South Texas Music Walk of Fame

SOUTH TEXAS MUSIC WALK OF FAME Founded in 2004, The South Texas Music Walk Of Fame is a tribute to the diversity and abundance of music from artists who call South Texas their home. Each year, on the first Friday in June, an additional six stars are added in a ribbon cutting ceremony which kicks off the annual WaterStreet Market Music & Art Fest. Each star is a work of art in itself. Hand crafted by the artists at Aloe Tile, Texas flags fly on music notes in each point and the name of a Texas Music legend fills the center. The walk begins in front of Agua Java and circles the fountain in front of the Executive Surf Club. All just one block from the bay, at 300 N. Water St. in beautiful, downtown Corpus Christi. Nominations are accepted throughout the year at Surf Club Records. Nominees must be either from South Texas (and live anywhere) or from anywhere and live in the area from San Antonio to the southern tip of the state. The South Texas Music Walk Of Fame is led completely by volunteers and funded entirely by WaterStreet.

	Guy Clark Guy Clark's songs include "L.A. Freeway", "Texas 1947", and "Desperados Waiting for a Train" and dozens of other great American tunes. A star worldwide, Guy attended school in Rockport and South Texas appears in many of the singer/songwriter's award winning songs.


	Selena Selena was born to shine. A dynamic performer since age 9 and member of the enormously talented Quintanilla family, Selena was the first artist to place five Spanish Language albums - simultaneously - on Billboard's Top 200. Her Grammy wins in both '93 and '94 made her "Tejano Artist of the Decade". The world was shocked by the murder of this brilliant star, a statue of her graces the city's bayfront and is surrounded by ceramic tile white roses, her favorite flower.


	Roger Creager Roger is a home town hero. He attended High School in Corpus and, for five years, was a top ten best seller at Surf Club Records - that's quite a run. First rate vocals and songrwiting mark his albums and his shows and his high energy performances make this South Texas boy a fan favorite everywhere he performs.


	Bubble Puppy One of the last bands signed to the legendary International Artists label, Bubble Puppy also gave the company its most substantial hit, "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass". Originally known as the New Seeds, the Austin based quartet that had roots in Corpus Christi, comprised Todd Potter (guitar), Roy Cox (bass), Rod Prince (guitar) and David "Fuzzy" Fore (drums). They derived their new name from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. More mainstream than many of their contemporaries, their 1969 debut A Gathering Of Promises, showed traces of Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Moby Grape. Their hit "Hot Smoke and Sasafrasss" has been ranked as the # 3 Greatest One Hit Wonder of all time by VH1.


	Galvan Brothers The Galvan Brothers musical roots are deep in the Coastal Bend area. In the 1940's the brothers operated one of the most popular dance halls in South Texas. Today, Galvan Music is one of the premier music stores in the area, specializing in instruments and sheet music.


	Chris Layton Nicknamed "The Whip", Chris Layton is the busiest drummer in Texas. Chris toured the world in the past two decades playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Double Trouble, The Arc Angels, The Bluesknights, and Grady. Chris grew up in Corpus Christi and carries with him a piece of our hearts wherever he performs.


	Freddie Martinez, Sr. Freddie Martinez, Sr. was already a five time Grammy winning songwriter, performer, and producer in 1969 when he founded Freddie Records. Today his company is one of the leading independent Latin record labels in the U.S. with impressive names on the roster including Grammy winners Los Terribles Del Norte, Jimmy Gonzales y Groupo Mass, Solido, and more as well as Tex Mex music pioneers such as Sunny Ozuna. Developing new talent is always a priority at Freddie Records and we can expect great things out of the new artists on this...the most successful record label in the Coastal Bend.


	Isidro Lopez, "El Indio" One of the founding fathers of Tejano music, Isidro Lopez, began his recording career in the late 1940's. His superb saxophone, smooth voice, charming personality, and dynamic performance style earned him legendary status many years ago. His last performance was July 4, 2003, at the Executive Surf Club. His funeral, in 2004, was the largest in our city's history.


