Today is the birthday of JD Beck. He would be 24 today. JD Beck grew up in Dallas, Texas, banging on drums before he could tie his shoes. His hands moved faster than most adults could track. By his teens, he had already outplayed grown men at open jam sessions. He teamed up with French […]
Today is the birthday of Al Dexter. He would be 122 today. Al Dexter wrote one song that outsold nearly everything else during World War II. He grew up in Jacksonville, Texas, in the piney woods of East Texas. Al Dexter's Jacksonville, Texas roots shaped a plainspoken style that audiences instantly trusted. He ran a […]
Today is the birthday of Ian McLagan. He would be 82 today. Ian McLagan built two legendary rock bands. Then he settled quietly in Austin, Texas. Everyone called him Mac. His Hammond organ turned Small Faces and Faces into two of rock's most joyful bands. He later toured with the Rolling Stones for two decades […]
Today is the birthday of Kaitlin Butts. She would be 34 today. Kaitlin Butts entered the world in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but Fort Worth, Texas claimed her instead. She married Flatland Cavalry frontman Cleto Cordero and built a life in Cowtown. Now she headlines Billy Bob's Texas, the biggest honky-tonk on earth. Red Dirt radio stations […]
Today is the birthday of Dusty Hill. He would be 78 today. Dusty Hill anchored ZZ Top's low end like a bridge holds a highway. He grew up in Dallas, Texas, surrounded by blues records and radio static. He formed early bands with his brother before joining forces with Billy Gibbons. His brother, Rocky Hill, […]
Today is the birthday of Cody Johnson. He would be 40 today. Cody Johnson grew up near Huntsville, Texas, in the tiny community of Sebastopol. He worked as a corrections officer before music became his full-time job. That background gave his voice a weathered, working-man authority. Nashville labels passed on him for years, unsure what […]
Today is the birthday of Freddy Fender. He would be 90 today. Freddy Fender of San Benito, Texas, clawed his way from a cotton field into music history. He picked crops as a boy, then picked up a guitar and never looked back. In 1975, his song "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" topped the pop […]
Today is the birthday of Shakey Graves. He would be 40 today. Shakey Graves grew up in Austin, Texas, acting in commercials before he picked up a guitar. That mix of theater training and DIY grit defined his whole career. He built a suitcase kick-drum rig long before loop pedals became trendy. That homemade setup […]
Today is the birthday of Boz Scaggs. He would be 83 today. Boz Scaggs discovered his voice in Plano, Texas, long before Hollywood found him. He arrived as a shy transplant, unsure of the Texas heat. His family moved there from Ohio when he was a boy. At St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas, […]
Today is the birthday of Frank Beard. He would be 78 today. Frank Beard is the only man in ZZ Top without a beard. That irony still gets bigger laughs than most of his jokes. He grew up in Frankston, Texas, a tiny town east of Tyler. Drumming became his escape from small-town boredom early […]
Today is the birthday of Parker McCollum. He would be 35 today. Parker McCollum grew up in Conroe, Texas, just far enough from Nashville to matter. He cut his teeth playing Texas dance halls before radio ever noticed. Locals still remember him playing bars before he could legally enter them. That grind built a fanbase […]
Today is the birthday of Solange Knowles. She would be 41 today. Solange Knowles grew up in Houston, Texas, in the shadow of a famous older sister. Her father managed Destiny's Child, so music surrounded her from birth. She refused to live only as Beyoncé's sibling. Instead, she carved her own lane in art-pop and […]
