INDUCTEE LIST & BIOGRAPHIES

2 Austin Music Memorial Inductees

2008 2012 1. Carl William Besserer 1. 2. Virgie May Carrington DeWitty 2. 3. McKinley “Kenny” Dorham 3. 4. Rev. Albert Lavada Durst 4. 5. Ignacio “Nash” Hernandez 5. 6. Roy Montelongo 6. 7. Tary K. Owens 7. 8. Américo Paredes 8. 9. Douglas Wayne Sahm 9. 10. Roosevelt T. Williams 10.

2009 2013 1. Elmer Akins 1. 2. T.D. Bell 2. 3. Camilo Cantu 3. 4. Damita Jo DeBlanc Wood 4. 5. Michael David Fuller 5. 6. Longino “Lonnie” Guerrero 6. 7. Bill Neely 7. 8. Gene Ramey 8. 9. Robert Shaw 9. 10. C.B. Stubblefield 10.

2010 2014 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. 6. 6. 7. 7. 8. 8. 9. 9. 10. 10.

2011 2015 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. 6. 6. 7. 7. 8. 8. 9. 9. 10. 10.

On the following pages, the inductees are grouped by induction year, then listed alphabetically. 3 2008

Carl William Besserer (1851-1931)

Carl William Besserer was one of the most prominent musicians and educators during Austin’s early history. His parents immi- grated to Texas from Germany in 1850 and Carl was born in New Braunfels in 1851. Following his early education in New Braunfels and higher education in Germany, he made Austin his home and opened a music store, tuned pianos, and gave music lessons, gaining the title of professor. Over a period of time he

taught enough young Austinites to play instruments that enabled Museum Music Texas y Center, him to organize a band and an orchestra. The University of Texas provided an excellent talent pool for the orchestra. Besserer’s Band provided entertainment at popular beer gardens and parks and parties aboard the Ben Hur riverboat on Lake Austin. His orchestra performed for governors, presidential visits, and military events. In addition to organizing and leading music Histor of Austin courtesy Photo groups that provided much of the entertainment for early Austin, he was also a co–founder of the Austin Saengerrunde, the German Singing Society in 1879. In addition, he directed the Austin Band, initially called the Governor’s National Guard Band, that played at numerous types of events throughout the Austin area. He died in 1931, leaving a rich legacy of music for his successors.

Virgie Mae Carrington DeWitty (1913-1980)

Virgie Mae Carrington DeWitty’s parents moved to Austin from Wetumka, Oklahoma, when she was a very young child. She at- tended Austin public schools, Phillips White Academy, Huston– Tillotson College, and Prairie View A&M College. Her graduate training was done at the American Conservatory of Music in Chi- cago, Boulder University, the Juilliard School of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin. Mrs. DeWitty composed over 85 anthems, spirituals, and gospel songs for choirs, including the L.C. Anderson High School song. She directed the choir of the Ebenezer (Third) Baptist Church in Austin for more than 60 years and was a music teacher for the Austin Independent School Dis- trict. She was the first African American choir director to have a commercial radio program in Texas with the Bright And Early Choir. She also directed the first 1500–voice chorus at the Astro- Museum Music Texas and Mays Martha of Mrs. courtesy Photo dome in Houston for the National Baptist Convention. Mrs. DeWitty was a charter member of the Alpha Kappa Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority and the Frederick Douglass Civic Club. She passed away on August 11, 1980.

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McKinley “Kenny” Dorham (1924-1972)

McKinley “Kenny” Dorham was born August 30, 1924, in Fairfield, Texas. Known as “Buckwheat” by his school- mates in Austin, where he attended public schools, he learned the musical basics from Austin Independent School District band director B.L. Joyce. He attended

Wiley College in Marshall, Texas prior to enrolling at age Museum Music Texas y Center, 19 in a music school in New York. During the 1940’s and 1950’s he performed with many notable jazz musicians, and his own band, The Jazz Prophets. He performed on several film soundtracks including “A Song is Born” for MGM and he composed the score and acted in several Photo courtesy of Austin Histor of Austin courtesy Photo French films in the late 1950’s. His recording career was extensive, working mostly on the Blue Note Label in New York. Dorham returned to Austin in 1966 to perform at the first Longhorn Jazz Festival. Kenny Dorham died of kidney failure De- cember 5, 1972, in New York City.

