Live Music Events Keep the Beat for East Texas

By P.A. Geddie

The Upper East Side of Texas has tremendous deep roots in music and has given birth to an incredible number of successful musicians to the point it is sometimes asked inquisitively, “What’s in the water there?” 

Some music genres born or practiced in the region still have very clear lanes, while others are a blend. Most music styles evolved from combinations of sounds including boogie woogie, jazz, blues, ragtime, rock and roll, Celtic ballads, Appalachian folk, cowboy campfire tunes, country, and gospel. Genres and styles continued to evolve, brought by waves of immigration and neighboring traditions from Mexico. Over the last 20 years or so, the term Americana came into mainstream media and in jam sessions across the country as singer-songwriters tired of trying to fit their styles into any one genre. 

Leading the way in cultural heritage through music in the Upper East Side of Texas are ragtime composer and pianist Scott Joplin; folk singer Huddle “Leadbelly” Ledbetter; gospel musician Stuart Hamblen; blues legends Aaron T-Bone Walker, Omar Sharif, Floyd Dixon; followed by pop crooner Johnny Mathis; country stars Ray Price, Tex Ritter, Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Johnny Gimble, Lefty Frizzell, Bob Luman, and Al Dexter; and classical music’s Van Cliburn.

Music City Texas Theater opened in 2003 in Linden, hometown of Don Henley.

Marshall, Texas, became officially designated as the Birthplace of Boogie Woogie in 2010.

In more recent years, popular musicians from the region include ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Billy Joe Shaver, Michael Martin Murphey,  Lee Ann Womack, Linda Davis, Neal McCoy, and newer superstars Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Sunny Sweeney, and Chris Tomlin.

Other music-related talent sprang from the Upper East Side of Texas as well with lyricists, composers, and famous venue hosts including Kenneth Threadgill, Will Jennings, Susanna Clark, and Blake Neely.

Besides some of these incredible musically inclined humans becoming national and international stars, the region has seen the emersion of hundreds of local talented musicians and singer-songwriters. Previously mostly heard only by other musicians, family and friends in garage and pasture jam sessions, over the years more and more music venues, open mic stages, and restaurants featuring music nights emerged, giving them a place now to showcase their talents for residents and visitors alike. 

The growing number of music venues — both small and large enough to seat up to 2,000 people — bring in national talent as well.

Many Upper East Side of Texas communities are being welcomed into the Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program that began in 2016 including Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Marshall, Linden, Lindale, Corsicana, Dallas, McKinney, Denison, Rockwall, and Waxahachie. Several others are working through the certification process now including Carthage, Texarkana, Sherman, Crockett, and Kilgore.

Jamborees, fiddle fests, seasonal weekly music series, street jams, concerts, and music festivals are happening now in the region on a regular basis.

Here are a few live music venues worth checking out their calendars for the good music they present throughout the year and below that some music focused events now taking place annually in the region.

ATHENS
The Texan Theater

BEN WHEELER
The Forge Bar & Grill
Moore’s Store Texas

BIG SANDY
Big Sandy Music Hall

CARTHAGE
Esquire Theater

CROCKETT
Camp Street Cafe

EDOM
The Old Firehouse

FATE
FRESH by Brookshire

HAWKINS
Red Rooster Ice House

JEFFERSON
Auntie Skinner’s

KILGORE
The Back Porch

LINDALE
Brisket Love Barbecue and Icehouse
Texas Music City Grill & Smokehouse

LINDEN
Music City Texas Theater

LONGVIEW
Leon’s Steakhouse & Saloon
Lone Star Ice House
Longview Museum of Fine Arts

MCKINNEY
The Celt Irish Pub

MOUNT VERNON
Mount Vernon Music

NACOGDOCHES
Banita Creek Hall
Fredonia Brewery

PICKTON
Foster’s Place Restaurant & Pub

TYLER
ETX Brewing Co.
FRESH Grill & Patio
Lago del Pino
Liberty Hall
Rick’s on the Square
Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue

WINNSBORO
The Bowery Stage
The Barrel House

YANTIS
Neon Moon Restaurant & Social Club

ANNUAL EVENTS CELEBRATING MUSIC

Rhythm in Our Blues. Greenville. February. Annual concert at Greenville Municipal Auditorium. showtimeatthegma.com

Tribute to Townes Van Zandt. Ben Wheeler. 2019. March. Features singer-songwriters performing and paying tribute to the late Townes Van Zandt, one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 20th century. The Forge Bar & Grill. theforgebenwheeler.com

Dogwood Arts & Music Festival. Palestine. 2019. March. Showcases Texas artists and musicians and includes food, live street performances, and children’s activities. Downtown Palestine. visitpalestine.com

Athens Old Fiddlers Contest & Reunion. 1932. April. The longest running fiddle contest in Texas features fiddlers of all ages, live music, street dances, car show, a kiddie carnival, and street food. athensfiddlers.com

Downtown Live. Longview. 2012. April/May and Sep/Oct. Annual outdoor music series with food trucks. Heritage Plaza, Downtown Longview. visitlongviewtexas.com

San Jacinto Music Series. Rockwall. 2014. May-September. Friday and Saturday evenings guests enjoy live music by regional talented singer-songwriters. rockwall.com/mainstreet_music.asp

Junebug Music, Makers & Art Show. Ben Wheeler. 2012. June. Art by professional and up-and-coming artisans, live music, Lyra performances, craft cocktails, and kids arts and crafts area. The Forge Bar and Grill. theforgebenwheeler.com

Music at the Market Concert Series. Greenville. Free concerts at the Market Square on Sunday evenings. travelgreenvilletx.com

East Texas Sacred Harp Convention. Henderson. 1983. August. Although held in Henderson for just a few decades, this annual gathering of shape note singers has a continuous history from 1868, the earliest year noted in its minutes, having missed a few years of meeting because of the American Civil War. Re-established after the war, a large influx of Georgia and Alabama settlers added to its strength. Many are attracted to its folk music aspect using acappella and four part harmony. The convention is the oldest known singing convention in Texas, and the second oldest Sacred Harp Convention in the United States. Henderson Civic Center. easttexassingings.net

Winnsboro Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering. 2019. Fall. Missing two years due to COVID restrictions, this event is going strong consistently now, with exciting performances of music and poetry and fun activities celebrating cowboy culture. winnsborocenterforthearts.com

Boogie Woogie Marshall. September. New theme each year paying tribute to the musicians who birthed boogie woogie and it’s musical influences in and around Marshall, Texas. Includes visits to the Boogie Woogie Museum in do. boogiewoogie.org