	Pozo-Seco Singers The Pozo-Seco Singers, a breakthrough Folk trio, who's 1966 hit "Time" became an anthem for the growing folk music scene in America and abroad. The group's members, all from Corpus Christi, include Lofton Kline, Susan Taylor (now known as Taylor Pie), Russell Thornberry, Eben Wood and -one of Country music's biggest names - Don Williams.


	Zakary Thaks Thirty five years ago, The Zakary Thaks were one of the hottest acts in Texas, touring and opening for famous bands like the Yardbirds and releasing such hits as "Bad Girl", "Weekday Blues", and "Face To Face". Texas Garage Rock from the 60's has a growing fan base around the world and The Zakary Thaks are showing up on compilations everywhere. They played a reunion gig at Ponderosa Stomp, April 27th of 2005, and re-affirmed their legacy of grooviness.


	Sam Neely Texas native, Sam Neely, has had 13 songs on Billboard's Top 40. Early hits include "Loving You Just Crossed My Mind", "Long Road To Texas", and "Sanctuary." Sam appeared on many television shows and, in most T.V. markets, sang "The Party's Over" at the end of the last episode of "M.A.S.H." A life-long resident of Corpus Christi, Sam was pure Texas Country. (Inducted in 2005)


	Freddy Fender Freddy Fender's distinctive voice and early hits such as "Secret Love" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" skyrocketed him to stardom in the '60s. With Grammy wins and nominations in four categories over five decades as a solo artist and a member of the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven, Freddy has brought much attention to Corpus.


	Sunny & the Sunliners In 1963 "Talk to Me" entered the Billboard charts, climbing to #11 and elevating this group of South Texas teenagers to stardom. Many other billboard hits followed, including "Rags to Riches", "Little Brown Eyed Soul", and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." Sunny Ozuna was the first Chicano artist to appear on American Bandstand. And his subsequent solo career, now more than 50 years long, includes Grammy winning Tejano tunes.


	Flaco Jimenez The most famous member of San Antonio's premier accordion family, Flaco recorded with Ry Cooder, Dwight Yoakam, John Hiatt and countless other heavy hitters. His discography is as long as your arm and includes Grammy winning tunes and membership in Los Super Seven and in the Texas Tornados.


	Doug Sahm A child prodigy, Doug Sahm was playing steel guitar on the radio at the age of nine. His bands include Little Doug Sahm, The Pharoahs, The Sir Douglas Quintet, The Honkey Blues Band and the Texas Tornados. Hits such as "She's About a Mover", and "Mendocino", as well as his boundless energy for and love of all music, keep this late legend very close to all Texas hearts.


	Augie Meyers It has long been said, "If a record needs a keyboard, it needs Augie." His distinctive style and VOX Continental have been part of American music for decades. A guest on great albums from Bob Dylan, John Hammond and countless other recordings, and a member of The Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas Tornados, Augie clearly works well with others. Solo projects in recent years keep him on stage as much as he wishes and, recently, in the studio with his son.


	Kris Kristofferson This Brownsville native always wanted to be a songwriter. He succeeded thoroughly. Legendary hits such as "Help Me Make It Through The Night", "Me And Bobby McGee" and others have been recorded by more than 400 other musicians. Along the way to that success, he also became a Movie Star, a Rhodes Scholar, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, won Grammies, recieved awards and raised 8 children. And he's not done. Kris still loves to perform and tours as often as his schedule allows. His latest CD, released in March of 2006, is true to the personal and honest nature of his work and is certain to generate a wave of future hits. We can't all be Kris, but we can all sing his songs.


	Chester Rupe A critically acclaimed guitarist, "Chet" performed with the Galvan Orchestra, backed many touring stars and took part in the early development of the Texas Jazz Festival. A music teacher at Del Mar College and private guitar instructor, he mentored young talent for 40 years and was so loved, that the week of his funeral, he recieved 27 nominations, the most ever recieved, for a star in this tribute.


	Christopher Cross Christopher Cross makes beautiful music. "Saliling", "Ride Like the Wind", "Never Be the Same" won him everything but an Oscar...which he picked up for the theme to the movie Arthur. Every few years he writes more beautiful music and tours the world bringing us real songs that are brilliantly written and flawlessly delivered.


