Texas Music Matters

Unsung: The Stories of Women in Texas Music

March 31, 2012 9:51 am by: Peter Babb

Women in TX

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From the singing cowboys of depression era movies to the beer-drinkin’ good ol’ boys of modern country, Texas music has been wrapped in a Lone Star mythology that’s decidedly masculine. Yet from its earliest days, women like Cindy Walker wrote the songs the cowboys would sing. Some, like Janis Joplin, had to leave Texas to find acceptance on their own terms.

Even now, the story of Texas music is only half told—glossing over the roles of pioneers like Big Mama Thornton or the struggles of modern movers and shakers from Ruthie Foster and Shawn Colvin to Sarah Jaffe and Girl in a Coma.

KUT’s award winning Texas Music Matters unit revisits the story of Texas music by turning a spotlight on the women who’ve helped shape it –and who continue to keep Texas a vital voice on the world stage. Join us for Unsung: The Stories of Women in Texas Music. Listen to the full special above.

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One Response to “Unsung: The Stories of Women in Texas Music”

  1. On April 2, 2012 at 2:55 pm mikehowle responded with... #

    Great story. Love the raw truth of the matter. BTW……Haley Rocks.

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