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 […]
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Letter from the Editor: Classical Music in Houston
The Houston region has a long musical tradition with diverse styles ranging from country to zydeco to blues to rock and roll to gospel–and everything in between. Our current issue captures many parts of this musical heritage, with the important exception of classical music. Indeed, it barely mentions Hank Williams and has nothing to say […]
Desde Conjunto to Chingo Bling
Feet start tapping and people are drawn to the dance floor by the upbeat polka sound of the accordion and the bajo sexto keeping rhythm. Men wearing tailored suits lead women in strappy sandals or black heels as the mid-calf hemlines of their dresses flow with every spin.
Rockin’ and Boppin’
My newlywed parents came to Houston at the end of World War II with $150 to open a record shop. A former railroad employee, my dad, Frank Zerjav, hailed from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had served as a master sergeant in the Air Force; my mother, Irene Freeman, created department store ads before going to work […]
Keeping Cajun Music Alive
Pe-Te Johnson was born in Grand Taso, near Eunice, Louisiana. His ancestors are direct descendants of the Acadians expelled from Nova Scotia in the mid-eighteenth century. His last name, Johnson, is the Anglo version of his Acadian sir name, Jeansonne. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and was stationed in […]
What’s Opera, Y’all?
When most people think of opera, a blonde woman—traditionally overweight—wearing a helmet adorned with horns comes to mind. While the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is familiar with Richard Wagner’s works and producing a long term project of the Ring Cycle in which this stereotypical woman appears, the young opera company offers its city a much […]
Houston Music Venues
“For the Love of Live Music: A Sampling of Houston Music Venues, 1930s to 1970s” by Lindsay Scovil Dove will have you saying, “Oh, yeah, I remember going there!” Cutting across a broad swath of Houston music and entertainers, she recalls the Eldorado Ballroom, the Emerald Room at the Shamrock Hotel, the Pan-America Ballroom, the […]
Free Press Summer Festival
Omar Afra, the co-founder of Free Press Summer Festival, was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but has lived in Houston since the age of two. He attended Askew Elementary, Paul Revere Middle School, and Lee High School.
Jewel Brown
“I was nine years old . . . I prayed and I asked the Lord, ‘Please show me, direct me in a way to be able to help my mom and dad.’” Most kids that age today worry about what features the next iPhone will have, but not Jewel Brown.
Bayou City Jazz Greats
Music has always been a part of my life. In high school, I joined the jazz band, blindly playing music on the guitar and clarinet without knowing much about the artists, their background, or their contributions. Eventually, though, I became curious about jazz’s origins and the influence of Houston’s jazz artists on the genre and […]