Mother Goose on the Loose

On Tuesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m., UT's Butler School of Music is sponsoring a Texas Music Panel in room MRH 2.634 at the School of Music. The room is on the first floor, near the Trinity Street Entrance (see this map on the UT website). The scholar for the series, Dr. Caroline O'Meara will moderate a panel with the following members:

• Joe Nick Patoski, author of biographies of Texas music legends, including Willie Nelson, Selena and Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Dave Oliphant, who has written two books on the history of jazz music in Texas
• John Wheat, Coordinator for Sound Archives at the Briscoe Center for American History at UT
• Tim Hamblin, Video Archivist at the Austin History Center

The America's Music series of music documentaries explores the history of music in America. We want to conclude the series with a closer look at the history of music in Texas. Come hear how Texans have contributed to the history of music in America.

America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway is a project of the Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with the American Library Association, Tribeca Flashpoint, and the Society for American Music. America’s Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.” 

Our six-week journey through America's Music ends on Tuesday, April 30, with a look at how Latin rhythms have affected American popular music in general, then we will hear how Puerto Rican immigrants and African Americans created hip hop music during the 1970s, in From Mambo To Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Terrazas Branch Meeting Room.

In addition to being the birthplace of Hip Hop, the South Bronx also was the place where salsa music came into being in the 1960s. One generation of musicians played salsa and the next generation developed hip hop. Of all the genres of music covered so far, these are the ones I know the least about. I also know very little about the actual life and culture of the South Bronx. Like many Americans, my images of the South Bronx are shaped by films like The Warriors and Fort Apache: The Bronx and by crime dramas on television.  Join me and UT musicologist Caroline O'Meara as we get a clearer picture of how people from this part of New York City made musical history.

Click here to learn more about the upcoming program and related media. We also have a display of related books, CDs, and DVDs at the Terrazas Branch. I have also included a couple of suggested resources below, which can be found at Austin Public Library.

America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway is a project of the Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with the American Library Association, Tribeca Flashpoint, and the Society for American Music. America’s Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.”