-staged operas. Baromeo left the university in 1954 to join the University of Michigan faculty.

Carl Jared "Utah Carl" Beach 2 3
Based in: Alvin
Instrument: vocals, guitar
Birthplace: Bartlesville, OK Birthdate: 1/31/1919 Deathdate: 9/24/1976
Utah Carl was born on an Indian reservation in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on January 31, 1919. He was half-Cherokee and half-Irish. He grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas, and entertained on 56 radio stations as he crossed the country looking for places that would book him. Beach was playing a few numbers as a guest artist on a Mutual Broadcasting Network program called "Hymns of All Churches." The first song he sang was an old cowboy song titled "Utah Carl's Last Ride." It was at that moment that for the heck of it the program's announcer began addressing Beach as "Utah Carl." The name stuck. And while it's true that Carl Beach was once a real six-foot-six cowboy, punching cattle for nearly five years, if he ever so much as went to the state of Utah, he was just passing through. Nevertheless, for the remainder of his career as an entertainer, which spanned 43 years, "Utah" was the prefix to "Carl." In 1945, Utah Carl moved his family to Galveston. He was signed-on for a regular daily program at radio station KLUF. In the evenings, he and his band entertained at various taverns in Galveston, like the Westwego, the Hurricane Club, and Fatty Owen's Anchor Club. Utah Carl began his career in television the day television began its career in Galveston. It was in 1953. He was awakened by the police from an afternoon nap and rushed to the new studios of the area's CBS affiliate, KGUL-TV. Movie actor Jimmy Stewart was one of the owners of the new station, and he was in Galveston to emcee the opening along with Paul Taft, who was the station's president. The next thing on the program was to have been a Jimmy Stewart movie. When the cue was given the projectionist, he pulled the projector's switch, and nothing happened. Someone in the audience of dignitaries suggested Utah Carl could fill the time, and Stewart sent the police to get him. He played a 25-minute impromptu set. When it was over, and the next act came in, Stewart and Taft took Utah Carl into the office, and signed him as a permanent member of the station's staff. For the next 14 years, Utah Carl with "Herbie and the boys" had a regular television show. In the late 1950s, Utah Carl released on records two of his compositions, "Daddy's Little King" and "The Man in the Moon." The hoopla for the releases was a Western jamboree that, along with Utah Carl, featured Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, the Texas Troubadours and others. The shows were held at Galveston's City Auditorium and with a clambake at Houston's Buff Stadium. Other tunes Utah Carl wrote and recorded for Nashville's Bullet Recording Co. were "It's No, My Darling," "Memories by My Fireside," and "Treasured Memories." During the last 15 years of his life, Utah Carl was an agent for Prudential Insurance Co.'s Galveston office, and was enormously successful. Utah Carl died of carcinoma of the lung in September of 1976.

Dean Beard 2 3 4
Genres: Rockabilly
Based in: Santa Anna
Instrument: vocals, guitar
Birthplace: Santa Anna Birthdate: 1935 Deathdate: 4/1989
Dean Beard was a rockabilly pioneer from West Texas that opened for Scotty, Bill and Elvis (Presley) in Breckenridge and Stamford, TX. He formed a band called Dean Beard & The Crew Cats which featured Dean on piano, James Steward on lead guitar, Jimmy Seals on sax and Dash Crofts on drums where they played regularly to large crowds in the area's American Legions, VFWs and clubs. In 1956 he went to Memphis to record briefly at Sun Records.

Carl Beck
Genres: Classical
Based in: San Antonio
Instrument: conductor
Birthplace: Ilmenau, Thuringia Birthdate: 4/26/1850 Deathdate: 10/2/1920
Choir, orchestra and band conductor Carl Beck studied music in Germany until 1875 when he moved to the United States and settled in New Orleans as part of a music group. In May 1884 he moved to San Antonio to conduct the Beethoven Männerchor and the Mendelsshn Mixed Chorus. He is credited for performing the first complete symphony to be heard in Texas in 1887 at a festival in San Antonio. After living in San Antonio for twenty years, Beck moved to Odessa in 1904. There he organized a fourteen member band that toured from Toya to Abilene. He moved around a bit from Pecos to Kingsville before returning to San Antonio in 1919 to again accept conductorship of the Beethoven Männerchor.

Jim Beck
Genres: Country
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: record producer
Birthplace: Birthdate: Deathdate: 1956
Jim Beck was a Dallas area record producer famous for recording country artists at his Jim Beck's Recording Studio in Dallas. The studio was a haven for local country musicians looking for contacts and a recording contract. There are veterans who say Dallas might have become the nexus of country music as Nashville is today had studio owner Jim Beck (who co-wrote the legendary "If You Got the Money" with Lefty Frizzell) not tragically suffocated on cleaning solution in his downtown Dallas studio.

