The music legends that are from Austin, Texas

Music legends from Austin

Austin, Texas, is known around the world as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Its music scene is full of energy and talent. The city has given us famous stars in many styles, like blues, country, indie rock, and even psychedelic music.

Austin’s music history is rich and full of variety. Big names like Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan are well-known, but many other amazing artists from Austin have helped shape its sound, too.

Here are some real music legends from Austin, including some hidden gems who show off the city’s powerful music spirit.

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is a famous music legend from Austin, Texas. He moved to Austin in 1972, and his concert at the Armadillo World Headquarters on August 12, 1972, helped change the city’s music scene. He mixed country, rock, and folk music, bringing hippies and cowboys together.

Willie helped start the progressive and outlaw country styles, which still inspire Austin artists today. He started the Fourth of July Picnic, a big music event. He was on the first episode of Austin City Limits in 1974. Today, he has a statue, a street named after him, and a huge impact on Austin music.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas, but moved to Austin in 1972 to follow his musical dreams. In the 1970s, he played in Austin bands like Blackbird and the Cobras.

In 1977, he started the Triple Threat Revue and later formed his famous blues rock band, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

Austin’s blues scene made him a star and he became one of the best blues guitarists ever and led the 1980s blues revival. Even though he was born in Dallas, his music career and legacy are strongly connected to Austin’s blues-rock scene.

Janis Joplin (early career in Austin)

Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, but her early music career started in Austin. She attended the University of Texas at Austin in 1962 and sang with a folk group called the Waller Creek Boys. She also performed at Threadgill’s, a popular Austin music spot.

Local musicians like Kenneth Threadgill supported her. Janis left Austin soon after to join Big Brother and the Holding Company in San Francisco, but her time in Austin helped shape her music career.

Alejandro Escovedo

Alejandro Escovedo is a famous musician from San Antonio, Texas, who became part of Austin’s music scene in the 1980s. He comes from a family full of musicians. He first played in a punk band called The Nuns, then joined Rank and File, and later helped start The True Believers.

His solo career began in 1992, and he is known for deep songwriting and shows with Bruce Springsteen. He was added to the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023. His 2024 album, Echo Dancing, remixes his older songs.

Gary Clark Jr.

Gary Clark Jr. is a famous musician from Austin, Texas, known for mixing blues, rock, soul, and hip hop. He was born in 1984 and started playing guitar at the age of 12. He taught himself and played in local clubs as a teen.

His big break came when Clifford Antone, who owned Antone’s music club, helped him get started. He released albums like Blak and Blu (2012), The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015), and This Land (2019).

He won Grammys for “Please Come Home” and “This Land.” He’s played with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, and the Rolling Stones.

Roky Erickson (of 13th Floor Elevators)

Roky Erickson was born on July 15, 1947, in Dallas, Texas, but he went to school in Austin. He helped start the 13th Floor Elevators in 1965, one of the first psychedelic rock bands. He sang their famous song “You’re Gonna Miss Me.”

Roky also helped create horror rock in the 1970s and 1980s. He played in Austin with bands like the Explosives. He had some tough times with mental illness and was in jail and hospitals, but he made a comeback in the 2000s. He lived in Austin until he died there on May 31, 2019.

Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves, whose real name is Alejandro Rose-Garcia, was born on June 4, 1987, in Austin, Texas. Famous for playing solo with a suitcase drum and tambourine, the music mixes blues, folk, country, and rock and roll.

He released his first album, Roll the Bones, in 2011, and And the War Came in 2014. He performed on TV shows like Conan, Letterman, and Austin City Limits. He won Best Emerging Artist in 2015, and Austin made February 9 “Shakey Graves Day” in 2012.

Ghostland Observatory

Ghostland Observatory is a music duo from Austin, Texas, formed in 2004. It has two members, Aaron Behrens, who sings and sometimes plays guitar, and Thomas Ross Turner, who plays drums and keyboards.

They are known for their wild light shows and exciting concerts. They released albums like delete.delete.i.eat.meat (2005), Paparazzi Lightning (2006), and Robotique Majestique (2008).