	Jennifer Pena Jennifer Pena's first album went platinum, her second went gold, and the Tejano Music Awards named her "Female Entertainer of the Year"...all before her 15th birthday. Now a veteran at the age of 24, she's still putting out great albums and touring the world.


	Michael Nesmith Michael Nesmith was a teenager in San Antonio before his song "Different Drum" became a Linda Ronstadt hit and before he became a member of THE MONKEES. An extremely diverse talent, Nesmith as been a Novelist, a TV and film producer, a pioneer in video, and - always, a songwriter for decades.


	Rusty Wier Rusty Wier will make you smile. That's a guarantee. A Corpus Christi native who grew up performing in Austin, Wier was blending rock and honky-tonk before the Cosmic Cowboy scene ever started. His nine albums include some famous hits like "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance" and "I Hear You Been Layin' My Old Lady."


	Armando Marroquin Armando Marroquin opened Four Star Records in Alice, Texas in 1943. It was the first Mexican-American owned recording company in Texas and may be the first in the entire country. His company later became Ideal Records and the catalog is now a cherished part of the Arhoolie Foundation where it can be preserved for all time.


	Rocky Benton A rock solid drummer and fine keyboard player, Rocky prefers the harmonica and, when he raises that golden voice, he can make you cry. Rocky has opened for countless touring artists, and sang at our weddings and funerals and, in 2006, was named an offical Texas Music Legend.


	Al "Beto" Garcia "Beto" Garcia is the grandson of a former Mayor, the grandfather of two of our city's most popular bands, AND the "uncle" of the Texas Jazz Fesitval. Now in its 45th year, this always free, autumn tradition brings world famous artists and inernational fans to our lovely city. "Beto" is one name that's famous to Corpus and we are much more hip because of him.


	Bill Haley Bill Haley was born in Michigan in 1925, died in Harlingen, Texas in 1981, and, in between, INVENTED Rock-n-Roll! Haley combined steel guitar with Rhythm and Blues, and songs like "Rock Around The Clock" and "See You Later Alligator" changed the face of popular music forever!


	Chelo Silva Chelo Silva, dubbed "Queen of the Bolero", was born in Brownsville in 1922 and, by the late 1950s, became one of the biggest selling female artists, on either side of the border! A passionate performer, she could still captivate an audience until shortly before her death in 1988.


	Joe Gallardo Joe Gallardo made the phone call that started the Texas Jazz Festival. He won the 1974 Grammy for "Best Latin Recording", and has toured with such greats as Stan Kenton and Chet Baker. Living in Germany since 1991, Joe performs with the very successful NDR band.


	Max Stalling Max Stalling views himself, first as a songwriter, and second as a performer. After college, Max climbed the corporate ladder until finally surrendering to the music business with a head FULL of unique, original songs. Max's songwriting is full of imagery and warmth, with one foot in the past, and one in the present. Five albums under his belt, he is now on his way to being one of the most popular, promising, and respected artists on the Texas scene today.


	Pat Grogan Pat Grogan, a Texas Country Music Hall of Fame member, played with Elvis, Tex Ritter, Willie Nelson, and co-wrote songs with Buck Owens. He retired to Port Aransas and has been a significant (and delightful) mainstay of the South Texas Opry for 16 years.


	Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat, aka Jim Heath, is a Corpus native who grew to fame as lead guitarist of the wildly popular psycobilly band of the same name. This country-fed grease rocker's accomplishments include cameos in the Guitar Hero Video Game, TV soundtracks, movie appearances, eleven albums (to date), and 20+ years of electrifying audiences around the world with one of the "grittiest, greasiest, biggest, and baddest" rock shows around!


	Stoney LaRue Stoney LaRue was born in Taft, Texas and grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he began mining his musical talent alongside some of the biggest names in today's country music scene. A fine songwriter, performer, and recording artist, Stoney is sure to sell out any venue and is credited in many on-line publications as contributing to the resurgence of the Americana Red Dirt Movement. 2009 Walk of Fame Inductee.


	Carl Lewis & The Deadbeats Carl Lewis and the Deadbeats earned their star in this tribute by playing countless gigs over the past 15 years for non-profit organizations, raising millions of dollars for charities. Blues men by night, lawyers and judges by day, these guys had many fans. At the sudden death of Carl Lewis in late 2008, the entire community demonstrated that he had been the most beloved judge to ever sit on a bench in Corpus. 2009 Walk of Fame Inductee.


