Music Inductee Bios

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 attended 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. 4 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 announcer 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 blues 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. 5 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 musicians 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 announcer 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. 6 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.

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