Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman honors a migrant farm worker who helped revolutionize conjunto music.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you. And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

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Valerio Longoria was born the son of migrant farm workers in Clarksdale, Miss., on March 13, 1924. He grew up in South Texas, where he learned to play accordion. In the 1940s, Longoria recorded for Texas-based Ideal Records. He soon began pushing conjunto beyond its traditional folk music boundaries by introducing modern drums into the lineup and incorporating boleros and other popular dance steps. Perhaps his single most important innovation was adding vocals to conjunto music, which had always been almost exclusively instrumental. Longoria not only established the instrumental lineup which nearly all future conjunto bands would follow, but he also helped launch the careers of many younger conjunto singers.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll remember a blues legend that also made some of the first known recordings of zydeco music.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman celebrates a poor farm boy who became a “king.”

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

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Bob Wills, often called the “king of Western swing,” was born March 6, 1905, in rural Limestone County, Texas. In 1913, his family moved to the small town of Turkey in the Texas Panhandle. Wills learned to play traditional fiddle music from his father, but he also loved blues, jazz and mariachi. In 1929, Wills moved to Fort Worth, where he met previous This Week in Texas Music History subject Milton Brown and eventually formed the Light Crust Doughboys. The group’s remarkably diverse repertoire, which included fiddle breakdowns, blues, jazz, country and pop, attracted a huge following. Milton Brown died in1936, but Wills gained national fame with his Texas Playboys, making dozens of hit records and appearing in several Hollywood westerns. Inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Wills was a major influence on numerous country musicians, as well as on such rock and roll pioneers as Bill Haley and Buddy Holly.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll honor a migrant farm worker who helped revolutionize conjunto music.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman looks at a singing group that was founded in the 1800s but still performs today.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

• Expanded online version:

On Feb. 24, 1867, German Texans living in San Antonio founded the Beethoven Mannerchor, a men’s choral group. As with other German-Texas singing societies, the Beethoven Mannerchor was intended to help preserve and celebrate German heritage through music. The group performed regularly throughout Texas and constructed its own concert hall in 1895. When that burned down in 1913, it built the Beethoven Hall, which is still in use today. The Beethoven Mannerchor eventually expanded to include a women’s choir and children’s choir. Despite widespread persecution of German Texans during both world wars, the Beethoven Maennerchor and several other German singing societies managed to survive and continue to perform at festivals and other events throughout the state.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll celebrate a poor farm boy who became a “king.”

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman remembers a performer who blended a variety of ethnic influences to help forge modern Tejano music.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

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Rubén Ramos, nicknamed “El Gato Negro,” was born in Sugarland, Texas, on Feb. 9, 1940. Ramos grew up poor, but nearly everyone in his family was musical. His father played fiddle, his mother guitar and his uncle had the successful Ruben Perez Orchestra. By the late 1960s, Ramos had established himself as a talented singer and bandleader who exuded a strong sense of ethnic pride. His group, the Mexican Revolution, helped lay the groundwork for the emergence of Tejano in the 1980s by combining traditional Mexican folk music with blues, R&B, funk, soul and country. Rubén Ramos continues to be a prolific and successful artist, winning numerous awards and performing with some of the Lone Star State’s most prominent musicians.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll celebrate a honky-tonk legend whose health problems almost ended his career.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman remembers a country music DJ who wrote one of the most recognizable hits of early rock 'n' roll.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

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J.P. Richardson, known as “The Big Bopper,” died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959, in Mason County Iowa, along with fellow musicians Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly. Richardson, who was born in Sabine Pass, Texas, on Oct. 24, 1930, started his career as a country music DJ. However, he became best known for writing such popular novelty songs as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Running Bear.” His biggest hit, which would become a rock 'n' roll classic, was the 1958 song “Chantilly Lace.” Richardson’s growing popularity landed him a spot alongside Holly on the ill-fated 1959 “Winter Dance Party” tour. The Big Bopper’s career may have been brief, but his impact on rock 'n' roll can still be felt, as a variety of artists continue to perform and record his songs.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll learn about a performer who blended a variety of ethnic influences to help forge modern Tejano music.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman celebrate a pioneering trumpeter who performed with some of the biggest names in jazz.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