Garland Wayne Beckham
Genres: Country
Based in:Dallas-Fort Worth
Instrument: country music journalist, publisher, and photographer
Birthplace: Lantham, Kansas Birthdate: 3/21/1929 Deathdate:10/15/2001
Buried at: DFW National Cemetery in Dallas
Garland Wayne Beckham began a publishing career working in the press room of the Daily Oklahoman. After serving in the Navy during WWII, he worked in the press room of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Virginia. Beckham worked in the Fort Worth area during the 1960s and 1970s as a publisher and photojournalist. In addition, he owned his own talent agency, Way-Beck Talent. He published the magazine Country Music Reporter and was a staff photographer at one of the most popular dance halls in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Panther Hall. There he photographed dozens of country music performers, including Willie Nelson, Charlie Pride, Tanya Tucker, and Bob Wills. Furthermore, he would occasionally sit in and play harmonica with some of the performers at Panther Hall.

Iola Barns Beers
Genres: Classical
Based in: Galveston
Instrument: educator
Birthplace: New Orleans, LA Birthdate: 12/17/1852 Deathdate: 11/13/1925
Iola Barns Beers is credited for founding the Girl's Musical Club of Galveston in 1890. The organization educated talented young women and assisted them in their musical studies with the help of trained musicians. The club met twice a week to study music history and analyze the work of great composers. In addition, the club oragnized and presented concerts. Later she served on the executive committee of the Ladies' Musical Club of Galveston. She raised money for for the Galveston public schools. In 1900, after the Galveston Hurricane, she joined the American Red Cross Association and was appointed chairman of the Eleventh Ward distribution commitee. Iola was a part of many progressive women's organizations and was on the board of directors of the Galveston Orphan's House and the Galveston Art League. Also, she belonged to the Wednesday Club, the Galveston Equal Suffrage Association, and was associated with the Women's Health Protective Association.

Tyler Dee "T.D." Bell 2 3
Genres: Blues
Based in: Austin
Instrument: guitar, vocal
Birthplace: Lee County outside of Dimebox, Texas Birthdate: 12/26/1922 Deathdate: 1/9/1999
Called "Little T-Bone" for his take on T-Bone Walker's jazz-tinged guitar style, Bell remained a staple on Austin's Eastside for 20 years. A direct link to the past, Bell was also a link to Austin's future; current local bluesmen W.C. Clark, Blues Boy Hubbard, and Matthew Robinson all learned at Bell's fingertips. In 1949, Victory Grill proprietor Johnny Adams lured him to Austin with the promise of three shows a week at the Victory.
Sites of interest:
Victory Grill
Continental Club

Jesse Belvin 2
Genres: R&B
Based in: San Antonio
Instrument: vocals, songwriter
Birthplace: San Antonio Birthdate: 12/15/1932 Deathdate: 2/6/1960
Buried at: East Los Angeles
Jesse Lorenzo Belvin was a San Antonio native raised in Los Angeles who was best known for writing "Earth Angel." He sang in his church chior at age seven and later discovered R&B as he approached his early teens. Shortly after joining a group called Three Dots and a Dash, Belvin was drafted, but while away from home, he wrote "Earth Angel." A doo wop quartet called the Penguins recorded it; it sold a million copies between late 1954 and early 1955. It became one of the first R&B singles to cross over onto the pop charts. Later, a lawsuit erupted over the origins of the song. After about two years, Belvin was awarded one-third credit for the song, alongside Peguin's Curtis Williams and a third singer who claimed to writing it. His prolific songwriting earned him quick money. Often, he sold them to others for as little as 100 dollars. On February 6, 1960, shortly after finishing a performance in Little Rock, AR, Belvin and his wife were killed in a head-on auto collision.

Gordon "Tex" Beneke 2 3 4
Genres: Big Band, Jazz
Based in: Fort Worth
Instrument: tenor saxophonist, jazz vocalist, and big band leader
Birthplace: Fort Worth Birthdate: 2/12/1914 Deathdate: 5/30/2000
Buried at: Greenwood Memorial Park, Fort Worth
Beneke became the official band leader of the Glenn Miller's Band in 1946. As a sidemen, Beneke was known for his flexible sax solos with Miller's band and for his occasional singing, most notably - "Chattanooga Choo Choo."
Schools: Paschal High School in Fort Worth; Jennings Avenue Junior High at 1015 S. Jennings Avenue, Fort Worth
Colleges: Texas Christian University

Arley "Buster" Benton
Genres: Blues
Based in: Texarkana
Instrument: guitar, vocals
Birthplace: Texarkana Birthdate: 7/19/1935 Deathdate: 1/20/1996
Despite the amputation of parts of both his legs during the course of his career, Chicago guitarist Buster Benton never gave up playing his music - an infectious hybrid of blues and soul that he dubbed at one point "disco blues." In the late '70s, when blues was at low ebb, Benton's waxings for Ronn Records were a breath of fresh air. Benton was a member of Willie Dixon's Blues All-Stars for a while, and Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton's best-known song, the agonized slow blues "Spider in My Stew." A 1979 LP for Jewel's Ronn subsidiary (logically titled Spider in My Stew) stands as one of the most engaging Chicago blues LPs of its era, its contemporary grooves abetting Benton's tasty guitar work and soulful vocals. (cited by Bill Dahl at All Music)