Rev. Albert Lavada Durst (1913-1995)

Rev. Albert Lavada Durst was born in 1913 in Austin, Texas. In the 1940’s he was the announcer for the Austin Senators, an African–American League Professional Base- ball Team. John Connelly, who was at that time an owner of KVET Radio, heard the “Hep Talk” of the young an- nouncer and hired him as a disc jockey, making him one of the first African American deejays in America. Using the name “Dr. Hep Cat” on his radio program entitled The Rosewood Ramble, he brought national recognition to the

dialect he used. He published a book on “Hep Talk” with a Museum Music Texas Shorkey, by Clay Photo glossary of terms. In 1978, the Warner Brothers trade magazine Wax gave Durst credit for being among the inventors of rock ‘n’ roll radio. Rev. Durst is a former barrelhouse pianist and singer and has performed at numerous and folk festi- vals both alone and alongside his longtime friend, Robert Shaw. He recorded albums for the Uptown and Peacock labels, which were distributed regionally. Lavada Durst also brought many major African–American entertainers to Dorris Miller auditorium where he worked as Ath- letic Director. Among those musical guests were Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzger- ald, and Sam Cooke. When he retired from the Parks Department in 1979, State Representa- tive Wilhelmina Delco and the City of Austin recognized Durst for his distinguished work with the city’s youth. He died October 31, 1995 in Austin at the age of 82.

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Ignacio “Nash” Hernandez (1922-1994)

Ignacio “Nash” Hernandez was born on February 1, 1922, in New Braunfels, Texas. He learned to play the trumpet in high school and began his musical career by playing in German polka bands. During World War II, he served as a bugler in the Air Corps Service, which enabled him to meet and play along with several members of the famous Big Bands of that era. In 1949, Nash formed the Nash Hernandez Orchestra. He taught many of the young musicians in his first bands to play and read music, then he offered them their first gigs. Over the years, the band was comprised of a diverse group of musicians who went on to form their own bands. In 1975, Governor Dolph Briscoe be- stowed the title of Ambassador of Goodwill onto Nash, and that same summer, the Texas Senate issued a proclamation on be- half of Nash Hernandez, recognizing him as one of our state’s most outstanding and beloved musicians. In February 1994, Museum Music Texas and Hernandez of Ruben courtesy Photo Nash received a letter of recognition and commendation from United States Vice President Al Gore for his outstanding musical, community, and political contributions. Nash died on June 25, 1994, leaving behind many who have succeeded due to his generosity.

Roy Montelongo (1938-2001)

Roy Montelongo was born September 21, 1938, in Hays County between Kyle and San Marcos. Roy was inspired by his father, who played clarinet, saxophone, guitar, bajo sexto, and violin. Roy and his father moved to Austin by the time Roy was six years old, and his father began to teach him to play saxophone and a little bit of clarinet. Roy was also taught to read music and he played in school bands at Allen Junior High and Austin High School. Roy began to play with other local mu- sicians after school, including the Matt Velasquez band. In 1954, when Roy was in the twelfth grade, he went to see Beto Villa’s orquesta at the Avalon Club on North Lamar Boulevard. On one Saturday night, Beto’s orquesta had only two saxo- phones and Roy was invited to sit in and was then asked to join the band and go on the road. At this time Beto Villa was a big star recording for Ideal Records. Roy performed with him Museum Music Texas Shorkey, by Clay Photo until 1957 when Beto’s illness interfered with his regular performances. At that time Roy moved to Corpus Christi and joined Isidro Lopez’s orquesta and occasionally played with Freddie Mar- tinez. In 1960 he returned to Austin and worked for a paper company. He formed his own band in 1964 and cut his first album for Valmon Records. He became very successful but gave up performing after the death of his father in 1967. He then began a long career as a radio an- nouncer in Seguin with Rosita Ornelas. He became an important figure in the Tejano radio in- dustry in Central Texas playing Tejano music at KTXZ in the Austin area. Roy Montelongo passed away in 2001.

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Tary K. Owens (1942-2003)

Tary K. Owens was born November 6, 1942. During his teens he lived in Beaumont and then Port Arthur, Texas where Tary was exposed to the rich musical scene of southeast Texas and Louisiana, and he began a close friendship with Janis Joplin. In the 1960s, Tary became a student at The University of Texas, and began playing guitar with local music luminaries. Greatly inspired by his professor, mentor, and lifelong influence, folklor- ist Américo Paredes, Owens began recording and documenting the lives and sounds of various music greats and the songs and voices of prisoners throughout the Texas prison system. After graduating in 1967, Owens moved to San Francisco, California. He later returned to Austin and in the 1980s, Owens reestab- lished contact with Roosevelt Williams (AKA “Grey Ghost”) and founded the Catfish Records label. He produced the “Texas Blues Reunion” at Austin’s legendary Victory Grille and the ac- Museum Music Texas and Price of Maryann courtesy Photo companying video documentary. In the 1990s, Tary produced and recorded the music of many of Texas’ older treasures. In 2000, Tary formed the band The Texas Redemptors. He died September 21, 2003.

