Tag Archives: Texas

Today: Joe Tex passed away in 1982 – 30 years ago

From Wikipedia:

Birth name Joseph Arrington, Jr.
Also known as Yusuf Hazziez
Born August 8, 1935
Rogers, Texas, United States
Origin Baytown, Texas, United States
Died August 13, 1982 (aged 47)
Navasota, Texas, United States
Genres Rock’n’roll, R&B, soul, southern soul, deep soul, country soul,funk, disco, rap
Occupations Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1955-1982
Labels King Records, Ace Records,Dial Records, Atlantic Records,Mercury Records, Epic Records

Joseph Arrington, Jr. (August 8, 1935– August 13, 1982), better known as “Joe Tex“, was an American musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the styles of country, gospel and rhythm and blues.

Born in Rogers, Texas, and raised in Baytown, Tex’s career started after he was signed to King Records in 1955 following four wins at the Apollo Theater. Between that year and 1964, however, Tex struggled to find hits and by the time he finally recorded his first hit, “Hold What You’ve Got“, in 1965, he had recorded thirty prior singles that were deemed failures on the charts. Tex went on to have three million-selling hits, “Hold What You’ve Got” (1965), “Skinny Legs and All” (1967) and “I Gotcha” (1972).

Tex’s style of speaking over the background of his music helped to make him one of the predecessors of the modern style of rap music.

From allmusic (Dave Marsh):

Joe Tex made the first Southern soul record that also hit on the pop charts (“Hold What You’ve Got,” in 1965, made number five in Billboard). His raspy-voiced, jackleg preacher style also laid some of the most important parts of rap’s foundation. He is, arguably, the most underrated of all the ’60s soul performers associated with Atlantic Records, although his records were more likely than those of most soul stars to become crossover hits.

Read more here – allmusic.com

Hold On What You’ve Got @ Shindig in 1965:

I Gotcha:

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Today: The late Buck Owens was born in 1929 – 83 years ago

From Wikipedia:

Birth name Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr.
Born August 12, 1929
Sherman, Texas
Died March 25, 2006 (aged 76)
Bakersfield, California
Genres Country, Bakersfield sound
Occupations singer, bandleader, TV host
Instruments vocals, guitar
Years active 1945–2006
Labels Capitol Records, Sundazed Records
Associated acts The BuckaroosSusan RayeRose MaddoxDwight YoakamRoy Clark
Website Owens’ Web site

Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), better known as Buck Owens which then was one of the most enthusiastic musicians in country music history, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos. They pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound—a reference to Bakersfield, California, the city Owens called home and from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call American music.

While Owens originally used fiddle and retained pedal steel guitar into the 1970s, his sound on records and onstage was always more stripped-down and elemental, incorporating elements of rock and roll. His signature style was based on simple storylines, infectious choruses, a twangy electric guitar, an insistent rhythm supplied by a drum track placed forward in the mix, and high two-part harmonies featuring Owens and his guitarist Don Rich.

From Allmusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine):

Buck Owens, along with Merle Haggard, was the leader of the Bakersfield sound, a twangy, electricified, rock-influenced interpretation of hardcore honky tonk that emerged in the ’60s. Owens was the first bona fide country star to emerge from Bakersfield, scoring a total of 15 consecutive number one hits in the mid-’60s. In the process, he provided an edgy alternative to the string-laden country-pop that was being produced during the ’60s. Later in his career, his musical impact was forgotten by some as he became a television personality through the country comedy show Hee Haw. Nevertheless, several generations of musicians — from Gram Parsons in the late ’60s to Dwight Yoakam in the ’80s — were influenced by his music, which wound up being one of the blueprints for modern country music.

More on->  allmusic.com

Loves Gonna Live Here:

Act Naturally:

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