In 2007, they played on Conan O’Brien and Austin City Limits and were named Band of the Year by the Austin American-Statesman. They’ve also rocked big festivals like Coachella.

James McMurtry

James McMurtry was born on March 18, 1962, in Fort Worth, Texas. He is an American rock, folk rock, and Americana singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader. He acted in Daisy Miller and Lonesome Dove and plays with veteran bandmates.

His father, author Larry McMurtry, gave him his first guitar at the age of seven. His mother, an English professor, taught him to play. He grew up mostly in Leesburg, Virginia.

He studied English and Spanish at the University of Arizona. He performed in Arizona, Alabama, and Texas. He won a 1987 contest, earned a Grammy nomination, and won Americana awards in 2006.

Spoon

Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas. The band started in October 1993, formed by Britt Daniel, who sings and plays guitar, and Jim Eno, who plays drums. Spoon’s first album, Telephono, came out in 1996 on Matador Records.

They became more popular with albums like Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill the Moonlight (2002), Gimme Fiction (2005), and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007). Britt Daniel moved to Austin for college and got into the local music scene. Spoon is a big part of Austin’s music history.

Explosions in the Sky

Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band that started in Austin, Texas, in 1999. At first, they were called Breaker Morant but changed their name that same year.

The band has four members: Chris Hrasky plays drums, and Michael James, Munaf Rayani, and Mark Smith play guitar and keyboards.

Three members are from Midland, Texas, and Hrasky is from Rockford, Illinois. They moved to Austin to form the band. Their first album, How Strange, Innocence, came out in 2000.Their eighth album, End, was released in September 2023.

Okkervil River

Okkervil River is an indie and folk rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 1998. The band was started by singer-songwriter Will Sheff, who is still the main member and creative leader. The first members met in New Hampshire and then moved to Austin to start the band.

The name comes from a Russian river in a short story by Tatyana Tolstaya. Their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, got them noticed at South by Southwest (SXSW). They later signed with the indie label Jagjaguwar and made albums like Black Sheep Boy and The Stage Names.

The Black Angels

The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in May 2004. Their name comes from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song.” The band has made six studio albums and one compilation album.

Main members include Alex Maas (vocals, bass), Christian Bland (guitar), Stephanie Bailey (drums), Kyle Hunt (keyboards), and Nate Ryan (bass). Their first album, Passover (2006), was praised for its dark sound.

White Denim

White Denim is a rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 2006. The band started from earlier groups called Parque Touch and Peach Train. The original members were James Petralli (guitar/vocals), Steve Terebecki (bass/vocals), and Josh Block (drums).

They became known through Austin’s music scene and events like South by Southwest (SXSW). Albums include Workout Holiday, D, Stiff, Performance, and Side Effects. Band members have changed over time. Petralli and Terebecki also co-founded a studio called Radio Milk in East Austin.

Grupo Fantasma

Grupo Fantasma is a Latin funk band from Austin, Texas, formed in 2000 when two bands, The Blimp and The Blue Noise Band, came together. They are known for fun live shows, creative music, and playing with big stars like Prince and Spoon.

The band has won many Austin Music Awards and has joined the Austin Music Hall of Fame. Their albums include El Existential (2010), which won a Grammy, and American Music: Vol. VII (2019).

Meanwhile, the city’s music scene has also been in the spotlight for other reasons, as stories like Austin Tanner’s legal trouble have captured public attention.

Wild Child

Wild Child is an indie pop band from Austin, Texas, formed in 2010. Kelsey Wilson sings and plays the violin, and Alexander Beggins sings and plays the baritone ukulele. They met while touring with a Danish band and started writing songs together.

Their first album, Pillow Talk, came out in 2011, and their second, The Runaround, was funded by Kickstarter and produced by Ben Kweller. They joined Dualtone Records in 2015 and released Fools. In 2018, Expectations charted, and in 2023, they released End of the World.

Recently, the city’s music scene was brightened by events like Mickey Guyton’s performance at Austin City Limits, showing how Austin is full of great music.

What do you think about these Austin music legends? Drop your favorites in the comments!

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.