Américo Paredes (1915-1999)

Américo Paredes was born on September 3, 1915, in Brownsville, Texas where he completed elementary and high school. While in high school, his interest in writing poetry developed, and he began to publish poems in a South Texas newspaper and after graduation, in his first book. Américo served his country in World War II in the infantry, and after the war was an editor of Stars and Stripes, the newspaper that served the military and their families. Upon return- ing to Texas after the war, Américo had a career as a student at The University of Texas where he completed his Bachelor’s degree and earned a Master’s degree in English and Folklore. He received his PhD in 1956. In 1958, he began his distinguished career as a Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Several major achievements at The University of Texas included founding the Center for Intercultural Studies in Folklore and Ethnomusicology, and, later with other colleagues, successfully lobbying The Univer- American Latin Benson Lee Nettie the of courtesy Mauricio, Valentino by Photo Libraries of Texas University Collection, sity of Texas to develop the Center for Mexican–American Studies. His career was filled with contributions to Mexican–American folklore, and he also became known as a community activ- ist against cultural discrimination. He published several books, including novels and compila- tions of border humor and stories. He died on Cinco de Mayo in 1999.

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Douglas Wayne Sahm (1941-1999)

Douglas Wayne Sahm was born of Texas–German descent in San Antonio on November 6, 1941. At age 13, after some success play- ing in local bar bands, his first record was released. Doug had been mixing rockabilly, country and western swing with for several years when the Beatles and other British groups began to dominate the pop charts. Realizing the potential for a wider audience, Doug and veteran producer Huey Meaux formed the Sir Douglas Quintet. By 1973, Doug had released seven al- bums on Tribe, Smash, Philips, and Mercury Records. Always popular overseas, Doug released albums during the eighties in & Tapes and Texas Music Museum Texas and & Tapes England, France and Canada in addition to his American releases. In 1990, the Texas Tornadoes surfaced as a new collaboration be- tween Doug and three of his musical contemporaries, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Meyers. Their self–titled album proved successful and two more albums followed as the band’s mix of rock, pop, country, conjunto, rhythm & blues, oldies and bal- lads became a potent advertisement for the diversity of Texas mu- Records of Antone’s courtesy Photo sic and the wide–ranging talents and tastes of the four legendary Texas performers. Doug Sahm passed away on November 18, 1999.

Roosevelt T. Williams (1903-1996)

Roosevelt T. Williams was born in Bastrop, Texas on December 7, 1903. He attended public school in Taylor and he learned to play piano by ear, practicing at the home of a friend. He was in- spired by local piano players and from records. In addition to straight–ahead blues, he performed waltzes, hillbilly, and boogie woogie “blues at hi–temperature.” He also sang, and imitated popular performers of the time. In the late thirties, he was living in Navasota, where he was recorded by folklorist William A. Owens, who devoted 10 pages of his well–known book Tell Me a Story—Sing Me a Song, to Williams’ music. Williams earned the nickname “Grey Ghost,” apparently due to his disconcerting habit of suddenly appearing at gigs, then abruptly disappearing after Photo by Clay Shorkey, Texas Music Museum Museum Music Texas Shorkey, by Clay Photo playing. During the 75 year span of his career, Williams was in- ducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame, and was a featured performer at the New Orleans Jazz and Chicago Blues festivals; he also appeared in the films The Hot Spot and Shady Grove. Finally, in the late 1980s Grey Ghost appeared on two albums released by Catfish Re- cords. He passed away at the age of 93 on July 19, 1996, a much beloved Austin performer.

