Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 — June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer. He was a chief proponent of avant-garde free jazz, as heralded on his popular 1959 Atlantic release The Shape of Jazz to Come. On this and the 1960/61 albums Change of the Century and This Is Our […]
Barry White (September 12, 1944 — July 4, 2003) was an American soul singer, composer, and producer who released ten albums between 1973 and 1979 on 20th Century Records and scored five No. 1 R&B hits: “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby,” “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” “You’re the First, […]
Janis Joplin (Jan. 19, 1943 — Oct. 4, 1970) was an American singer who fronted Bay Area blues-rockers Big Brother & the Holding Company, best known for their 1968 album Cheap Thrills and the evergreen “Piece of My Heart.” She went solo with the 1969 Columbia release I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! […]
Shawn Phillips (born Feb. 3, 1943) is an American singer/songwriter who released the 1965/66 Columbia albums I’m a Loner and Shawn. He linked with Traffic for the 1970 A&M release Contribution, an eclectic reinvention followed by Second Contribution, Collaboration, and seven further Seventies albums. During the early 1980s, he issued two albums with the space-rock […]
ZZ Top is an American hard-rock/blues trio from Houston that formed in 1969 and built its first run on five London albums issued between 1971 and 1976. The classic lineup paired guitarist-singer Billy Gibbons, bassist-singer Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard across ZZ Top’s First Album, Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango!, and Tejas. That early […]
The 13th Floor Elevators were an American psychedelic rock band from Austin that released three studio albums and a live disc between 1966 and 1969 on International Artists. Led by frontman Roky Erickson and electric jug player/lyricist Tommy Hall, the 13th Floor Elevators pioneered acid rock with a raw, reverb-heavy sound and explicit references to […]
Bubble Puppy was an American psychedelic rock band from San Antonio, best known for their 1969 hit “Hot Smoke & Sasafrass.” They released one album, A Gathering of Promises, then changed their name to Demian for a 1971 self-titled effort on ABC–Dunhill. Members: Rod Prince (guitar, vocals), David Fore (drums), Todd Potter (guitar), Roy Cox […]
Bobbi Humphrey is an American jazz-funk flutist who released six albums between 1972 and 1975 on Blue Note. Background Bobbi was born Barbara Ann Humphrey on April 25, 1950, in Marlin, Texas, and raised in Dallas. She studied classical and jazz flute at Lincoln High School, then continued her studies at Texas Southern University, Houston. […]
Johnny “Guitar” Watson (Feb. 3, 1935 — May 17, 1996) was an American R&B guitarist, active as a sessionist from the early 1950s. Between 1973 and 1984, he released eleven jazz-funk albums on Fantasy, DJM, and Valley Vue. As a bandleader, he headed the Watsonian Institute for two albums during the late 1970s. Background Johnny […]
Gary Myrick is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Dallas who made the 1980/81 Epic albums Gary Myrick and the Figures and Living in a Movie. His best-known songs include “She Talks In Stereo,” “Living In a Movie,” and “Message is You.” After his 1985 Geffen release Stand for Love, he resurfaced in Havana […]
The Red Crayola was an American psychedelic rock band from Houston that released the experimental 1967/68 albums Parable of Arable Land and God Bless the Red Krayola, both on International Artists. Guitarist/singer Mayo Thompson cut a 1970 solo folk album, Corky’s Debt to His Father. Thompson reactivated Red Crayola for the 1979 Radar Records release […]
Nitzinger was an American hard-rock band from Fort Worth, Texas, that released the 1972–73 Capitol albums Nitzinger and One Foot in History, followed by the 1976 20th Century release Live Better Electrically. Members: John Nitzinger (guitar, lead vocals), Linda Waring (drums, vocals), Curly Benton (bass, vocals), Bugs Henderson (guitar, vocals) Background The Nitzinger band formed […]
Gloria Scott is an American soul singer from Houston who released the 1974 Casablanca album What Am I Gonna Do. She first recorded with The Tonettes, a precursor to Sly & The Family Stone. Background Gloria Scott was born on February 26, 1946, in Port Arthur, Texas. Her family moved to Houston before her first […]
Lyn Collins (June 12, 1948 — March 13, 2005) was an American soul singer from Texas. She emerged as a backing vocalist for James Brown, who produced her 1972 album Think (About It) and the 1975 followup Check Me Out If You Don’t Know Me by Now. Background Lyn Collins was born Gloria Lavern Collins […]
Point Blank are an American Southern rock band from Texas that released the 1976/77 Arista albums Point Blank and Second Season, followed by the 1979–82 MCA titles Airplay, The Hard Way, American Exce$$, and On a Roll. The last two spawned Billboard Rock hits with “Let Me Stay with You Tonight,” “Nicole,” “Let Her Go,” […]