Eloy Bernal 2 3
Genres: Tejano, Conjunto
Based in: Kingsville
Instrument: vocals, bajo sexto
Birthplace: Kingsville Birthdate: 3/11/1937 Deathdate: 4/22/1998
Buried at: Kingsville
Conjunto Bernal became one of the most innovative and influential conjunto bands in twentieth-century Mexican-American music. They launched their career as teenagers in 1952 by forming "Los Hermanitos Bernal." The brothers introduced the chromatic accordion and were one of the first in conjunto to encourage experimentation with soloing, phrasing, and harmonies. They brought additional respect to conjunto music by being the first to wear suits. The Bernal brothers collaborated with such popular artists as Carmen y Laura and eventually renamed the group "El Conjunto Bernal." Later Eloy and Paulino became born-again Christians and Eloy went on to be known as one of the best Spanish gospel singers. Eloy Bernal was killed when his bus overturned outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. Paulino Bernal was a guest vocalist at his brother's funeral. A video of a Conjunto Bernal performance, Golondrina, was released by Eagle Video in 1996.
Schools: Eloy quit school to work.
Colleges: He did not attend college.

Carl William Besserer
Genres: Classical
Based in: Austin
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: New Braunfels Birthdate: 1851 Deathdate:
Originally born in New Braunfels, Carl William Besserer moved to Germany at age 14 for higher education. Eventually he moved back to Texas in 1869, where he settled in Austin and opened a music store. As a talented pianist, Besserer began giving lessons. In addition, he interested some local boys into forming a band and orchestra. After many nightly practices, they began playing out and recieved much support from UT students. Soon they were playing statewide, boating parties at Lake Austin, at governors' inaugurations, presidential visits, and for troops leaving for war. In addition, he provided the musical programs for the popular Ben Hur river boat excursions, directed a state military band, and co-founded the Austin Saegerrunde (singing society).

Jiles Perry "The Big Bopper" Richardson 2 3 4
Genres: Rock, Rockabilly
Based in: Sabine Pass
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Sabine Pass Birthdate: 10/24/1930 Deathdate: 2/3/1959
Buried at: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
Richardson was a disc jockey, songwriter, and singer. He is best known for his hit, "Chantilly Lace," which reached number one on the charts in 1958, and for being on the disastrous plane trip that killed him, Richie Valens and Buddy Holly. Other songs written by Richardson included "Little Red Riding Hood," "Big Bopper's Wedding," "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor" and "Running Bear." In 1960, fellow Texan Johnny Preston recorded "Running Bear" and had an international hit. He wrote approximately thirty-eight songs during his life and recorded twenty-one of them.
Schools: Beaumont High School

Ruth Bingaman
Genres: Classical
Based in: San Antonio
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Columbus, OH Birthdate: 8/29/1894 Deathdate: 5/15/1996
Ruth Bingaman made her debut with the San Antonio Symphony in 1915. Moved to New York and studied with Ernest Hutcheson who later became first Dean of the Julliard School of Music and then to New Haven, CT where she studied at Yale. She made her debut at Carnegie Hall in 1921 and subsequently toured the United States. She made 14 recordings (piano rolls) for the Deluxe Reproducing Roll Corporation.

Julius Lorenzo Cobb Bledsoe 2 3
Genres: Classical, Jazz, Opera
Based in: Waco
Instrument: baritone, composer
Birthplace: Waco Birthdate: 12/29/1897 Deathdate: 7/14/1943
Buried at: Greenwood Cemetery in Waco
Singer and Composer. His best-known achievement was his portrayal of Joe in Florenz Ziegfeld's 1927 production of Jerome Kern's "Showboat." His interpretation of "Ol' Man River" made the song an American classic. Performing as a concert artist in the United States and Europe, Bledsoe was praised for his ability to sing in several languages, for his vocal control and range, and for his power to communicate through music.
Schools: He attended Central Texas Academy in Waco from about 1905 until his graduation as class valedictorian in 1914.
Colleges: He attended Bishop College in Marshall, where he earned a B.A. in 1918.
Sites of interest:
History of Central Texas Academy

Julien Paul Blitz
Genres: Classical
Based in: Dallas
Instrument:
Birthplace: Ghent, Belgium Birthdate: 5/21/1885 Deathdate: 7/17/1951
Orginally from Belgium, Julien Paul Blitz moved to the United States when he was two years old and studied piano and violin as a child. He returned to Belgium to study music and graduated from the Royal Conservatory in 1905. A year later he became a music professor at Baylor Female College in Belton, Texas. By 1912 he was director of a women's singing organization in Houston called the Treble Clef Club. Blitz was the founding conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and conducted their first trial concert on June 21, 1913, at the 600-seat Majestic Theatre (now part of the Houston Chronicle) at Texas and Milam. In 1921 he married a pianist from San Antonio, Flora Briggs, and they performed many concerts together. They are credited as the first two professional instrumentalists to perform live on radio in Texas (in San Antonio in 1922). Before moving to Dallas in 1950, Blitz worked at Kidd-Key College in Sherman and Texas Tech in Lubbock. In Dallas he conducted workshops in cello and performed as guest cellist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Mody Coggin Boatright
Genres: Folk/Acoustic
Based in: Austin
Instrument: folklorist, educator
Birthplace: Mitchell County Birthdate: 10/16/1896 Deathdate: 8/20/1970
Mody Coggin Boatright began his career as a folklorist in 1925, when J. Frank Dobie asked him to contribute a tale, "The Devil's Grotto," to the next publication of the Texas Folklore Society. In 1934 Boatright published "Tall Tales from Texas Cow Camps." Boatright's second collection of tall tales, "Gib Morgan: Minstrel of the Oil Fields" (1945) presented the career and stories of a folk character comparable to Mike Fink or Johnny Appleseed. The book won him national recognition as a folklorist. Boatright retold stories in an unadorned and concise style much closer to true folk narration and recognized that in oral performance these tales were very molded by the immediate situation of their telling. His work stressed the importance of studying folklore in its total cultural context and of relating it to the lives of those who practiced it.