8 2009

Elmer Akins (1911-1998)

Elmer Akins was born in Pilot Knob, Texas in Travis County on March 10, 1911 and he eventually moved to Austin to attend ele- mentary school. He worked as a cotton farmer, porter, and janitor before pursuing his true passions of music and live radio. In the early 1940s he began singing in choirs and quartets, including the Royal Gospel Quartet, and hosting gospel programs at KNOW radio. He also founded the Austin Quartet Association to promote local gospel music. In 1947, Akins convinced the KVET radio sta- tion to sell him a fifteen minute slot on Sunday morning; the suc- cess of this show earned Akins a twelve week contract. His show, “Gospel Train,” eventually expanded to ninety minutes and Akins continued to broadcast on KVET for 51 years, making his the longest running gospel music radio program in the United States. Throughout the subsequent decades, Akins remained a popular Museum Music of Texas courtesy Photo radio announcer, tireless promoter of gospel music, and an active member of charity and aid societies. In addition, he held a day job at the Texas Supreme Court building for 34 years. Later in life, he hosted a Sunday morning gospel program on local television for several years. In 1975, Mayor Roy Butler declared an Elmer Akins Day and in 1997, Akins was honored with a concert at Bass Concert Hall. He was named a Texas Broadcast Legend in 1998 by the Texas Association of Broadcasters. Akins died December 9, 1998 of pneumonia.

T.D. Bell (1922-1999)

Tyler “T.D.” Bell was born in Bell County, Texas on December 22, 1922. Along with Roosevelt Williams and Erbie Bowser, Bell was known as a godfather of the Austin blues scene. How- ever, Bell first made his mark playing blues guitar around Rock- dale, Texas and in the nearby communities of Elgin, Bryan, and Temple. He was lured to Austin in 1949, by Johnny Holmes with the promise of a regular gig at Holmes’s Victory Grill. “Little T-Bone,” so called because of his take on T-Bone Walker’s guitar style, played with The Cadillacs at Victory Grill Photo by Clay Shorkey, Texas Music Museum Museum Music Texas Shorkey, by Clay Photo during its 1950s heyday. Bell remained a staple of the East Austin music scene for two decades and helped make the area a blues hotbed. After temporar- ily retiring form music to run a successful trucking business, Bell returned to prominence when local music historian Tary Owens organized a Victory Grill Reunion in 1987. During his long career Bell had notable performances in Wolftrap, Virginia, the San Francisco Blues Festival, and Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as blues festivals throughout Texas. “It’s About Time,” his 1991 album with Erbie Bowser, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. During the last decade of his life, Bell and his band the Blues Specialists kept a regular gig at the Continental Club. Bell played a role in the careers of a generation of Austin blues musicians, through his musical innovation and personal mentorship. He died in 1999.

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Camilo Cantu (1907-1998)

Camilo Cantu was born in 1907 in Hidalgo, Mexico. He im- migrated to Texas at a young age, reaching Austin as a teenager. It was in Austin where he first heard Leopoldo Guajardo play the two-row button accordion and the boy promptly switched from the keyboard accordion to this style. Cantu developed a distinct, full sound due to the unique way he tuned his instrument. Unfortunately, he was never recorded; however, those who were lucky enough to hear Cantu perform say he was the best accordion player in Central Texas during the 40s and 50s. For many years he drew crowds on Saturday nights at La Polkita in Del Valle. When he ventured to other parts of Texas, he Music Museum Texas Shorkey, by Clay Photo earned the name “El Azote de Austin” (The Scourge of Austin) simply by being the best around. After retiring from performance in the 1963, Cantu opened an accordion repair shop in his home in South Austin. Just as he had been mentored by a musical pioneer from the previ- ous generation, Guajardo, Cantu passed on his knowledge and traditions to Johnny Degollado. Degollado became a local legend himself and continues to mentor a younger generation of musicians. Thus, Cantu continues to be extremely influential in developing and continuing the conjunto art form. He was inducted into the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame in 1987, and posthu- mously awarded the Idolos del Barrio award by the Austin Latino Music Association in 2004. He died in 1998.

Damita Jo DeBlanc Wood (1930-1998)

