Roky Erickson: Dallas’s Psychedelic Pioneer
July 15
Today is the birthday of Roky Erickson. He would be 79 today.
Roger Kynard Erickson was born in Dallas, Texas on July 15, 1947 and grew up in Austin, where he sang in garage bands as a teenager with a voice that didn’t sound like anything Texas had produced before — high, keening, rawly emotional. He formed the 13th Floor Elevators in 1965 with guitarist Tommy Hall and electric jug player/philosopher Benny Thurman. They played their first shows in Austin before the Summer of Love had a name.
Before San Francisco Got There
The 13th Floor Elevators released their debut album in 1966 — before most San Francisco psychedelic records existed. “You’re Gonna Miss Me” was the single, a howling two-minute rocket that remains one of the great raw rock records. Erickson was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1969 and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to avoid prison. He spent years in the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He emerged damaged but still making music. Decades of troubled years gave way to a late-career revival that allowed him to be recognized as the pioneer he was. He died May 31, 2019, in Austin. Learn more at the Texas State Historical Association.