Bloodrock was an American hard-rock band that released six studio albums and a live double-LP on Capitol between 1970 and 1974. Their first lineup cut the riff-heavy albums Bloodrock, Bloodrock 2, Bloodrock 3, and Bloodrock U.S.A. with singer–drummer Jim Rutledge and guitarist Lee Pickens. “D.O.A.” gave the band its lone Top 40 hit in 1971. […]
Starcrost was an American jazz-funk/soul band from Austin that released a self-titled album on Fable Records in 1976. Members: Liza Farrow (vocals), John Mills (saxophone), Michael Mordecai (trombone), David Deaton (keyboards), Jim Spector (bass), Paul Pearcy (drums) Background Starcrost formed in 1975 when vocalist/pianist Liza Farrow and saxophonist/flutist John Mills united through Austin’s jazz scene. […]
Fever Tree was an American psych-rock band from Houston that released three albums on Uni in 1968/69, followed by a fourth on Ampex in 1971. Their first album spawned the regional hit “San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native).” Members: Michael Knust (guitar), Rob Landes (keyboards, woodwind), John Tuttle (drums), EE Wolfe III (bass), Dennis […]
Electromagnets were an American jazz-rock band from Austin that issued an eponymous album on self-press EGM 1975. The band recorded a second album in 1976 that was ultimately released in 2005 on Vortexan. Members: Eric Johnson (guitar), Bill Maddox (drums), Steve Barber (keyboard), Kyle Brock (bass) Background Electromagnets formed as Aussenhorowitz around multi-instrumentalist Stephen Barber, […]
Harriet Schock is an American singer/songwriter from Dallas who released three albums between 1974 and 1976 on 20th Century Records. Her songs inspired covers by Gonzalez (“Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady”) and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (“Hollywood Town”). Background Harriet Schock was born Harriet Schoch on January 24, 1941, in Dallas, Texas. Her […]
Tommie Young is an American soul singer from Dallas who released the 1973 album Do You Still Feel the Same Way. Background Tommie Young was born on January 14, 1949, in Dallas, Texas. Her father, Bishop T. L. Young, pastored Emanuel Temple Church of God in Christ in West Dallas. Young first sang in his […]
Steam Heat was an American soul-funk band from Austin that released the 1975 album Austin Funk on Fable Records. They later reconvened as Extreme Heat. Members: Mike Barnes (guitar), Ralph Fiol (bass), Quincy Jarmon III (congas, percussion), Bruce Spelman (vocals), Phil Ritcherson (vocals, trombone), Neil Pederson (piano, clavinet), Ken Johnson (drums), Tomás Ramirez (soprano saxophone, […]
Aurora was an American jazz-rock band from Texas that was active between 1976 and 1980. Twenty years after the fact, a collection of the band’s live and studio recordings were issued on CD by archivist label Shroom. Members: Mark Menikos (violin, 1976-77), Skip SoRelle (guitar), Roy Vogt (bass, 1976-?), John Sharp (keyboards, 1976-?), Martin Metzger […]
Forty-Seven Times Its Own Weight was an American jazz-rock band from Austin that released the album Cumulo Nimbus on local-press Fable Records in 1975. Members: Mel Winters (trumpet), Paul Ostermayer (saxophone), Robert “Dude” Skiles (keyboards), Spencer Starnes (bass), John Treanor (drums) Cumulo Nimbus Forty-Seven Times Its Own Weight released their singular album, Cumulo Nimbus, on […]
Hands are an American symphonic/art-rock band from Dallas that recorded a clutch of demos between 1977 and 1980 that were later compiled on CD by archivists Shroom Productions. Members: Michael Clay (piano, guitar), Ernie Myers (guitar, vocals), John Rousseau (drums, percussion, ?-1980), Steve Parker (guitar, vocals, bass, ?-1980), Paul Bunker (viola, violin, guitar, ?-1980), Skip […]
David Newman (Feb. 24, 1933 — Jan. 20, 2009) was an American jazz-funk saxophonist and flutist. He joined the Ray Charles band in 1954 and spent a decade as a featured saxophonist on recordings including “Lonely Avenue,” “The Right Time,” and “Unchain My Heart.” Newman opened a parallel bandleader career on Atlantic with Fathead: Ray […]
Viola Crayola was an American jazz-rock trio from Texas that released the 1974 album Music: Breathing of Statues on the self-operated Fautna label. Members: Anthony Viola (guitar), Ron Viola (drums), Bill Jolly (bass) Inception Viola Crayola formed in Texas when guitarist Anthony Viola and his drummer brother Ron Viola teamed with bassist Bill Jolly. Anthony […]
Laurie Styvers (Aug. 3, 1951 – Feb. 18, 1998) was an American singer/songwriter who recorded a 1970 album with the London-based folk-pop band Justine. As a solo artist, she released the 1971–73 Chrysalis/Warner albums Spilt Milk and The Colorado Kid. Background Laurie Styvers was born Laurette Stivers on August 3, 1951, in Houston, Texas. Her […]
James Gilstrap (November 10, 1946 – July 18, 2026) was an American soul singer who emerged in Stevie Wonder‘s backing group Wonderlove. He released the 1975/76 solo albums Swing Your Daddy and Love Talk. As a sessionist, he sang the Good Times theme and earned backing credits behind Bill Withers, Candi Staton, Dee Dee Bridgewater, […]
