Center for Texas Music History

Headline News! This Thursday come out for the Center for Texas Music History with our friends from the Texas Women Songwriters Festival and Center for the Study of the Southwest at the Price Center & Garden. The Center's Avery Armstrong will be in conversation with festival founder Mandy Rowden, HalleyAnna Finlay, and Tish Hinojosa, together with tunes from Bobcat Country. https://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/article/33364,texas-women-songwriters-panel-to-feature-halleyanna-finlay

Texas Women Songwriters panel to feature HalleyAnna Finlay San Marcos Record - Sharing news, features and sports with the San Marcos community since 1912.

Register here! https://www.txst.edu/ctmh/news-events/news-archive/news-2026/twsf-panel/twsf-panel-registration.html

We’re excited about this event! Join us!!!

Friend of the Center Ralph Dowling is launching an Austin chapter of the Hungry for Music charitable org that provides instruments to music students who might not otherwise have access to them. Great bill launching the effort at Sagebrush this Sunday!

The Center for Texas Music History mourns a legend with the passing of Augie Meyers

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Augie Meyers over the weekend. He was a true pillar of Texas music, and he will be sorely missed. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Augie Meyers was born in San Antonio, Texas, a city whose rich blend of Mexican, German, and country traditions helped shape the distinctive sound he would later bring to American roots music. Growing up surrounded by conjunto, rhythm and blues, and rock ’n’ roll, Meyers developed a lifelong love of the keyboard. His early fascination with the Vox organ would become one of the most recognizable sounds in Texas rock, giving his music a warm, swirling tone that fans instantly recognized.
Meyers first rose to national prominence in the 1960s as a founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, the band behind the hit song “She’s About a Mover.” His signature organ riffs helped define the group’s Tex-Mex rock style and made the song a classic of the era. Over the decades he collaborated with numerous artists across the Texas music scene, including longtime friend Doug Sahm, and remained a respected figure in roots, rock, and conjunto-influenced music.

Later in his career, Meyers continued to build his legacy as a member of the Texas Tornados alongside Doug Sahm, Freddy Fender, and Flaco Jiménez. The group blended country, rock, and Tex-Mex traditions and earned a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance in 1991. Through decades of touring, recording, and mentoring younger musicians, Augie Meyers became not just a keyboard player but a cultural ambassador for the musical traditions of South Texas, leaving behind a sound and spirit that will continue to inspire generations.

Augie Meyers

This Thursday -- 2pm at The Wittliff Collections!

Welcome back bobcats! Make sure you stop by this Thurdsay afternoon as The Wittliff brings together veteran music journalist Peter Blackstock and legendary Texas musician Bob Livingston for a special afternoon event to celebrate and discuss their brand new, must-read books.

Tonight at 8 pm Austin PBS premieres the documentary Armadillo Man on iconic Austin artist Jim Franklin, with appearances by poster artists Billie Buck, Danny Garrett, and Guy Juke; musician Nakia; Austin Museum of Popular Culture Director Leea C. Mechling; and Center Director Jason Mellard, among others. Plus a score by Graham Reynolds.

Learn the story of local Austin legend Jim Franklin, the iconic concert poster artist who helped establish the Austin music venue, Armadillo World Headquarters, and is credited with making Austin “weird.” Catch the Austin PBS exclusive broadcast premiere of "Armadillo Man: The Trips of Jim Franklin" tomorrow, December 11th at 8 PM, ahead of its national release next summer!📺

Good work by our partners over at Texas Dance Hall Preservation!

Check your mailboxes! 📬 The 25th edition of the Journal of Texas Music History is officially out in the world, with articles about the Lost Gonzo Band, Chicano Soul, and R.T. Ashford.

The Journal is always FREE! You can subscribe to get a physical copy sent right to your house! Or, you can see all previous issues on our website. You can read this issue online here: https://www.txst.edu/ctmh/publications/journal/issues/jtmh-vol-25.html

As we celebrate 25 amazing years of both the Center and the Journal, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our supporters and friends of Texas music who make our mission possible. We couldn't do it without you! 🎵

Such a special event yesterday at the Texas Music Museum with Bill and Bobbie Malone, accompanied in song by Kent Calder. Bill, Bobbie, and Kent entertained us with the music and stories of Texas songwriter Cindy Walker, and we were lucky enough to have Walker expert Greg Smith share about the Cindy Walker Foundation and preservation of her home in Mexia.
Thank you to all who came!🎶
Photos by John Clark.

25 YEARS OF THE CENTER FOR TEXAS MUSIC HISTORY 🎂🎻

And we celebrated the only way we know how — with music, food, and good friends. We were honored to showcase the newest work of Tamara Saviano, longtime friend and supporter of the Center’s programming. Her memoir — Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music — turns over a new leaf for our book series with Texas A&M University Press. The newly named Gary Hartman Series in Texas Music pays tribute to our founder and esteemed Texas Music Historian Dr. Gary Hartman, and wouldn’t be possible without the generous gift of another longtime supporter of the Center’s programming, Joe Specht.

Sunday was filled with catching up with old friends and making new connections in the world of Texas music. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out! And a big thanks to our host, The Wittliff Collections, as well as Tamara, Gary, and Brennen Leigh. 🎶

📸 All photos are thanks to our talented friend, John Clark, with the San Marcos Daily Record!