Though not a household name for the general public, Kent Finlay (1938–2015) was one of the world’s best-known and best-loved promoters, mentors, and gurus of Texas music. In 1974, he founded the Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos as a venue for live music and an incubator for young talent. In 1977, he drove to Nashville and took with him a young, unknown singer named George Strait. On that trip, Strait recorded a demo that laid the initial foundation of his sensational career. Finlay’s friends and fans also include such Texas music fixtures as Todd Snider, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jack Ingram, James McMurtry, Joe “King” Carrasco, Marcia Ball, Radney Foster, Eric Johnson, Hayes Carll, Omar Dykes (Omar and the Howlers), Terri Hendrix, and Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel). These and many others have contributed first-person interviews to this volume, which pays tribute both to Finlay and to his unselfish love for Texas music and musicians.

Provides information on the history of Texas music from the 1920s to the present.

Since publishing its first issue in 1981, The Austin Chronicle has evolved alongside the city's sound to define and give voice to 'The Live Music Capital of the World.' ... In honor of the Chronicle's thirtieth anniversary, this anthology gathers the weekly's best music writing and photography ... Capturing the moments that make music history as they happen ...

Texas Blues allows artists to speak in their own words, revealing the dynamics of blues, from its beginnings in cotton fields and shotgun shacks to its migration across boundaries of age and race to seize the musical imagination of the entire world. Fully illustrated with 495 dramatic, high-quality color and black-and-white photographs—many never before published—Texas Blues provides comprehensive and authoritative documentation of a musical tradition that has changed contemporary music. Award-winning documentary filmmaker and author Alan Govenar here builds on his previous groundbreaking work documenting these musicians and their style with the stories of 110 of the most influential artists and their times. From Blind Lemon Jefferson and Aaron “T-Bone” Walker of Dallas, to Delbert McClinton in Fort Worth, Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins in East Texas, Baldemar (Freddie Fender) Huerta in South Texas, and Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin, Texas Blues shows the who, what, where, and how of blues in the Lone Star State.

From the author of "A Century of Pop" comes an in-depth look at Stevie Ray Vaughn and his roots in the vibrant Texas music scene. Photos.

The Harmonica Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive book ever written on the instrument, offering over 900 articles on players, bands, techniques, resources and a discography of over 5,000 recordings by harmonica players. Originallyreleased in 1998, this new edition is profusely illustrated with over 150 photographs of the players who have made the harmonica the world's most popular musical instrument. This book has been critically acclaimed by readers in over 25 countries and is a must-have for any serious harmonica enthusiast

If the story of the blues is the story of a people, then the voice behind the story belongs to the guitar. The American Blues Guitar: An Illustrated History looks at the instruments and the players, from the birth of the blues to the present day. A brief history of the blues is included. From Blind Lemon Jefferson's Martin to T-Bone Walker's Gibson archtop, and from B.B. King's ES 335 to cousin Albert's Flying-V, all the classic makes and models are documented here in detail, with superb photography, serial number data, and everything the diehard collector - and interested fan - needs to identify these great American heirlooms. You'll find Leo Fender's original patent, filed in April 1951, of the Telecaster guitar, and an analysis of what makes it one of the great instruments. Among the blues artists discussed is Texan Albert Collins and his Gibson humbucker. Expert commentary explains why the players chose the models they did, how their choice influenced their sound, and how those sounds can be recreated today. The American Blues Guitar: An Illustrated History is indispensable to the lover of the blues.