Book Review

The Roots of Texas Music. Edited by Lawrence S. Clayton and Joe W. Specht. Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students 93. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2003. ISBN: 1-58544-221-6 (cloth). 248 pp. $29.95.

Texans are exceedingly proud of Texas, and the musical heritage of the state (or former republic, as I have been reminded) certainly deserves respect. The authors in The Roots of Texas Music prove that the Lone Star state has contributed at least its fair share to the cultural life of the nation, and in its diversity the music of Texas is representative of American music. Unfortunately, though perhaps inevitably, this volume does not do its subject justice. Contributions on country music and zydeco are worth reading and remembering, but those who care about Texas music in particular, and American music in general, can only hope that this promising yet uneven collection will be superceded by future scholarship.