Texas Country

By: Andrew Felix

Texas country music started out with the very first Texas cowboys during the times of the cattle drives.  These cowboys made music about the tough living and working conditions they faced every day.  Most of the early Texas cowboys were Hispanic, black, or Native American.  This brought a wide variety of instruments like the fiddle, mandolin, and guitar into the south. 

During the Great Depression, in the 1930s, “entertainers had to be able to perform a broad array of musical styles that would appeal to a large and diverse audience. The end result was a new type of music, known as "Texas Swing" or "Western Swing," which introduced an astounding array of musical influences into mainstream country music.”  Famous country artists like Texas natives, Bob Wills and Milton Brown did this by mixing their style of country with blues and jazz.

Later in the 1970s, “Outlaw Country” was born in Austin, Texas. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were two of the main country artists to start this “revolution” which helped create an even bigger audience for country music. 

The 1980s were very important for Texas country music. One of the most popular country singers of all time, George Strait, started out in this decade.  “In 1981 Strait signed on with MCA Records and quickly became a country superstar. With an emphasis on western swing and back-to-basics honky-tonk, his long string of Number 1 hits, which includes "Fool Hearted Memory," "Right or Wrong," "Amarillo By Morning," "Baby Blue," and "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?," spawned legions of imitators and reawakened an interest in more traditional-sounding country music.”

            Today Texas country music is still very popular in the south especially in towns like Austin, College Station, Fort Worth, Luchenbach, and San Marcos.  Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow, Pat Green, and Randy Rogers are very well known Texas country singers.  Texas country artists are known for putting on great performances and there are many great dance halls and bars in Texas where you can see some of the best Texas country music singers perform live.

Gary Hartman, "COUNTRY MUSIC," Handbook of Texas Online.  Texas State Historical Association. Web. November 20, 2012.