[Ghost Notes]: Pioneering Spirits of Texas Music

by Michael Corcoran, Tim Kerr (Illustrations)

“Ghost notes” is a musical term for sounds barely audible, a wisp lingering around the beat, yet somehow driving the groove. The Texas musicians profiled here, ranging from 1920s gospel performers to the first psychedelic band, are generally not well known, but the impact of their early contributions on popular music is unmistakable. This beautiful Tim Kerr-illustrated collection provides more background on the Texas from which these artists sprang, fully formed. Readers will learn about the black gay couple from Houston who inspired the creation of rock ’n’ roll, as well as the true story of the origin of Western Swing. They will learn about “the first family of Texas music” and the birth of boogie-woogie, the dirt-poor singers and the ballad collectors who saved folk songs during the Depression, and the accordeonista whose musical legacy was never contained on recordings but was passed on by his protégé. The pioneers of modern times include the Dallas rapper who became the wordsmith of gangsta rap, the sheriff’s son from Dumas who produced the signature tunes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and the blind lounge singer Kenny Rogers called the greatest musician he’s ever known. 

160 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2020

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for Michael ^ 2 Corcoran.

After 20 years as a newspaper writer (Dallas Morning News, Austin American Statesman) Michael Corcoran retired in 2011 to concentrate on Texas music history research and writing. His 2012 book/CD on gospel pioneer Arizona Dranes was nominated for a Grammy as best historical album. In 2016, his prime research for “Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams” (Dust-to-Digital) was lauded by CNN, the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, among others. He also contributed extensive liner notes on Blind Willie Johnson for the Alligator Records tribute album. The latest passion project for Corcoran, who began his career as a sardonic columnist for the Austin Chronicle in the ‘80s, was completely rewriting, expanding and visually overhauling his 2005 book “All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music.”