Texas Tunes
Texas is home to a music scene as diverse as its population. Legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin, Selena, Beyoncé, Buddy Holly, and Willie Nelson call Texas home, and you’ll find passion in every dancehall, festival and honky tonk across the state.
Not only is Austin the state’s Capital City, it is also the Live Music Capital of the World, and home to two of the nation’s most popular music festivals, Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. The South by Southwest Music Festival is one of the largest, most influential, and most anticipated music events of the year! ACL Festival is a two-weekend fest that brings together more than 130 acts from all over the world to play rock, hip-hop, R&B, country, folk, electronic and more. No matter which festival you attend, you are bound to hear some of today’s top musicians and possibly spot the next big star.
For those looking for a larger-than-life music experience, Billy Bob’s Texas, located in the historic Forth Worth Stockyards, is the world’s largest honky tonk. Another great Texas honky tonk is Gruene Hall, which is the oldest dancehall in Texas and has hosted its fair share of country music superstars over the years since it opened in 1878.
Take a first-hand look at Gruene Hall, featured in the #TexasToDo: Two Step Across Texas film.
This summer you can find music festivals dedicated to every style of music under the Texas sun, starting with the KNBT 92.1 Americana Music Jam in New Braunfels, followed by the Memorial Day Gospel/Bluegrass Festival in Grapeland, National Polka Festival in Ennis and more. The Kerrville Folk Festival is one of Texas’ most popular music festivals, featuring 18 days and nights of music at Quiet Valley Ranch.
But not all music in Texas has a twang. In fact, there are two dozen symphonies in Texas where you can immerse yourself in history’s greatest compositions, performed by world-renowned classical musicians.
Between sounds, you can visit one of Texas’ many music museums. There’s the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame in Port Arthur, the Texas Polka Museum in Schulenburg, and the The Heart of Texas Country Music Museum in Brady, just to name a few. Other museums featuring individual musicians across the state include the Freddy Fender Museum in San Benito, the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, and the Bob Wills Museum in Turkey.
Come on out and hear the many sounds Texas has to offer across the state, and when you do, don’t be too shy to sing along! To learn more about the music scene in Texas, visit https://www.traveltex.com/ or http://gov.texas.gov/music/.