Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Classics
The 1950s and '60s saw the emergence of Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry as an epicen-
ter of the country sound, which included everything from ballads to rockabilly, an offshoot
of western swing. Some of the classics in country music from this era had Texas connec-
tions: Earnest Tubbs, Jim Reeves, Buck Owens, Johnny Horton, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny
Rodriguez, George Jones, Don Williams, Ray Price, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson... The lat-
ter three toured Texas' small clubs and honky-tonks together for a good many years. Coun-
try music variety hours were all the rage on television at the time. If you haven't seen the
straight-laced, short-hair photos of Willie in the western dress of the era, you really ought
to. Even if all the stars weren't from Texas, many were crooning about it. Marty Robbin's
'El Paso' is perhaps the most classic country ballad of all time.
