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Lone Star Rhythms

Connection Magazine

Texas honors its music in its many forms

By Anne Braly

Everything’s big in Texas, and that goes for its music. It’s as diverse as the state’s geography and as vital as its people. The variety of genres makes for a musical patchwork quilt of country, blues, jazz, spirituals, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, Tex-Mex and Cajun.

Texas is the birthplace of Western swing, which incorporates elements of country, blues, pop, big-band jazz and Latin rhythms. The state is also home to conjunto, which combines traditional Mexican music with polkas and other European forms. Texas has nurtured zydeco, the music of French-speaking Black people, which has increasingly incorporated elements of rhythm and blues.

So, it’s time to take a road trip to uncover the rhythm of the Lone Star State.

The Heart of Country Music Museum

1701 South Bridge Street, Brady

Heart of Texas country music museumDisc jockey Tracy Pitcox has been a huge fan of country music since he was in his teens, when he started “Hillbilly Hits” on KNEL, a radio show that continues today in Brady. From those humble beginnings has grown a museum honoring more than 125 country music artists, with memorabilia that includes Buck Owens’ guitar, George Strait’s hat and Nudie-designed rhinestone suits that Lefty Frizzell, George Jones, Ray Price and others wore.

The museum started in the radio station but soon outgrew that small space. It’s now a 1,200-square-foot museum jam-packed with memorabilia that ranges from autographs to automobiles like Jim Reeves’ tour bus, Pitcox says. Coming in second might be Tammy Wynette’s limo or Ernest Tubb’s Cadillac.

“Our guitar-shaped Webb Pierce mailbox does get a lot of attention, though, as do our extensive Hank Thompson, Loretta Lynn and Mel Tillis displays,” Pitcox adds.

The 1,000-member Heart of Texas Country Music Association operates The Heart of Country Music Museum, and there has never been an admission charge.

For more information go to the Hillbilly Hits website.

Roy Orbison Museum

213 Hendricks Boulevard, Wink

Eyeglasses sculptureBlink twice and you may miss it, but if you happen to be in Wink — or if you’re a fan of Roy Orbison — a stop at the museum is a must. Just like the town, it’s a small place, but it carries a huge legacy for its hometown musician who put Wink on the map. Though Orbison wasn’t born in Wink, he did spend several of his early years in town. Thus, the Roy Orbison Museum on East Hendricks Boulevard, a museum dedicated to the man who wrote songs that remain popular for all ages, including “Only the Lonely,” “Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)” and “Oh, Pretty Woman.”

The museum, which opened 20 years ago, is a one-room showplace of memorabilia that holds treasures from the time Orbison spent in Wink. One of the items that brings the biggest “WOW” factor is Orbison’s dark glasses. According to museum volunteer Debora Carter, he wore the dark glasses for one show simply because he couldn’t find his clear ones. “They just stuck,” she says. “But people who visit the museum love to try them on and get their pictures taken.”

The museum is also the caretaker of Orbison’s first guitar. It lay forgotten in a storage locker for years. Upon its rediscovery, it went to the museum.

To find out more about the museum, go to the Roy Orbison Museum Facebook page.

Buddy Holly Center

1801 Crickets Avenue, Lubbock

Western fringe jacket on displayBuddy Holly was only 22 when his life came to a tragic end as his plane crashed to the ground near Clear Lake, Iowa. But visitors to the Buddy Holly Center can get a glimpse into his life and the impact he made on music.

Before “the day the music died,” Holly and his band, The Crickets, hit the charts with “That’ll Be the Day,” followed by “Peggy Sue” and more hits that reached the Top 10. In fact, he became the first musician to score a posthumous No. 1 hit with “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”

The museum, in the historic Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot, is a testament to Holly’s life. It features a gallery shaped like a guitar and serves to preserve and promote the legacy of Buddy Holly and the music of Lubbock and West Texas. Among the displays are items Holly crafted as a young man and artifacts from his musical career, as well as his famous eyeglasses and other exhibits from the tragic Feb. 3, 1959, airplane crash.

The center, which also houses the Texas Musician Hall of Fame and the Lubbock Fine Arts Gallery, features a wide array of programs encompassing music and music history. The restored home of Crickets drummer J.I. Allison, husband of Peggy Sue, was relocated to the Buddy Holly Center complex and is open for self-guided tours.

For more information, visit the Buddy Holly Center website.

Lefty Frizzell Museum

912 West Park Avenue, Corsicana

Lefty Frizzell country museumMerle Haggard once said William Orville “Lefty” Frizzell was “the most unique thing that ever happened to country music.” Following that statement were accolades from other greats, including George Jones, Roy Orbison, George Strait and more. Now visitors to the museum named in his honor can see what the fuss was all about.

Frizzell, the son of an oil worker, was born in Corsicana and knew from a young age that he didn’t want to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Rather, he chose to step onstage and play his guitar, eventually becoming a country music sensation with “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” and “I Love You a Thousand Ways,” among other chart-topping tunes. In the early 1950s, Frizzell had four songs in the Top 10 at the same time.

The Lefty Frizzell Museum is in Corsicana’s Pioneer Village, made up of buildings that represent the pioneer era. The museum is home to many of Frizzell’s personal items, including some of his gold records, photos, costumes and other mementos from his years on the road in the 1950s. Frizzell died young at age 47, but his legacy lives on in Corsicana. For more information, visit Pioneer Village’s Facebook page.

Other Genres & Artists

Museums dedicated to the music and musicians of Texas are scattered across the state. Here are several of note: