Sounds Like Texas Music Exhibit Now Open On Campus

Sounds Like Texas Music Exhibit Now Open On Campus

March 25, 2015

Austin, TX— The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin proudly presents Sounds Like Texas, now on display at the Briscoe Center’s Research and Collections division on the east side of the UT Austin campus.

From 1836 to the present, Sounds Like Texas represents a sampling from more than thirty of the center’s vast music-related collections. On view are record albums, photographs, correspondence, and posters that document a variety of Texas music styles including blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and Tejano. Other materials on display document the Kerrville Folk Festival, Texas songwriters, and Austin clubs through the lens of legendary local photographer Burton Wilson.

Of note are items from the center’s Willie Nelson Collection and rare photographs from a 1924 Los Pastores Mexican Nativity drama in South Texas, which have never before been displayed. Other highlights include a facsimile of Townes Van Zandt’s handwritten lyrics to For the Sake of the Song, items documenting ZZ Top’s infamous rock festival at UT’s Memorial Stadium in 1974, and Mance Lipscomb’s beautiful guitar given to him by the Gibson company.

Since 1980, the Briscoe Center has actively built its music collections as part of its mission to document the historical experience of the American people. The center’s resources include more than 50,000 commercial and field recordings embracing every genre of music from traditional cowboy songs to hip-hop. The music collections also document the business activities of producers, record labels, and concert venues. Collectively, these resources have given the center an international reputation for music research.

An organized research unit of UT Austin, the Briscoe Center collects, preserves, and makes available documentary and material culture evidence encompassing key themes in Texas and U.S. history. Researchers, students, and the public use the collections for a wide range of academic, professional, and personal uses. Collections also inspire the center’s own projects, including books, exhibits, programs, films, and educational materials.

The Briscoe Center’s Research and Collections division is in Sid Richardson Hall Unit 2 on the east side of campus and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center will be open until 9 p.m. on March 18 and 25. The center is usually open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, but it is closed on March 21 and 28 due to spring break and the Texas Relays.

Briscoe Center collections used in Sounds Like Texas include: