Texas has been and is home to many music legends, such as Buddy Holly & The Crickets. This statue of Buddy stands on the west side of Crickets Avenue across the street from The Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock. The site likely will be included on the Texas Music Trail, a network connecting music-related locations in Texas. At least a portion of the trail could be open as soon as next year. Courtesy photo
Texas Music Trail organizers have looked toward similar projects in other states as a possible guide. Here is an old blues joint turned visitors center on a portion of the Mississippi Blues Trail near Tunica. While Texas is still in the planning stages of its music trail, landmarks likely will include an informational marker detailing specific musicians, venues or events connected to an area and a Texas Music Trail logo. David Stone photo
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DAVID STONE | July 3, 2022
Sometimes — especially in the world of Texas music — last names aren’t always necessary. Willie, Janis, Buddy, Selena, Beyonce and Stevie Ray — chances are you can identify with all of these Lone Star legends with a single moniker.
Museums, statues and all sorts of monuments have been erected to these superstars, and deservingly so.
But for every Lyle, Waylon, Meatloaf and Little Joe, there are literally thousands of lesser known Texans who helped pave the musical highway by playing nightclubs, back rooms and dance halls across the state.
A collaborative group in Austin is working hard to bring recognition to these entertainers as well.
“In 2018, legislation was passed to create a Texas Music Trail,” said Steve Ray, program specialist for the Texas Music Office. “The purpose is to promote tourism related to the state’s musical heritage.”
Tom Sefcik Hall in Seaton would be a well-deserved location to be highlighted on the Texas Music Trail. Many Central Texas musicians paid their dues at the two-story bar and music hall east of Temple. Courtesy photo
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Ray envisions a network of landmarks similar to the Blues Trail in Mississippi. In that state, music history is marked by “Blues Trail” signs that provide information about specific musicians, venues or events connected to an area.
“These trails are big tourist draws,” Ray said. “The Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail in Virginia is very popular and has an economic impact of $9.2 million a year.”
In Texas, there are several no-brainer landmarks such as the Buddy Holly and Stevie Ray Vaughan statues, the Corpus Christi motel where Selena was killed, and the Dripping Springs ranch where Willie held his early Fourth of July picnics.
There are also many lesser-known landmarks such as Tom Sefcik Hall in Seaton where countless Central Texas bands and local legend David Zychek paid their dues, and the East Temple garage where Clifford “Boots” Douglas banged on pots and pans until he could afford a real drum set. Boots went on to become the premier jazz bandleader in the South during the 1930s.
The current Temple Municipal Building — aka City Hall — housed a theater and music venue for years and hosted some of the top acts in music during its heyday, including Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Cash, Charlie Pride, The Statler Brothers, Asleep at the Wheel and Peter, Paul and Mary. David Stone photo
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Ray said the Texas Music Office has identified about 400 sites of interest and more are added daily.
“This is an ongoing project — one that will be worked on for years,” he said. “A person could easily spend their entire life researching Texas music and not finish. One thing leads to another, and research goes on.”
“We have the Handbook of Texas Music — there are two editions — and it helps pinpoint areas of interest,” Ray said. “But there are so many places not mentioned in the book.”
Mallory Laurel, a special projects coordinator with the Texas Historical Commission, said the Texas Music Trail is still in the early stages of development.
“This was a state mandated project, but I’ve been working on other state mandated projects as well,” Laurel said. “This has the potential to be a high profile tourist draw, but it needs to be done right,” she said. “I hope to really get into it later this summer and hopefully we can launch at least part of the trail in fall 2023.”
Like many state projects, the music trail was mandated but not funded. Laurel, Ray and others are working to get money for the project.
“It really could be a huge tourism boost,” Laurel said. “We have a lot of music-related sites on historical record, but we hope to utilize the trail as an opportunity to engage with contemporary musicians and venues as well.”
“We definitely need to take in the historical sites, but it needs to be more encompassing and include working musicians too,” she said. “How do we do that? Is there a platform to tell the story in multiple ways? There are so many ways to approach the music of Texas. It’s overwhelming.”
A room at the Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum is dedicated to Little Joe Hernandez and family members. Little Joe , Johnny y La Familia are Tejano legends across Texas, the Southwest and Mexico. For years, Little Joe’s memorabilia was on display at the old Temple Lanes bowling ally at the intersection of 57th Street and I-35. David Stone photo
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“The challenge is pulling everything together,” she said. “We have a lot of music entities working toward the same goal.”
Both Ray and Laurel said they welcome regional input on the Texas Music Trail to include all parts of the state.
“As we develop, we need to get the word out,” she said. “We want to highlight regional music as well.”
Ideally, points of interest on the proposed self-guided trail would be marked with signage that contains the Texas Music Trail logo and a description of why the location is important.
Temple has a wealth of musical landmarks other than Sefcik Hall. World-class organist and pianist William Archibald Barclay was from here, and so was Steve Fromholz, a noted singer/songwriter who was named Poet Laureate of Texas for 2007.
Scott Joplin wrote at least three songs while staying in a Temple green book owned by local business woman Cora Anderson. Before blacks were allowed to stay in hotels, many went to high-end private residences called green books that rented rooms mostly to celebrities and educated individuals.
The Czech Heritage Museum & Genealogy Center in Temple is a treasure chest of information about the many musicians of Eastern European ancestry who have called the Temple area home such as Jerry Haisler, the Baca brothers and the Praha Brothers. Vrazels’ Polka Band is from Buckholts, and dozens of others in the area have come and gone over the ages.
Ray said organizers are actively searching for Texas Music Trail recommendations.
“The story of Texas has long been told in music and song ─ from the early days of cattle drives on the wide open plains and cowboy crooners in small town dance halls to today’s pure and eclectic sounds heard in music hubs all across the state,” he said.
“A fusion of blues, cajun, conjunto, country, gospel, jazz, ragtime, rock ’n' roll, zydeco and more, Texas music is as big and broad as the horizon is wide.”
Clifford “Boots” Douglas, a noted band leader and drummer, got his musical start in an East Temple garage. Boots & His Buddies were a top swing and jazz band in the South during the 1930s.
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WE WANT YOUR OPINION
There are far more musicians and venues in the Temple area deserving of recognition on the Texas Music Trail. Who, what and where do you think should be included? Send your recommendations to OurTownTemple@gmail.com. I will pass on our list to Steve Ray of the Texas Music Office and Mallory Laurel of the Texas Historical Commission.
