Excellent articles in today's Chron and last week's Houston Press about how the daughter of the late Arnett Cobb is trying to get this museum built in Houston. The Houston Press article, written by John Nova Lomax, makes a great case as to why this museum should be located in Houston, rather than the "Live Music Capital of the World" 180 miles to our west. Houston Press Article Houston Chronicle Article Museum of American Music History Website
Thanks, RMT. This would be an absolutely huge first-step in revitalizing Houston's music scene. I can't tell you how happy I would be if this plan came to fruition.
The Third Ward must have been something to see in the 50's and 60's. Johnny Copeland, Albert Collins and Johnny "Guitar" Watson, to name a few, were incredible performers. A little trivia: did you know that Johnny "Guitar" Watson used to play the guitar behind his back and also behind his head and (of course) with his teeth? Jimi Hendrix saw Watson play many times on the "Chitlin circuit" and incorporated Watson's showmanship into his own performance.
I got in on the back end of it when I started sitting in at Third Ward clubs when I was still in high school (late 1970s). I can only imagine what it was like 20 years before that. You can still get a taste of what it was like at places like Miss Ann's Playpen on Dowling (great Monday night jam), and Mr. Gino's Lounge on Cullen (I.J. Gosey's show on Sundays from 4-8 is wonderful).
