Roger Kirby’s 2013 documentary “When Dallas Rocked” was a story about failure. The primary theme of the film was about how little Dallas/The Metroplex has done to document and celebrate the rich musical history of the community. A jazz enthusiast would find nothing to showcase the life or influence of Fort Worth music legend Ornette Coleman and Austin grabbed the legacy of Stevie Ray Vaughan, even though the guitarist was a native of the Oak Cliff community in south Dallas. A few steps in the right direction are currently underway. In Dallas, the 508 Park Project is revitalizing the downtown building where Robert Johnson and Bob Wills recorded in the 1930’s. The goal of the project is ultimately to have both a museum and a live performance space. The newly opened Texas Musicians Museum in downtown Irving, Texas also is a museum with a live performance venue that is embracing the rich, diverse history of the state.
Museum curator Tom Kreason has worked tirelessly for years to make this a project a reality. Financially, the museum is a partnership with the city of Irving as part of a downtown renovation plan, but the vision, sweat equity, and execution of the myriad details required to make this concept a reality has all been overseen by endless hours of planning, work, and personal sacrifice by Mr. Kreason. The Grand Opening reflected both a strong vision for the goals of the Texas Musicians Museum and a realization of the difficult work that remains.
Currently, the museum is displaying artifacts/memorabilia that highlight the musical contributions of Janis Joplin, Tommy Duncan, Selena, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Johnny Winter, ZZ Top, Buddy Holly, the Dixie Chicks, Destiny’s Child, Gene Autry, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Pantera, and many others. The museum will rotate in new items on a recurring basis and also has plans to reach out to the community, where area music fans can display their own artifacts or those of a loved one on a weekly basis. It’s a smart idea and one that shows that the goal of the Texas Musicians Museum is to be an important connection/destination place within the Dallas music community, not simply a static brick and mortar location to display historical artifacts.
The outdoor performance area is impressive and has been designed as a multi-functional space (to be used for weddings/receptions, corporate events, reunions, etc.). The long term goal is to have live performances every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. The museum also has a small restaurant that will be open regularly as a lunch option for members of the community (that is to say, you don’t have to pay to enter the museum to enjoy some really good chicken fajita tacos in the building space).
The music at the Grand Opening was also a celebration of diversity with artists that performed Western Swing (Miss Devon and The Outlaw, the Cowjazz Western Swing Band), Latino pop (The Gustavo Rodriguez Band), heavy metal (Broken Teeth), contemporary country (Holly Tucker), red dirt country (Jamie Richards), blues rock (Jimmy Wallace’s Guitar Army), jazz (Joseph Vincelli), psychedelic rock (Bubble Puppy), and soul (Bobby Patterson).
Some musical highlights included seeing an 83 year old Louise Rowe, who performed with Bob Wills in 1952, playing the standup bass with the Cowjazz Western Swing Band (Louise has a regular Friday night gig at the Texas Kitchen in Euless, I hear they put out one hell of a good chicken fried steak). Jimmy Wallace’s Guitar Army is comprised of blues aficionados that were contemporaries of Jimmy and Stevie Ray Vaughan while growing up in Oak Cliff, their performance was one of the most impressive displays of hard rocking blues as I’ve ever heard. Bubble Puppy, a San Antonio based psychedelic hard rock band that scored a Top 20 hit in 1969 with “Hot Smoke and Sassafrass,” were strong enough instrumentally to get raves from one of the best blues guitarists in Dallas and if I were casting a re-make of the 1970’s comedy film “Oh, God!,” Bobby Patterson would play the title role.
Whether the Texas Musicians Museum can reach their financial and artistic goals remains to be seen, but the Grand Opening resoundingly proved that this is a venture that Texas music fans should be wholeheartedly supporting.
