New York Review of Books calls Manzarene Dreams “the authoritative new edition of Phillips’s music.” Creative Loafing (Atlanta): This was the cover story by Chad Radford.“When Phillips died, a secret history of pre-war gospel blues was born; a mystery shrouded in speculation and mistaken identity. But through the legwork and dedication of semi-retired Texas music […]
First published in 2005 Local honky-tonk hero Dale Watson is the portrait of tranquility as he sits on a porch and tells the camera that he went crazy in 2002. He talks about hearing voices until finally committing himself to the Austin State Hospital. He describes torturous dealings with what he thinks was Satan, about […]
The box of books came today. I’ve been waiting two years for them. Gospel music’s great re-appearing act Washington Phillips taught me patience. His musical prowess on a homemade instrument was the subject of a newspaper article in the home paper in Teague in 1907. But it would be 20 years later until this self-made […]
By Michael Corcoran Published on 2/1/04, the 15th anniversary of Foley’s killing. The years since his 1989 passing have been kind to Blaze Foley. While he was alive, the singer-songwriter had released only a single and an LP that was never distributed aside from a box full of vinyl albums he would barter for […]
This is a chapter of the 2017 book All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music Some people are stars without being famous. Their talent shines so brightly and the way they carry themselves is so confident that destiny calls their name. Nick Curran had all that and his own look/s. He was a […]
Article from Jan. 1, 2006 AAS by Michael Corcoran On a wall in a conference room in the shadow of the state Capitol hangs a painting that freezes the pivotal moment of the Texas victory over Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl that sewed up the 1969 national championship. Senior quarterback James Street is […]
August 2016 By Michael Corcoran The Tragically Hip shows I saw in Canada on August 8 and 10 were more than I could’ve hoped for. The band played magnificently and singer Gord Downie went from Canadian rock star to national folk hero with courageous performances just seven months after two brain surgeries and first round […]
WIMBERLEY — Nobody ends up here by mistake. This quaint Hill Country town 40 miles southwest of Austin is not on the way to anywhere else, but a destination. And home to about 3,900. The unlikeliest of those residents is Rupert Neve, the British recording icon who first came to Wimberley in 1980 to visit […]
Excerpt from “All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music” (UNT Press) “Do you want to hear my new song?” the voice on the other end of the phone asked, as giddy as a teenager. “I just got it back from my demo guys in Fort Worth and I think it’s a real […]
By Michael Corcoran During Prohibition, the life of New York City’s illegal party was a former cowgirl from Waco named Mary Louise “Texas” Guinan. Greeting customers with “Hello, Sucker!” and deci-bellowing “Curfew shall not ring tonight!”, Guinan turned pure brass into gold during the Roaring Twenties. Her talent to foster excitement “from eleven to seven” […]
