Texas has a rich tradition of troubadours—singer-songwriters who write, compose, and sing original songs. Grounded in the folk music tradition, singer-songwriters are recognized for their meaningful lyrics about real-life subjects as varied as social justice and family, war and love. Fueled by a strong sense of Texan identity and tried-and-true imagination, Texas songwriters tend to have a keen sense of place, revealed in the visual details of their lyrics.
Texas troubadours Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clarke ushered in the Texas singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s with poetic, emotional lyrics and music shaped by country, blues, folk, and tex-mex. Today's troubadours are also greatly influenced by Willie Nelson's outlaw country music, a grittier version of the popular country music that was coming out of Nashville at the time.
Backed by a tradition of independent spirit and grounded in multicultural roots, Texas singer-songwriters continue to imbue classic musical genres with new experiences and sounds.