John Boles
Genres: Pop, Broadway
Based in: Greenville
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Greenville Birthdate: 10/27/1895 Deathdate: 2/27/1969
Buried at: Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park in Westwood, CA
After World War I, John Boles studied music in New York where his voice, physique, and handsome face led to his selection as the lead in the 1923 Broadway musical "Little Jesse James." He quickly became an established star of Broadway and attracted the attention of Hollywood producers and actors. With the introduction of Hollywood talkies, he acted opposite Barbara Stanwyck in "Stella Dallas" (1937), Rosalind Russell in "Craig's Wife" (1936), and Shirley Temple in "Curley Top" (1935), "Littlest Rebel" (1935), and "Stand Up and Cheer" (1934). He also had roles in "Frankenstein" (1931) and "Back Street" (1932).

A.D. "Zu Zu" Bollin
Genres: Blues
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: guitar, vocals
Birthplace: Frisco Birthdate: 9/5/1922 Deathdate: 10/19/1990
Bollin formed his own combo in 1949, featuring young saxist David "Fathead" Newman. After a stint with Percy Mayfield's band, Bollin resumed playing around Dallas. In late 1951, he made his recording debut for Bob Sutton's Torch logo. Newman and saxist Leroy Cooper, both future members of Ray Charles' band, played on Bollin's "Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night" and "Headlight Blues." A Torch follow-up, "Stavin' Chain"/"Cry, Cry, Cry," found Bollin backed by Jimmy McCracklin's combo.

Moses J. Bonner
Genres: Country
Based in: Parker County
Instrument: fiddle
Birthplace: Alabama Birthdate: 1847 Deathdate: 9/2/1939
Moses Bonner was one of Texas' earliest country musicians to record and one of the first to play a "barn dance." In 1854 he moved to Texas with his family and ten years later he joined the 12th Texas Cavalry (Confederate) and served until the end of the Civil War. In 1901, he formed the Old Fiddlers' Association along with Henry Gilliland and others. During the early 20th century, Bonner participated in both local and regional fiddle contests. In 1923, he broadcasted a program of old-time fiddle music over WBAP in Fort Worth. This was one of the earliest radio fiddle players. Bonner's popularity in radio progressed into a recording session with Victor in 1925. Bonner was active in Confederate veterans' affairs and was eventually elevated to the rank of lieutenant general in the United Confederate Veterans. He died in Fort Worth on September 2, 1939.

Weldon Philip H. "Juke Boy" Bonner 2 3
Genres: Blues
Based in: Bellville
Instrument: guitar, vocals, harmonica
Birthplace: Bellville Birthdate: 3/22/1932 Deathdate: 6/29/1978
He was nicknamed "Juke Boy" at an early age as he frequently sang in local bars accompanied by the juke box. Juke Boy Bonner was a multi-instrumentalist who often performed as a one-man band. He played guitar, drums, harmonica, and various percussive instruments and mostly recorded for the Arhoolie label. Songs such as "Going Back to the Country," "Struggle Here in Houston," and "Life Is A Nightmare," all reflected his impoverished youth and the dangers he had faced living in big cities.

Euday Louis Bowman 2
Genres: Jazz
Based in: Fort Worth
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Fort Worth Birthdate: 11/9/1887 Deathdate: 1949
Buried at: Oakwood Cemetery, Section 21, 700 Grand Avenue, Fort Worth
A rag composer, Euday, contributed a classic tune that served jazz musicians in the making of some of their seminal recordings. Louis Armstrong's 1927 recording of Bowman's "Twelfth Street Rag," was a precursor to the trumpeter's phrasing. Most likely, Bowman wrote "Twelfth Street Rag" while playing in a Main Street shoeshine parlor located between Tenth and Eleventh streets. Bowman wrote several original compositions including "Fort Worth Blues," "Tipperary Blues," and "Kansas City Blues." Among the dozens of musicians, groups, and arrangers to interpret Bowman's rag are Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven, the Bennie Moten band, Duke Ellington with Benny Payne, Fats Waller and His Rhythm, Count Basie with Lester Young, Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy with Mary Lou Williams, Sidney Bechet and his New Orleans Feetwarmers, and Walter "Pee Wee" Hunt. Besides Bowman's recorded version, there are more than 120 versions recorded by other artists.
Schools: Euday Bowman most likely attended grade school at Webb School or Loyd School in eastern Tarrant County; Loyd School
Sites of interest:
Historical Marker located at 700 Grand Avenue, Oakwood Cemetery, Fort Worth
According to city directories, Euday and his sister Mary lived on Arizona Avenue until 1910, then moved to 704 Galveston Avenue in 1927, and then to 122 Saint Louis Avenue in 1929. They lived at the Saint Louis Avenue address until 1942 and then moved to 1005 College Avenue. Finally, they lived at 818 South Jennings Avenue after 1946. (Fort Worth)

