Texas Music

Hollywood has Grauman’s Chinese Theatre prints and the Walk of Fame. Fort Worth has Billy Bob’s Handprint Wall of Frame. Just as it’s fitting for California to showcase stars of the silver screen, Texas pays tribute to celebrated crooners of country music.


 

The smell of diesel exhaust hangs heavy in the warm night air behind the world-famous honky-tonk Billy Bob’s Texas as Susan Bellamy guides the way to the dark and mysterious tour bus. She is tall and attractive with a kind demeanor and a Texas accent spoken with staccato phrases and a brisk walk that clearly demonstrates she is in charge. Susan is the wife of David Bellamy, half of the legendary country duo The Bellamy Brothers -- she is also their road manager. In response to the question, “Is this stop at Billy Bob’s part of a tour, or just a quick road trip?” Susan stops at the bus door and with a big smile says, “Their tour never ends. They’re the hardest working band in the business!”

As far as famous concert weekends go, the Austin City Limits festival, which brought music lovers from all over the country to Austin on Sept. 26-28, has elevated itself to the ranks of Lollapolooza and, well, South by Southwest. Top-name bands from all over the world book the show months in advance. Robert Plant and Allison Krauss are among the headliners of this year’s lineup, which also boasted David Byrne, Blues Travelers and Texan Robert Earl Keen among 125-odd other acts.
 
But Keen is not the only homegrown artist to have made it big enough to play the venue. Here are a few other artists you may not have known before this year's festival.