Here’s a fun fact: Teenagers have attended Charles H. Milby High School since before “teenagers” existed. It was not until the 1940s that Americans coined the term “teenager.” Just as Milby High School is part of the East End’s history, teen culture is part of Milby’s history.
Archive | Music
21.2 Letter from the Editor
The Spring 2024 issue of Houston History magazine reflects on ways in which we celebrate and preserve our history.
Movers and Shakers: Houston Women in the Arts
Women have played significant roles in the history of Houston’s cultural development. Some have had talent; some have had resources; some have had influence as powerful journalists or fundraisers. Among these women were Houston’s cultural impresario Edna Saunders and the formidable journalist Wille Hutcheson. Three other remarkable women, however, were historically strategic in shaping Houston’s […]
Musical Migrations
The soul of Houston has been shaped by the journeys of its people. One of the most ethnically diverse large cities in the United States, Houston reflects a mosaic of experiences from people all over the world. The path to this distinction began at the onset of the twentieth century, as the migrations of three […]
Making Memories at Miller Outdoor Theatre: A Centennial of the Arts
By Samantha de LeónMiller Outdoor Theatre during a summer symphony night. All photos courtesy of Miller Outdoor Theatre.In February 1969, forty-six years after Miller Outdoor Theatre opened and a year after moving into its new facility, Houston Chronicle fine arts editor Ann Holmes questioned what was next for the outdoor amphitheater. Nestled in the heart […]
The Pam Francis Portraits
By Christine StarkmanPam Francis was born in Houston, Texas, in 1954 and passed away in 2020. She received her BFA in graphic design and photography from the College of Fine Arts at The Universityof Texas at Austin.Pam Francis Photographs will be the first retrospective exhibition organized at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston on the work of Pam Francis (1954 – 2020). On display September 29 to October 6, 2021, the exhibition will feature iconic artworks depicting her technical mastery of luminous lighting and creative artistry […]
It Is There I Feel the Spirit: Houston’s Third Ward
By Marie-Theresa Hernández and Naomi Mitchell Carrier The objects you find in Third Ward show you everything you’re willing to see. You look at this car, and what do you see? I see time. The time before the transition. A car that is the 1960s equivalent of a Mercedes today. The Civil Rights Movement is […]
Being the Spirit of Houston: The University of Houston Marching Band
By La’Nora Jefferson The University of Houston marching band was founded in 1946. Any student could participate as long as they auditioned. Even in its early years, the marching band supported the Cougars at all football and basketball games, traveling to several away games. The band led the Frontier Fiesta parade and the first football […]
Houston’s Graffiti Culture
Graffiti. This disruptive, colorful, and self-boasting style of popular art has permeated walls for centuries, including in Houston. Modern graffiti has been around since the 1960s when gangs or “crews” created social order with preservation of writing and began spray painting names and messages on walls, as expressions of protest, violence, or leisure. Undoubtedly graffiti […]
Volume 11, Number 1
Listen to the Music Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring 2013) Download PDF Letter from the Editor, Joe Pratt 2 Desde Conjunto to Chingo Bling: Mexican American Music and Musicians in Houston By Natalie Garza 7 Rockin’ and Boppin’: Houston’s Record Shops and Radio, 1940s to 1960s By Debbie Z. Harwell 12 Keeping Cajun […]