Johnny Horton

5 Bands Abraham Lincoln Would Have Been Into

If he had not been assassinated 147 years ago, Abraham Lincoln would be having a pretty good year. In an already rancorous election campaign, our 16th president remains the ideal of statesmanship, common sense and decency in the Oval Office, virtues all but alien in modern-day Washington. This Frida ... More >>

Dead People We Wish We'd Seen

​Regrets, sang Frank Sinatra, Elvis and Sid Vicious, I've had a few. (Or, for Sid, a feee-yooouuu.) So have we all. But if you review concerts for a living, there's nothing worse than someone you like dying before you get the chance to see them live. So for this week's Round Table, Rocks Off ... More >>

Friday Night: Elizabeth Cook At McGonigel's Mucky Duck

Photos by Jason Wolter​Elizabeth Cook (first set) McGonigel's Mucky Duck March 11, 2011 Rocks Off always appreciates a country artist who comes by their tales of low lives and high times honestly, and Elizabeth Cook certainly qualifies. The offspring of a mother who honed her musical skills i ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: A Domino King And A Song About A Big Ol' Bear

Stevie Newman of the Domino Kings is one of the shredding-est guitarists Lonesome, Onry and Mean has ever seen. Newman plays and sings honky tonk like it's in his DNA, and he can rock with the best. When he covers Link Wray, Link Wray stays covered. Newman grew up in a musical family. His first mus ... More >>

Lost Tuneage: "The Singing Fisherman," Honky-Tonk Man Johnny Horton

Other than Buck Owens, no artist had a bigger effect on Dwight Yoakam than "The Singing Fisherman," Johnny Horton. This East Texas rockabilly cool cat grabbed Rocks Off's attention every time his name was mentioned or a song of his came on the radio. We suspect it was the same for Yoakam, who chann ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas, Part 2: "Trinity"

[Note: This week Rocks Off is looking at the musical heritage, highs and lows, for each of the five possible states that might result should Texas secede from the U.S. like Gov. Rick Perry wants it to. Yesterday we began with the Panhandle/West Texas "Palo Duro" territory; today it's northeastern qu ... More >>

52 Pick-Up

Your guide to the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards showcase

Playbill: Mitch Jacobs Tonight At Under The Volcano

www.myspace.com/mitchjacobsMitch Jacobs rides that not-so-thin line between country and rockabilly that defines much of the redneck East Texas roots music scene -- you know, that place where Possum Jones and Johnny Horton come from. Jacobs, formerly of the long-running local roots act Romeo Dogs, ... More >>

Five Other Rock-Star Presidents

Aftermath: Heybale! at the Continental Club

Shawn Camp

Fireball

Kenny G.'s Revenge

Smooth-jazz fans blast Racket

The El Orbits

Live in Houston, Texas (Freedom Records)

Ballads Nuevo

Corridos get updated with drugs and guns