Welcome to the twentieth volume of the Journal of Texas Music History. This has been a challenging year on many fronts, and also one that underscores music鈥檚 significance as an art form that provides comfort, diversion, and meaning through trying times. We have been reminded how enjoying music together in physical spaces builds community, as well as the importance of our state鈥檚 diverse cultural heritage and the need to amplify the Black and Latinx voices that have been foundational in our musical history. We urge our readers and patrons to continue to support artists and venues where and when they can to sustain the vibrant music scenes and traditions all across Texas.
Since the last issue of the journal, we have continued to celebrate the communities Texas music has built. The Center hosted campus events with author Donna Marie Miller and James and Annetta White of Austin鈥檚 Broken Spoke and with writers Lance Scott Walker and DaLyah Jones on Houston hip-hop in advance of Walker鈥檚 upcoming biography of DJ Screw. In the wake of Ken Burns鈥檚 PBS series on country music, we brought one of its stars, historian Bill Malone, for an evening of conversation at The Wittliff Collections followed by a performance at Cheatham Street Warehouse. This was a homecoming of sorts, as Malone taught in our history department while writing his seminal work Country Music U.S.A. in the 1960s, a volume that is now the cornerstone of country music scholarship. We also took the Center鈥檚 mission off campus, presenting panels of our colleagues鈥� and students鈥� research at the Texas State Historical Association in Austin and the Central Texas History Association in New Braunfels.
One of those Central Texas presentations developed into the lead article here, as Center alum Evaliza Fuentes shares research from her graduate work on Austin guitar maestro Manuel 鈥淐owboy鈥� Donley, who played a pivotal role in the electrical amplification of m煤sica tejana. The publication of this article is particularly poignant, as Donley sadly passed away in late June, and we dedicate this issue of the journal to his memory. Donley鈥檚 midcentury experimentation with rock 鈥榥鈥� roll finds an interesting counterpoint in Tara Lopez鈥檚 article on the vibrant El Paso punk scene of the 1990s, providing important insight into a city often left out of our dominant cultural narratives. Jennifer Ruch then takes us outside the state entirely to reflect on how Nashville鈥檚 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is reflecting on the Texas-Tennessee connections of the 1970s with its grand exhibition Outlaws & Armadillos.
The Center looks forward to exploring the world of streaming and virtual events in the remainder of 2020 and into 2021 on the subjects of borderlands music, blues, and Austin jazz history. Our John and Robin Dickson Series at A & M Press is also going strong, with Tracy Anne Hart鈥檚 striking book of photography Seeing Stevie Ray as the most recent addition. As this journal comes to print, we will be nearing publication of two more Dickson titles, Kathleen Hudson鈥檚 Coraz贸n Abierto: Mexican American Voices in Texas Music and Brian Atkinson鈥檚 Looks Like Rain: The Songwriting Legacy of Mickey Newbury as well as a paperback edition of Diana Finlay Hendricks鈥檚 popular Delbert McClinton: One of the Fortunate Few. The Center also supported the publication of Michael Corcoran鈥檚 important new study Ghost Notes: Pioneering Spirits of Texas Music with TCU Press.
To learn more about the Center, please contact us or visit our website. As a reminder, the journal is also available . There鈥檚 no charge to receive the journal. Simply contact us at jasonmellard@txstate.edu, or krb121@txstate.edu and we鈥檒l be happy to put you on our mailing list. You can connect via our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts as well.
Of course, we couldn鈥檛 have done any of this without the hard work, advice, and financial contributions from all of our friends and supporters. My sincerest thanks to Gary Hartman, Alan Schaefer, Kristi Madden, C茅sar Lim贸n Delgado, Callie Lewis, Adam Clark, Tammy Gonzales, John McKiernan-Gonz谩lez, Angie Murphy, Jeff Helgeson, Mary Brennan, Gregg Andrews, Madelyn Patlan, Roberta Ruiz, Twister Marquiss, Hector Salda帽a, Lyda Guz, and the Center鈥檚 Advisory Board. And thanks to all of you who remain invested in the study, preservation, and celebration of Texas music history.
Dr. Jason Mellard, Director
Center for Texas Music History
Department of History
黑料吃瓜
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
512.245.1101
jasonmellard@txstate.edu
txstate.edu/ctmh