Erbie Bowser
Genres: Blues
Based in: Austin
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Davilla Birthdate: 5/5/1918 Deathdate: 8/15/1995
Erbie Bowser was a blues, jazz, and boogie-woogie pianist. Young Bowser followed family tradition and began playing piano and singing in the church choir. While in high school, he joined the North Carolina Cotton Pickers Review and began performing throughout the South. After high school, he joined the Sunset Entertainers and toured Texas with the Tyler-based band, playing blues, jazz, and big band tunes. Bowser also toured with the Special Services Band playing at USO shows. He moved to Austin in the mid 1950s and participated in jam sessions with musicians from nearby colleges, performed with fraternity bands, such as the Sweethearts, and played solo at the Commodore Perry Hotel. When T. D. Bell moved to Austin around 1960, they began playing together. Eventually, various combinations of Bowser, Bell, and musicians such as Grey Ghost, Mel Davis, James Jones, Lem Nichols, and Fred Smith, became known as the Blues Specialists. Bowser and the Blues Specialists became regular fixtures on the Austin music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In the late 1980s, Bowser and Bell returned to the stage, and released an LP. Bowser made national and international appearances, including performances at the Smithsonian Institute and Carnegie Hall.

William "Bill" Boyd 2 3
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western, Western Swing
Based in: Fannin County
Instrument: vocals, guitar
Birthplace: Fannin County Birthdate: 9/29/1910 Deathdate: 12/7/1977
Boyd remained true to his western roots by using only a string-band, the Cowboy Ramblers. They were the number 4 Western Swing string band at their peak in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1934, he and the band moved to San Antonio to record for Bluebird, cutting hits including the standard "Under the Double Eagle," and "Going Back to My Texas Home." During their long association with RCA, Boyd and the Ramblers recorded over 229 singles; in the early 1940s, they appeared in six Hollywood films, including "Raiders of the West" and "Prairie Pals."
Schools: Dallas Technical High School located at 2218 Bryan Street in Dallas (Also known as Norman Robert Crozier Technical).

Clifford De'Shun Boyd
Genres: Christian, Classical, Jazz
Based in: Jacksonville
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Jacksonville Birthdate: 1/30/1953 Deathdate: 4/13/1990
Clifford De'Shun Boyd worked as a minister of music at Ebeezer Baptist Church and a professor of music at Huston-Tillotson College in Austin.

Jim Boyd
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Fannin County
Instrument: Radio and Television performer, bass
Birthplace: Unavailable Birthdate: 9/28/1914 Deathdate: 3/11/1993
Buried at: Restland Memorial Park at 9340 Walnut Street in Dallas, TX
Jim recorded approximately 300 songs from 1934-1951 with his brother William "Bill" Boyd and the Cowboy Ramblers. They quickly became known throughout the region for their mastery of western swing. He performed at the Grand Ole Opery, with the Sons of the Pioneers and Roy Rogers and appeared in the 1942 film "Tumbleweed Trail" starring his brother. He also played bass in the Light Crust Doughboys.

Calvin Boze
Genres: Blues, Jazz
Based in: Wheatley
Instrument: trumpet
Birthplace: Wheatley Birthdate: 10/15/1916 Deathdate:
Calvin Boze, Jr., is best known as a formative member of the rhythm and blues scene in Los Angeles during the early 1950s. In the mid-1930s, Calvin Boze played trumpet in the Wheatley High Band and then was a member of the Prairie View Collegians band at Prairie View A&M. Later in the 1940s, Boze became a vocalist for the Southwestern Territory Band of Marvin Johnson and then trumpeter for the Milton Larkin Orchestra. During this period he developed his noted vocal style patterned after Louis Jordon. He moved to Los Angeles in 1949 and during the early 1950s, he was well recognized in the rhythm and blues scene. He started out recording solid, jive-talking rhythm and blues songs for Aladdin Records. By April 1950, his group called the Calvin Boze All-Stars toured the West and East coast. When he returned to Los Angeles in 1952 he recorded more songs at Aladdin Records, but for reasons unknown, Boze dropped out of the music scene in 1953. The date of his death is uncertain.

