Today is the birthday of Moon Mullican. He would be 118 today. Moon Mullican pounded a piano like he owed it money and was settling the debt. He grew up in Corrigan, Texas, in the deep piney woods near the Louisiana line. Moon Mullican's Corrigan, Texas upbringing mixed Black blues, gospel, and Cajun sounds together […]
Norah Jones grew up in Grapevine and swept the 2003 Grammy Awards with eight wins for her debut album Come Away with Me on Blue Note Records.
Lefty Frizzell was born in Corsicana on March 31, 1928. He invented the way country singers phrase a note — and Merle Haggard was listening.
Today is the birthday of Amos Milburn. He would be 100 today. Amos Milburn hammered piano keys in Houston, Texas, like he owed them money. He served in the Navy during World War II, then came home ready to party. His right hand rolled boogie-woogie triplets so fast they blurred together. His songs celebrated whiskey, […]
Today is the birthday of Ally Venable. She would be 28 today. Ally Venable grew up in Kilgore, Texas, a Piney Woods town famous for oil, not guitar heroes. She picked up a six-string at nine years old and never let go. By fourteen, she had already released her first EP. That kind of nerve […]
Today is the birthday of Maren Morris. She would be 37 today. Maren Morris grew up in Arlington, Texas, singing in local honky-tonks by age eleven. Her father drove her to open mics before she even had a driver's license. She released her first indie album before most kids finish middle school. That early stage […]
Today is the birthday of Lizzo. She would be 39 today. Lizzo spent her early childhood in Detroit, but Houston, Texas built the artist she became. Her family moved there when she was only ten years old. She played classical flute in her Houston high school band with real skill. She practiced flute for hours, […]
Today is the birthday of Travis Scott. He would be 36 today. Travis Scott grew up in Missouri City, a Houston, Texas suburb thick with trap music energy. He absorbed DJ Screw's chopped-and-screwed sound before he ever touched a microphone. That sound later defined his entire catalog, from Rodeo to Astroworld. Scott then dropped out […]
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 […]