	Rosie Flores Rosie Flores, "The Rockabilly Filly", has been touring the world for years and thrilling audiences with her energetic performances, rockin' original tunes, and red hot guitar licks. Charting since the 1980s, on small and large labels, Rosie's career has never faltered. A big part of both the California and the Texas music scenes, this San Antonio gal can turn any frown upside down. 2009 Walk of Fame Inductee.


	Ted Roddy Ted Roddy rocks! A Corpus Christi native and veteran of the Austin music scene since the 1980s, this cat brings us great roots music, from blues to lounge to Honky Tonk, Country, Rockabilly, and southern Rock-n-Roll. A noted songwriter and recording artist, both as a leader and sideman, Ted was inducted into the Austin Chronicle's Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2000. His many bands include: Teddy & the Talltops, The Naughty Ones, The Tearjoint Troubadours, and the Backwoods Hipsters. 2009 Walk of Fame Inductee.


	Charlie Boeckman Charlie Boeckman wrote the book on Jazz...literally. His book "Cool, Hot and Blue" was published in 1968 as a history of Jazz for young people and his subsequent book, "And the Beat Goes On," has served as a text book in universities. A professional performer since 1938, Charlie is fondly remembered as the guy who started the 1970s tradition of Sunday evening Jazz marches down Starr Street. Now in his late 80s, Charlie is still a very busy writer and Dixieland Jazz Man who received over 300 nominations for this honor. 2009 Walk of Fame Inductee.


	Eddie Olivares, Sr. Eddie Olivares, Sr., a South Texas jazz legend, played his first paying gig when he was just 13 years old and has been performing ever since. An educator, he was the first band director at Moody high school in Corpus Christi and was director of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Jazz Ensemble as well as instructor of history of jazz there also. He has fronted his dance band for many years. Eddie, an accomplished jazz and classical trumpet player, performed in bands that have backed up well-known music artists, including Tony Bennett, Julio Iglesias, and Vickie Carr. He has performed with the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, the Corpus Christi Municipal Band, and various local and area jazz and dance bands. One of the founders of the Texas Jazz Festival, he performed many years with the TJF All-Stars, a quintet composed of the five original TJF founders. 2009 Walk of Fame Inductee.


	Terri Hendrix For the better part of the last 15 years, Terri Hendrix has distinguished herself as one of the most prolific and free-spirited wholly independent artists on the American music scene. Counting her forthcoming new album, "Cry Till You Laugh" she's released 14 CDs on her own Wilory Records label, hitting every genre from folk to country, pop, swing, Celtic, jazz and Tex Mex. An award-winning songwriter who's songs have been recorded by Ruthie Foster, Carolyn Wonderland and the Dixie Chicks (who won a grammy for "Lil' Jack Slade", an instrumental which she co-wrote). A skilled multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, harmonica) with a fun, friendly stage presence, Terri performs for crowds of thousands at the biggest folk festivals in America and Europe. And she is especially fond of playing intimate, listening room venues, either solo or with her frequent music partner, Grammy-winning producer and celebrated guitarist Lloyd Maines.


	Michael O'Connor This much loved 43-year-old Corpus Christi native has been touring internationally and contributing to numerous studio sessions for a quarter of a century. On the Texas songwriter secne, he's held his own alongside some of the best of the best. Three CDs to his credit, including "Hard Times", a shared release with Adam Carroll, all feature his soulful voice, strikingly detailed, true-to-life songs and the jack-of-all-genre guitar chops that have been his bread and butter for his entire life.


	Agapito Zuniga When Agapito Zuniga settled in Corpus Christi in 1954, he was already a star. Born in 1924 in Burgos, Mexico, he began playing the accordion as a child and, by age 13, already had formed a duo with a musician 30 years his senior. His first record deal came in 1951 and his various bands played to sold out crowds all over the U.S. and northern Mexico for decades. Known as "El Escorpion", he hosted a very popular radio show for many years and released records on Discos Peerless, Discos Ideal, Discos Falcon, Fontera, Hacienda and Freddie Records. In 2007 he composed his most recent song, to celebrate the 258th anniversary of his home town. And In 2008 he was inducted into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame.