George Bragg
Genres: choral music
Based in: Denton
Instrument: singer, arranger
Birthplace: Meridian, Miss. Birthdate: 01/24/1926 Deathdate: 05/31/2007
On February 7, 1946, George Bragg, a Freshman at North Texas State College, founded the Denton Civic Boy Choir which was moved to Fort Worth in 1957 and renamed the Texas Boys Choir. Under Mr. Bragg's Direction, the choir grew in prominence and became a world class musical organization. During his tenure, the choir gave over 3,000 choral performances which included 13 domestic and 5 European concert tours, choral performances for radio and television, with opera companies and symphony orchestras, 26 recordings and participation in three films. Mr. Bragg was presented with Grammy Awards by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1966 and again in 1969 for "Best Choral Performance," recordings made by the Texas Boys Choir. He is recognized around the world as a leader in the art of boy choir, and is unique, in that he has organized, or helped organize, six of the most important boy choir organizations in the United States. Mr. Bragg and his choir were described by composer Igor Stravinsky as "the greatest boys choir in the world." (partially excerpted from the Dallas Morning News obituary)

Al "TNT" Braggs
Genres: Blues
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: vocals, songwriter
Birthplace: Birthdate: Deathdate: 12/3/2003
Al Braggs made his mark as an exciting entertainer and became known as AL ""T.N.T." Braggs, Mr. Dynamite. Mr. Braggs' best-known song was "Share Your Love With Me," which became a Top 5 single for Mr. Rogers and was also recorded by Aretha Franklin, Freddy Fender, Phoebe Snow and the Band. Other Braggs compositions include "Soul of a Man," recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland and Ronnie Laws, and "Crying Man," which was recorded in 1966 by the Boogie Kings. He also produced for a number of other R&B acts such as Little Joe Blue, Ernie Johnson and R.L. Griffin.

Zachary Charles Breaux
Genres: Jazz
Based in: Port Arthur
Instrument: guitar
Birthplace: Port Arthur Birthdate: 1960 Deathdate: 2/20/1997
Zachary Breaux was a flexible guitarist who could handle soul-jazz, post-bop and hard bop as well as more commercial pop-jazz and NAC music. Though the jazzman only recorded a handful of albums - including 1992's "Groovin'," and 1994's "Laidback," both on NYC, and "Uptown Groove" on Zebra - he kept busy as a sideman in the 1980s and 1990s and backed such major artists as Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, Donald Byrd, Lonnie Liston Smith and Dee Dee Bridgewater. It was in 1984 that he met vibist/singer Roy Ayers, who he played with extensively. Signed to Zebra in 1996, Breaux seemed to have a bright future ahead of him, but tragically, while holidaying with his wife and three daughters in Miami, Breaux went to the aid of a female swimmer in distress, having saved a man from drowning in Italy in 1988. This time, the swimmer died and on reaching the shore Breaux suffered a fatal heart attack.

Ralph Briggs
Genres: Classical
Based in: El Paso
Instrument: composer, piano
Birthplace: NA Birthdate: 1901 Deathdate: 1977
Ralph Briggs was a classical composer from El Paso. One critic noted, "His 1962 Toccata takes the key elements of the traditional toccata form, and moves them into the second half of the 20th century via the subtle use of dissonnance and open intervals. There is urgency and dynamism both in the writing and playing."

Raidie Britain
Genres: Classical
Based in: Silverton
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Silverton Birthdate: 3/17/1897 Deathdate: 5/23/1994
Radie Britain is a California composer from West Texas who was educated in Chicago and Europe. At 91 years old, she was an active composer, her 280 works include orchestral, piano, organ, and chamber music. She experimented with atonal and serial techniques in her later works, but usually her works are lyrical, tonal, and strive to create an atmosphere. Many of her works were composed in a remote canyon in the country where she spent summers, and her programmatic works often are inspired by American landscapes and themes, particularly of her native Southwest.

Don Brooks
Genres: Blues, Country, Rock
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: vocals, harmonica, blues harp
Birthplace: Dallas Birthdate: 1947 Deathdate: 10/25/2000
Don Brooks worked as Waylon Jennings' full-time harmonica player and has been a session musician for Judy Collins, Harry Belafonte, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Bette Midler, Diana Ross and Billy Joel among others. He became one of the top studio musicians in New York and appeared on records such as the Bee Gees' "Main Course," Yoko Ono's "Feeling the Space," and the James Gang's "Newborn" during the '70s. By the '80s, his harmonica, with its simple, precise dexterity, was a virtual fixture on the New York music scene, and his instrument graced the records of the Talking Heads among numerous others, as well as the Roger Miller-composed Broadway musical "Big River." He was also heard for weeks on public television on the soundtrack of Ken Burns' documentary series "The Civil War."

Cecil Brower
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Bowie
Instrument: fiddle, violin
Birthplace: Bowie Birthdate: 11/27/1914 Deathdate: 3/1/1964
Cecil Brower played in countless Western bands and performed with some of the biggest names in Southern music. He was trained in Fort Worth by Ocie Stockard, the banjoist for Milton Brown, among others. He learned the art of breakdown fiddling and eventually crafted his own brand of fiddling which was such a recognizable style that it became the high-water mark for fiddlers in Western swing bands. Brower would go on to join several bands, and lent his talents to artists like Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins, and Brenda Lee, among many others.

