What is it about Texas?

[FrankenFretter***]

Maybe this has been brought up before, and forgive me if it has. I was too lazy to check.

What is it about Texas that produces so many killer guitarists? Is it the water down there or something? How many great Texan guitarists can you name? I won't bother, I'll leave that to you folks, but there's a metric buttload to be sure.

Some of my closest friends are Texans (or, to be concise, former Texans, if such a thing exists). Maybe if I moved there, my guitar playing would improve...

[kiteman]

"Don't mess with Texas"

that's why.

[marnold***]

Well, Texas is awfully big, thus more likely to produce guitarists than, say, Rhode Island. Some places just seem to become music hubs: Chicago, Detroit, Nashville/Memphis, New Orleans, L.A., etc.

[Katastrophe]

Well, I was born in Texas, and, after 20 + years of playing, I still suck at guitar. Does that help?

Seriously, the musical landscape is so diverse in this area of the world. In Texas you can find a thriving music scene for just about any genre of music you can imagine. Living near Austin in the early nineties, you could go to Antone's for incredible blues, the Back Room for rock and metal, Emo's for alternative, Top of the Marc for jazz, the Continental Club for just about everything, the Broken Spoke for country. There were clubs on the drag by UT that catered to the punk crowd.

In that time and place, competition for gigs was fierce, and you had to be good, or the club owner wouldn't waste his time to give you a shot to play. At the same time there were places like the Austin Rehearsal Complex (ARC) and the band co-op where bands would practice, and they would all hang out and / or exchange ideas and jam.

To this day it's possible to take lessons from some serious talent, and that helps the musician population to develop and grow. It's a cool place to be for live music, to be sure.

[kidsmoke*]

What is it about Texas that produces so many killer guitarists? Maybe if I moved there, my guitar playing would improve...

Funny, my brother relocated to Flower Mound (near Dallas) a while back. Recently, when sharing my professional woes with him, he said I ought to move to Texas given that the economy is better and the cost of living is so low, and, he says, you'll be a better guitarist......

You're not the first to think this way. Although currently, I go to the school that produced Roger McGuinn and Steve Earle, among others. But I guess the water and the dust just do something special.

Funny, I was listening to Miles Davis "Jack Johnson" session, marvelling at John McLaughlin, and was wondering the same thing about Britian....what the hell was happening there in the 40's and 50's that gave us such a "metric buttload" in the 60's??

Peter Green
Clapton
Beck
Page
Richards
McLaughlin
Thompson
Knopfler (came later)
Gilmour
Frampton


Don't get me started on the songwriter list!

[guitartango]

Funny, I was listening to Miles Davis "Jack Johnson" session, marvelling at John McLaughlin, and was wondering the same thing about Britian....what the hell was happening there in the 40's and 50's that gave us such a "metric buttload" in the 60's??

Peter Green
Clapton
Beck
Page
Richards
McLaughlin
Thompson
Knopfler (came later)
Gilmour
Frampton


Don't get me started on the songwriter list!

Yes us brits have produced some of the best guitar players in the World. Not sure about now, i am finding it hard to think of one!

[kiteman]

Yes us brits have produced some of the best guitar players in the World. Not sure about now, i am finding it hard to think of one!

Think British invasion.

[Ch0jin]

....what the hell was happening there in the 40's and 50's that gave us such a "metric buttload" in the 60's??

You want an honest theory? (I love coming up with theories) How about the fact that there might have been less distractions for the youth of the day. No internet, PC or console games, no electronic music and so on.

What do you think?

[Rx Tone]

You want an honest theory? (I love coming up with theories) How about the fact that there might have been less distractions for the youth of the day. No internet, PC or console games, no electronic music and so on.

What do you think?

Excellent point.
I believe you're right.

[oldguy]

You want an honest theory? (I love coming up with theories) How about the fact that there might have been less distractions for the youth of the day. No internet, PC or console games, no electronic music and so on.

What do you think?

Add that to the fact that Johnny Winter and his brother probably didn't want to go out in that blazing Texas sun in the summers, and there's a theory.

[Ch0jin]

Add that to the fact that Johnny Winter and his brother probably didn't want to go out in that blazing Texas sun in the summers, and there's a theory.

You could flip that for the UK and say they didn't want to go outside in the winter too I guess.

[oldguy]

You could flip that for the UK and say they didn't want to go outside in the winter too I guess.

Good point!
Let's not forget Canada. Some great talent has come from Canada, where the winters can be brutal.

[Perfect Stranger]

Coz there's nothing ELSE to do in Texas but play guitar!


Just keeding.....

[Tig***]

Texas... A whole 'nuther country.

Check out Eric Johnson's newest album, Up Close. It sounds like him, but not as structured and more loose/organic that his past albums.

[tunghaichuan***]

You want an honest theory? (I love coming up with theories) How about the fact that there might have been less distractions for the youth of the day. No internet, PC or console games, no electronic music and so on.

What do you think?

I agree. Kids play Guitar Hero these days because it is easier.

"Real guitars are for old people." - Eric Cartman

[FrankenFretter***]

How many great Texan guitarists can you name? We'll start with the obvious, and the ones already mentioned:

The Winter brothers, Edgar and Johnny
Eric Johnson
SRV
The Reverend Billy Gibbons
And now, your turn...

[tunghaichuan***]

A few more are listed here.