	Geronimo Trevino A San Antonio area favorite, Geronimo leads of one of the most popular Country Dance Hall bands,frequently opens for Willie Nelson, and has eight albums under his belt. Hi is also author of "Dance Halls and Last Calls", one of the most important books ever written about the history of Texas music.


	Mike Blakely Mike is an award winning songwriter and performer with 10 albums in his discography. He is also an award winning author with 16 Western novels to his credit. The most recent, "Man Out Of Luck" is a co-write with Willie Nelson and will soon be a movie. Mike grew up in South Texas, but - these days - does most of his writing, singing and ranching in the Hill Country.


	Ponty Bone Born in San Antonio and playing the accordion since he was a child, Ponty first became a "name" during the years he traveled, and recorded with Joe Ely. For two decades and four albums, however, this cat has been leading his own band, The Squeezetones, and bringing Texas Style Zydeco to the world.


	Walt Wilkins Walt Wilkins writes hit songs...for himself, for Pat Green, Ricky Skaggs and many others. Hit albums include VIGIL, DIAMONDS IN THE SKY and MUSTANG ISLAND. Everybody covers Walt's songs and everybody loves his pure Texas shows.


	Vallejo Rooted in El Campo, these boys grew through Alabama and into Austin on a rising wave of swaggering rock with Latin rhythms. Major label stars, and constant award wionners, Vallejo puts on a thrilling performance at every show.


	Jason McMaster Lead screamer for Dangerous Toys, Watchtower, Broken Teeth and many other bands, this MTV star is the only Metal musician in the Walk and gathered nominations from leather clad fans world-wide.


	McKay Brothers The McKay Brothers sing fine original songs, with beautiful harmonies, in English and Spanish, about the things they see on the higways and back roads of Texas. Rave reviews in the New York Times and more dub this duo as heirs to our songwriter legacy.


	Lee Martinez, Jr. "Lito" Martinez is an award winning multi- instrumentalist who led some of the biggest and most successful Tejano bands and hit heights of stardom over several decades. Brother of fellow Walk of Fame Star, Freddy Martinez - but second to none.


	Henry Cuesta One of the biggest names on the Lawrence Welk Show, Henry can still be seen on PBS stations worldwide. A clarinet virtuoso, Henry played for U.S. Presidents, as a guest of the Stuttgart Symphony in Europe, at resorts in Branson Mo. and at Del Mar College in Corpus.


	the Caceres Brothers Since the 1930's, the Caceres Brothers have been in the forefront of the world of Jazz. Jazz Violinist Emilio Caceres was a famous recording artist for both Decca and Victor Records, Sax player Ernie Caceres performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra for years, followed by a stint with Charlie Parker and others in the Metronome Allstars. All the other brothers led very successful latin jazz bands for years. Thus young photo of Emilio, their cousin, and Ernie was at the beginning of very exciting careers.


	Karen Abrahams A native of Taft Texas, Karen grew up winning talent shows and in the 20 years she lived in Florida, developed her career and began winning awards as a blues artist and a songwriter. After returning to Austin in the 1990's she stepped right into the songwriter spotlight, with frequent performances in Gruene Hall and all the right places. She releases great CDs, which sell worldwide, she tours Europe, and recently learned that her cover of "White Rabbit" is on the "top 100 cover songs of all time". Karen is currently working on a documentary about Texas Women in Music which will be named after one of her hits: "For the Love of the Song".


	Latin Talk All of Corpus Christi loves these guys, and other places love 'em too. This is just right Latin Jazz from the grandsons of some of the Texas Jazz Festival founders - all stars in their own right. They are the "go to" act to impress visiting dignitaries and sure-fire crowd pleasers any day. Great CDs from these guys have been spinning in Austin since the late 1990s.


	Mingo Saldivar One of the biggest accordion stars of today, Mingo's touring schedule is dizzying. He fills auditoriums and thrills festival goers all over the U.S.,Latin America, Europe and even Africa. His lively performance style has nicknames him "The Dancing Cowboy" and a Mingo Saldivar show is one you'll never forget.