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Oran “Hot Lips” Page was born Jan. 27, 1908, in Dallas. His mother was a music teacher, and by the time he was 12, Oran Page could play trumpet, clarinet and saxophone. After attending college and working for a time in the Texas oil fields, Page began touring professionally with legendary blues singer Ma Rainey. He quickly earned a reputation for his dynamic trumpet solos and went on to play with such blues and jazz greats as Bessie Smith and Pearl Bailey. Throughout the 1930s, Page was one of the most sought-after sidemen in the world of jazz. He performed with Count Basie, Bennie Moten, Artie Shaw and many other prominent band leaders. During the 1940s, Hot Lips Page enjoyed a brief solo career. However, he eventually returned to working as a sideman, recording and touring throughout North America and Europe with some of jazz music’s biggest stars.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll remember a country music DJ who wrote one of the most recognizable hits of early rock and roll.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman remembers a woman who played autoharp and sang folk songs before becoming a rock music legend.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

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Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on January 19, 1943. As a teenager, she listened to blues, jazz and folk music. In 1962, Joplin moved to Austin, where she joined a folk-country band called the Waller Creek Boys. Joplin, who sang and played autoharp, often performed at Kenneth Threadgill’s bar on North Lamar Boulevard in Austin. In 1963, she moved to California to join the West Coast music scene. In 1967, Joplin got her first big break at the Monterey Pop Festival, where her powerful performance of Big Mama Thornton’s “Ball and Chain” launched her career as an international rock superstar. However, in 1970, Janis Joplin died of a heroin overdose. Her posthumous album, Pearl, included the single biggest hit of Joplin’s career, “Me and Bobby McGee,” written by her friend and fellow Texan Kris Kristofferson.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll celebrate a pioneering trumpeter who performed with some of the biggest names in jazz.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman looks at a pioneering female R&B artist who was a triple threat as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

• Expanded online version:

Barbara Lynn was born in Beaumont on Jan. 16, 1942. She played piano and ukulele as a child. But after seeing Elvis Presley perform, she began playing guitar and fronting her own all-girl band, Bobby Lynn and The Idols. Barbara Lynn soon got the attention of legendary Houston producer Huey Meaux, who asked her parents’ permission to record the teenager. In 1962, Barbara Lynn recorded one of her own compositions, “You’ll Lose a Good Thing,” which became a No. 1 R&B hit and a top 10 hit on the pop charts. The song later became a country hit for Texas singer Freddy Fender. Barbara Lynn went on to appear with Gladys Knight, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder and others. She has performed at the Apollo Theater and on American Bandstand and has had her songs recorded by such major rock artists as the Rolling Stones and Moby.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll remember a woman who played autoharp and sang folk songs before becoming a rock music legend.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman looks at an early Texas radio show that helped launch a national music craze.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

• Expanded online version:

During the 1920s, radio was still in its infancy. Small stations sprang up around the country, each broadcasting a variety of programming to a very limited local audience. On Jan. 4, 1923, Ft Worth radio station WBAP debuted a new country music show called the “barn dance.” It featured a variety of performers, including an old-time fiddler named Captain M.J. Bonner who played square dance music. WBAP’s barn dance was so popular that a number of other radio stations began copying it. Soon, the barn dance variety show format could be heard across the country. One of the most successful imitators of WBAP’s barn dance was the Nashville radio station WSM, which launched its Grand Ole Opry in 1925.  Grand Ole Opry went on to become the best-known country music radio show in history.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll honor a pioneering female R&B artist who was a triple threat as a singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This week, Texas music scholar Gary Hartman discusses a folk songwriter who became a somewhat reluctant pop superstar.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Friday on KXT and Saturday on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you.

And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KERA radio’s 90.1 at Night.

• Click the player to listen to the podcast:

• Expanded online version:

Michael Nesmith was born Dec. 30, 1942, in Houston and raised in Farmers Branch. Nesmith began playing in folk-country bands in his early 20s. In 1965, he auditioned for a Los Angeles-based group that was being formed as part of a new TV sitcom called The Monkees. The show’s producers hoped to capitalize on the so-called British Invasion – led by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other English bands – that was sweeping the country during the mid-1960s. The Monkees enjoyed tremendous commercial success, but Nesmith and his bandmates were frustrated that they were not allowed to write or perform most of their own music. By the time the Monkees broke up in 1970, Nesmith had forced the show’s producers to allow him and the other band members to write and perform a substantial amount of their own material. Nesmith went on to build a successful career as a songwriter and producer of movies, records and videos. In 1981, Nesmith won the first Grammy for Video of the Year, helping to inspire the emergence of MTV and the music video craze of the 1980s.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll look at an early Texas radio show that helped launch a national music craze.