What is it about Southeast Texas?

I've had professors tease me that only Blues singers come from this area, the rest o.d. and live their life as a memory held by others.  He was partly right.  There are ALOT of musicians from this area.  And, yes...most have a blues connection. 

I've already mentioned that Janis Joplin was our most famous resident but there are many others who have made a name for themselves.  There are also musical families that have passed the gift from father to sons and daughters to watch it glow in strength through the years.  If you grew up in the G-T area, you can only marvel at the number of talented artists that claim this area as home.  People in town use to joke that the musical bug was "in the water".  Maybe so, because there is a long list of the famous and not so famous.

Some of those artists are:  Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, The Big Bopper, Harry James, Barbara Lynn Ozen, Blind Willie Johnson, Johnny Preston, ZZ Top, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Clay Walker, Mark Chesnutt, Wayne Toups, Jivin' Gene, George Jones, Tex Ritter, Tracy Byrd, Don (It's 5'o'clock Somewhere) Rollins, Becky Barksdale, Lisa Locke, Johnny Piggott and of course Janis Joplin.  That's just a short list.

There is something about living in this area that gives you a feel for living life in the fast lane.  It's the type of feel I tried to instill in Nicholas Fontenot's character in "The Long Road from Perdition".  Let's face it, ya gotta be tough to live in the South. 

Have a question about life here in Southeast Texas?  My new novel?  Drop me a line.  I'd love to hear from you.  I think I may listen to a little ZZ Top or maybe Edgar Winter.  Here in Texas, we just call'em neighbor.

JR Stone