Tony Russell "Charles" Brown 2 3 4
Genres: Big Band, Blues, Jazz
Based in: Texas City
Instrument: vocals, piano
Birthplace: Texas City Birthdate: 9/13/1922 Deathdate: 1/21/1999
Buried at: Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California
Brown recorded over 200 sides with Aladdin Records and had several hits, including "Black Night," "Trouble Blues," and "Seven Long Days." Achievements include: the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Lifetime achievement award, a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Award in 1997 and induction posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Schools: He played in the Galveston High School Band.
Colleges: He attended Prairie View A&M College, where he received a degree in chemistry.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown 2 3
Genres: Blues/Soul
Based in: Houston
Instrument: guitar, fiddle, vocals
Birthplace: Vinton, LA Birthdate: 4/18/1924 Deathdate: 9/10/2005
Buried at: Hollywood Cemetery, Orange
Although his career first took off in the 1940s with blues hits "Okie Dokie Stomp" and "Ain't That Dandy," Brown bristled when he was labeled a bluesman. In the second half of his career, he became known as a musical jack-of-all-trades who played a half-dozen instruments and culled from jazz, country, Texas blues, and the zydeco and Cajun music of his native Louisiana. By the end of his career, Brown had more than 30 recordings and won a Grammy award in 1982. Other honors included Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award; Blues Foundation Hall of Fame; and 8 time winner of the WC Handy Award.

Thomas E. "Sleepy" Brown
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western
Based in: Shreveport, LA
Instrument: trumpet
Birthplace: Cisco Birthdate: 9/17/1920 Deathdate: 12/24/2004
Sleepy played with Gov. Davis from 1938 - and on the original 1940 recording in Chicago of "You Are My Sunshine" - until 1957 becoming the Governor’s band leader and was one of the first muted trumpet players in country music, which eventually evolved into western swing. Sleepy also played with many performers on the Louisiana Hayride. He recorded with Floyd Cramer on "Dancing Diane" and with Slim Whitman on many sessions including "Careless Love." While in Palm Springs with the Governor, Sleepy was in several movies with The Governor for Monogram Pictures - including "Louisiana" (1947), "Mississippi Rhythm" (1950) and "Square Dance Katy" (1950) - and did extra work recording on sound tracks for other movies. Sleepy was invited to the White House with Governor Davis to play for President Truman and the President played piano with the band while the Governor sang. Through out his musical career Sleepy played on over 150 recording sessions and several musical sound tracks.

William Milton Brown 2 3
Genres: Country, Cowboy/Western, Western Swing
Based in: Fort Worth
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Stephenville Birthdate: 9/8/1903 Deathdate: 4/18/1936
Buried at: Brown was buried next to his sister in the little cemetery in Smith Springs.
Some scholars believe Brown's role in the formation of Western swing has been slighted, and that the group he put together was really the first Western swing band. Seeking creative freedom in a band of his own, Brown organized the Musical Brownies in 1932 and shaped them into the first western swing band. His band assembly became the prototype for western swing bands - two fiddles, guitar, banjo, bass, steel guitar, and piano with pop vocal styling and occasional scat-singing. Between 1934 and 1936, the band made over one hundred recordings for Victor and Decca, becoming the first western swing band to record. Bob Will once said of Brown that he had "the finest voice I'd ever heard."
Sites of interest:
Brown performed regularly at the Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion, a dance hall at 5336 White Settlement Road in Fort Worth.
Brown died after a 1936 car accident on Fort Worth's Jacksboro Highway.
The Wills Fiddle Band, an early group, played every Saturday night at Eagles' Fraternal Hall in downtown Fort Worth.

Clifton Lafayette "Cliff" Bruner
Genres: Country, Western Swing
Based in: Houston
Instrument: fiddle
Birthplace: Texas City Birthdate: 4/25/1915 Deathdate: 8/25/2000
Buried at: Houston
Clifton Lafayette Bruner, at 19 one of the hotshot young turks of Milton Brown's groundbreaking Musical Brownies, was the most influential of all Texas fiddle players, of whom Johnny Gimble has said, "Cliff is the guy who pioneered Texas swing fiddle. He gave me goose bumps."
Sites of interest:
The Museum of The Gulf Coast

John Edward "Teddy" Buckner 2
Genres: Jazz, Dixieland
Based in: Sherman
Instrument: trumpet, flugel horn, vocals
Birthplace: Sherman Birthdate: 7/16/1909 Deathdate: 9/22/1994
Buckner worked with Buddy Garcia's band, "Big Six" Reeves and Speed Webb, Sylvester Scott, Edyth Turnham, Sonny Clay, Curtis Mosby, and Buck Clayton's band. Buckner took over leadership of Lionel Hampton's band when Hampton joined Benny Goodman's Orchestra. Buckner continued to play with a variety of West Coast bandleaders from the 1930s-1950s, including Cee Pee Johnson's Band, Lorenzo Flennoy, Benny Carter, Horace Henderson, Gerald Wilson, Johnny Otis, and Kid Ory. Buckner also performed in films from the mid-1930s to the 1970s including, "Pennies from Heaven," where he appeared as a stand-in for Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong respected Buckner's abilities so much that he gave him a trumpet, saying, "Man, you're a real trumpet player!"

Omega Burden 2
Genres: Country
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: guitar, fiddle
Birthplace: Gordonville Birthdate: 1/28/1913 Deathdate: 11/25/1973
Omega Burden was known as the father of "Texas Style" guitar accompaniment. When he wasn't working on the Texas railroads, Omega spent most of his free time jamming with Major Franklin and competing in fiddle contests. He was the popular guitar player around the contest circuit for years.

