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Books | Texas
Music
The Roots
of Texas Music
Lawrence Clayton
and Joe W. Specht, editors
(College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2010) 3rd printing
ISBN: 978-1585444928
Paperback.
Illustrated. $22.50
Review by Dr.
Kirk Bane
January 15, 2020 |
I
purchased this gem of a book at a used bookstore over the holidays.
What a find! Anyone fascinated with Texas music should add this anthology
to their library. This collection, skillfully edited by two academics,
Clayton (Hardin-Simmons University) and Specht (McMurry University),
consists of nine chapters.
The editors have recruited some of the state's premier music historians
for this project, including Gary Hartman, Dave Oliphant, and Roger
Wood. In the volume's lead essay, Dr. Hartman asserts, "The roots
of Texas music run deep. Although some people may think of Texas music
as mainly 'country,' the music of Texas and the American Southwest
is as diverse and distinctive as the many different groups who have
lived in the region over the past several centuries."
Articles in this compilation include "Chicano Music: Evolution and
Politics to 1950," "Roots of Classical Music in Texas: The German
Contribution," "Early Texas Bluesmen," "Czech and Polish Music in
Texas before World War II," and "Black Creoles and the Evolution of
Zydeco in Southeast Texas: The Beginnings to 1950." Other essays examine
jazz, country, and religious music. Such noted Lone Star-born musicians
as Tex Ritter
(Panola County),
Cindy Walker (Mart),
Mance Lipscomb (near Navasota),
Hot Lips Page (Dallas),
Ernest Tubb (Crisp),
Gene
Autry (Tioga), Lightning
Hopkins (Centerville),
Buck Owens (Sherman),
Lydia Mendoza (Houston),
and Bob Wills (near Kosse)
populate this study.
The Roots of Texas Music will appeal to fans of pop culture, especially
those interested in the history of music in the Lone Star State.
Dr.
Kirk Bane,
Book Review Editor,
Central Texas Historical Association
More Book Reviews by Dr. Kirk
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