Damita Jo DeBlanc Wood was born in Austin, Texas August 5, 1930. She attended Sam Houston College in Austin and the University of California at Santa Barbara. Her parents said she was born singing and in the 1950s, “Damita Jo,” as she was billed, began performing with Steve Gibson and the Redcaps. The dynamic singer first ap- peared on the pop charts with two R&B “answer songs,” “I’ll Save the Last Dance for You” in 1960, and “I’ll Be There” in 1961. “Love’s a Ball,” her duet with Billy Eckstine, reached #1 in Australia. She had another minor hit with “If You Go Away” by Jacques Brel. The Mayor and City Council of Austin declared May 9, 1967 “Damita Jo Day” in her honor. Damita Jo went on to a long career as an international supper club, television, and recording star. She had the only English language recording on the Mexican record label, Taxco; and she Museum Texas Music and Dukes Dawnna of Rep. courtesy Photo also recorded for Discovery, RCA Victor, Mercury, and Epic, as well as her own label, Black Masters. In the late 1970s, Damita Jo appeared regularly on Redd Foxx’s television variety show and toured with his revue. She also performed extensively in Atlantic City, appearing with stars such as Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Joey Bishop. In 1983, she wrote a song entitled “The Color of Your Skin Makes No Difference” which was used by the public school system of Baltimore, Maryland, where she resided for many years until her death on December 25, 1998.

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Michael David Fuller (1949-1989)

Michael David Fuller was born in Arkansas on December 18, 1949. His first foray into music was as a member of the Singing Fuller Family, a gospel group including his mother and siblings. However, his interest in music extended beyond gospel and as a teenager he began writing country songs on his guitar. He devel- oped a style of finger-picking which made it seem as if the guitar was singing along with him. As a young man he tried his luck as a musician in Atlanta, Houston, Austin, and Chicago, sometimes going by the name “Depty Dawg;” however he could not find the right fit. After adopting the name “Blaze Foley,” he settled in Austin for the second time in 1980. He wrote over sixty songs and his music told the story of his life. His signature song, “,” has been recorded by , Merle

Haggard, and while other Foley compositions have Weldon Marsha of courtesy Kolflat, Dana by Photo been recorded by and . Unfortunately, Foley himself did not release an album and he only became widely known after his death. Sev- eral tribute albums of Foley’s songs have been made and songs have been written in his honor by and . Foley is remembered as much for his music as for his outsized personality, heart of gold, and support of the underdog. Many musicians, as new arrivals to Austin’s growing 1980s music scene, found a champion and supporter in Foley. Foley died defending a friend February 1, 1989.

Longino “Lonnie” Guerrero (1917-1994)

Longino “Lonnie” Guerrero was born June 21, 1917 in Manor, Texas and moved to Austin at a young age. He was a self- taught musician, learning to read and compose music, as well as to play various instruments; however, most of his work was done on the acoustic guitar. Guerrero was known as the “Composer of Corridos” because of his outstanding efforts in this style of folk music. Corridos depict true-life events, for ex- ample Guerrero’s “La Tragedia del Presidente Kennedy,” from 1965, was about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Guer- rero began his career in music by traveling throughout Texas as a troubadour in the 1930s. After serving with the Army Air Force during World War II, Guerrero returned to Austin to work for the City of Austin and later the East Austin Chicano Economic De- velopment Corporation. Throughout his life, he continued to per- Museum Music Texas and Guerrero Sergio & of Guadalupe courtesy Photo form and compose music. His music has been recorded by many popular artists including Little Joe y La Familia, Isidro Lopez, and Manuel Donley (Guerrero’s nephew); and his accomplish- ments have inspired countless more Tejano musicians. Guerrero’s son Louie followed in his father’s footsteps becoming a respected musician in his own right. Guerrero’s dedication to the traditions of Mexican culture has preserved a musical heritage for future generations. He was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame in 1983. He died January 10, 1994 in Austin.

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Bill Neely (1916-1990)

Bill Neely was born September 19, 1916 in McKinney, Texas. Neely always contended that he received his first guitar lesson, at the age of 13, from legend Jimmie Rodgers. It was Rodgers who would be Neely’s biggest influence as he be- gan to craft his own finger-picking style. After completing his ser- vice in the Army and marrying his wife Bobbie, Neely settled in Austin in 1949. He soon met Kenneth Threadgill and began per- forming at Threadgill’s gas station on North Lamar Boulevard. Neely continued to perform there as it transformed into a popular eatery and music venue. He often shared his Wednesday night gigs at Threadgill’s with fellow guitarist Larry Kirbo; the two men also played together in Washington, D.C., in programs spon- sored by the Smithsonian Institute. Neely was often asked to perform his music at cultural events in order to educate a wider audience about his style of authentic Texas . In Neely of Bobbie courtesy Photo 1989, Neely traveled to Paris, France to perform at the House of World Cultures and played in Florence, Italy, as well. He recorded one album, Blackland Farm Boy, which was released in 1974 on Arhoolie Records and later reissued. Neely was a staple of the Austin music scene for nearly 40 years, performing with groups and solo, penning many original songs, and influenc- ing countless younger artists along the way. He kept performing until shortly before his death in 1990, of leukemia.