Allyre Bureau
Genres: Children's
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: piano
Birthplace: Cherbourg, France Birthdate: 1810 Deathdate: 1859
Allyre Bureau was a political writer, Texas colonizer, musician, and composer who immigrated to Texas as a director in the charter of La Réunion, an experiemental colony of French and Swiss emigrants. He brought the first piano to Dallas and composed such songs as "Clang, Clang, Clang" and "Choose a Flower." One of his compositions appeared in a songbook used in the Dallas public schools.

Paul Francis Buskirk
Genres: Country, Jazz
Based in: Nacogdoches
Instrument: mandolin
Birthplace: Parkersburg, WV Birthdate: 4/8/1923 Deathdate: 3/16/2002
Buried at: Lower Melrose Cemetery near Nacogdoches
Buskirk, often called the world's greatest mandolin player had a profound effect on the careers of Willie Nelson, Freddy Powers and other up-and-coming Texas country artists in the 1950s. Displaying more skill than the average country picker, Buskirk started introducing jazzy licks in his playing and became a sought-after sideman. He performed with country legends such as Lefty Frizzell, Tex Ritter, Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins and the Louvin Brothers before joining the Herb Remington Combo.

Chad Butler 2
Genres: Rap/Hip Hop
Based in: Houston
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Port Arthur Birthdate: 12/29/1973 Deathdate: 12/29/2007
Buried at: Greenlawn Cemetery in Groves, TX
Chad Butler performed as a solo rapper and with Bernard "Bun B" Freeman as the duo UGK or Underground Kings. One of the creators of the "Dirty South" sound, the duo came to national attention through their appearances on tracks by Jay-Z and Three 6 Mafia. The duo launched the label Trill Entertainment in 2001. UGK is often cited as an influence on other, often more successful, Houston rappers such as Paul Wall, Mike Jones and Chamillionaire.

Robert James Byrd, Sr.
Genres: R&B, Doo Wop
Based in: Fort Worth
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: San Antonio Birthdate: 7/1/1930 Deathdate: 7/15/1990
Buried at: Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum in Culver City, CA.
Under the name of Bobby Day, he had major hits with "Buzz Buzz Buzz" (1957), "Little Bitty Pretty One" (1957), "Rockin' Robin" (1958), "The Bluebird, The Buzzard And The Oriole" (1959), and "That's All I Want" (1959). Byrd's unique baritone voice kept him in demand with a variety of recording labels, including Rendezvous, RCA, and Sureshot. Byrd established Byrdland Attractions and Quiline Publishing, songwriting enterprises.

Emilio Caceres 2
Genres: Jazz
Based in: San Antonio
Instrument: violin
Birthplace: Corpus Christi Birthdate: 9/24/1897 Deathdate: 2/10/1980
Violinist Emilio Caceres led his own band and toured in the northern United States during the '30s and '40s. He appeared on "Benny Goodman's Camel Hour" in New York City in 1937 with a trio comprised of his brother Ernie Caceres on clarinet and baritone sax, Johnny Gomez on guitar, and himself on jazz violin. He proceeded to record six selections for Bluebird label (predecessor for RCA Victor) that same year. Those six selections have been re-issued in Paris, France by Paris Jazz Corner.

Ernesto "Ernie" Caceres 2 3
Genres: Jazz
Based in: Rockport
Instrument: saxophone, clarinet
Birthplace: Rockport Birthdate: 11/22/1911 Deathdate: 1/10/1971
The brother of norteño violinist Emilio and trumpet and piano player Pinero, Ernie Caceres found his musical voice through jazz. In addition to long stints as a member of bands led by Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, and Eddie Condon, he recorded with Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Ruth Brown, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Hot Lips Page, Frank Sinatra, and Muggsy Spanier.

Homer "Bill" Callahan 2
Genres: Bluegrass, Country
Based in: Dallas
Instrument: guitar, string bass, mandolin, vocals, yodel
Birthplace: Laurel, NC Birthdate: 3/27/1912 Deathdate: 9/5/2002
Homer Callahan, along with his brother Walter, represented the rapid expansion and popularity of country music on the radio from the 1940s to the 1960s and played a key role in its development. Homer Callahan and his brother achieved their greatest fame through their part on the radio show "the Big D Jamboree" on KRLD in Dallas, Texas. Initially, called "the Texas Jamboree," this extremely popular live radio show was one of the first and most successful "barn dances" on the radio from the late 1940s through the 1960s.

Laura Canales
Genres: Tejano
Based in: Kingsville
Instrument: vocals
Birthplace: Kingsville Birthdate: 8/19/1946 Deathdate: 4/16/2005
Laura Canales paved the way for women in Tejano music. Born in Kingsville she grew up just as local dance bands were mixing keyboards into the Mexican-style polka known as conjunto — creating the Tejano sound. After graduating from high school in 1973, Canales became a guest singer for Los Unicos y El Conjunto Bernal. When the group disbanded, Canales and three former band members formed Snowball & Company, which in 1977 released an album that ranked tenth on Billboard's "Hot Latin" chart. Her 1990 album "No Regrets" stayed on the charts for 13 weeks. Her many awards included Female Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and induction into the Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame.

Camilo Cantu 2 3
Genres: Tejano
Based in: Austin