Gene Ramey (1913-1984)

Gene Ramey was born in Austin, Texas on April 4, 1913. He dab- bled in the trumpet in high school and played sousaphone with George Corley’s Royal Aces. Ramey discovered his signature in- strument, the string bass, after moving to Kansas City in 1932. He learned to play from the famous Kansas City bassist Walter Page and soon Ramey was leading his own bands and helping to shape the “Kansas City Sound.” During the 1930s, he performed with sev- eral jazz bands including the Jay McShann Orchestra which fea- tured Charlie Parker on alto saxophone. After moving to New York in the 40s, Ramey performed with many of the era’s most prominent jazz, swing, and bebop musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lester Young. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Ramey continued to perform with major acts while also working as a session bassist, appearing on many recordings. In 1969, he reunited with McShann for a European tour with Eddie Museum Music of Texas courtesy G. Hobbs, Larry by Photo “Cleanhead” Vinson. In 1976, Ramey returned to Austin and announced his retirement from music; however, it wasn’t long before he was mentoring younger musicians, promoting local jazz music, and performing live with the Gene Ramey Band. Ramey served as a father figure for the Austin jazz community, giving it international credibility due to his notable career. He continued performing until his death in 1984.

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Robert Shaw (1908-1985)

Robert “Fud” Shaw was born August 9, 1908 in Stafford, Texas. The Shaws owned a grand piano and provided music lessons for their daughters; however, Robert Shaw was not allowed to play and instead he worked in the family’s cattle and hog business. Shaw yearned to play jazz music on the piano and as soon as he was able to pay for it himself, he sought out piano lessons. Shaw acquired his unique style while playing with other musicians in the Fourth Ward of Houston, the black entertainment district of that city. “Barrelhouse” piano, as played by Shaw, incorporated ragtime elements, such as syncopation, and a heavy hard-hitting touch with fast release. In the 1920s, Shaw joined the “Santa Fe Circuit” of musicians who rode the Santa Fe freight trains to gigs; he played as far north as Chicago, but spent most of his time in Museum Music Texas of courtesy Wilson, Burton by Photo Texas. In the early 30s, he settled in Austin and opened a grocery store on the east side of town. For the next several decades, Shaw ran his business with his wife Martha and played music only privately. He was named Austin’s black businessman of the year in 1962. He re- turned to public musical performance in 1967, this time as one of the few surviving barrelhouse blues pianists of his time. He played often in Austin and had recurring engagements at the Kerrville Folk Festival for over a decade. He also performed at folk and jazz festivals all over the world, including the Berlin Jazz Festival and the World’s Fair Expo in Canada. He is known to have recorded one album, Texas Barrelhouse Piano, which was later reissued by Arhoolie Records. He died of a heart attack on May 16, 1985 in Austin.

C.B. Stubblefield (1931-1995)

C.B. Stubblefield was born March 7, 1931 in Navasota, Texas to a Baptist evangelical preacher and his wife. Per- haps it was his father, who would often feed the congrega- tion barbeque at revivals, who first impressed upon “Stubb” the idea of food and music bringing people together. How- ever, it was during his service with the Army in Korea where Stubb first became a cook. After decorated service as a gunner and tank driver, he was reassigned as a mess sergeant. His mess hall was popular not only for the deli- cious food, but also for the records Stubb would play. In Kitchen Legendary of STUBB’s courtesy Photo 1968, the original Stubb’s Bar-B-Q opened in Lubbock. One afternoon, Stubb picked up a hitchhiker and brought him to the restaurant. At first the hitchhiker was reluctant to enter, but Stubb assured the young man that he was the owner and everyone was welcome there. The hitchhiker turned out to be Jesse “Guitar” Taylor, and this first meeting spawned regular “Sunday Night Jams” which attracted other Texas musicians including Stevie Ray Vaughn, Joe Ely, Terry Allen, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore. Occasionally, Stubb was even known to take the microphone and entertain the musicians who had come to sing for their supper. The Lubbock restaurant closed in 1985, and Stubb moved to Austin where he began selling barbeque out of Antone’s. He opened Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin in 1986, and it soon became a hub for live mu- sic which continues to attract some of the biggest names in the business across all genres of music. Throughout his life, Stubb’s message of “love and happiness” unified people in a cele- bration of simple pleasures. He died in Austin in 1995.