Threadgill's

“Pioneering the Family Traditions” with John Lomax III

“So grandfather would lie in bed at night and hear the, uh, cowboys nearby. They would stop off and just spend the night nearby, practically in their yard, and he’d hear ‘em singing songs, which they would do to keep the cattle calmed down. So sooner or later he started sneaking out of the house and hanging out with the cowboys and writing down the words to the songs that he heard. And somehow, without any musical training, without any books, … he figured out a way to remember the melodies of the songs that he heard, that he was writing down all these words for… and his first book came out in 1910.” (John Lomax III)

This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with John Lomax III, continuing the legendary Lomax folklore dynasty. Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Millard explore John’s family heritage—from his grandfather John Avery Lomax’s pioneering cowboy song collections and the famous 1933 recording trip that discovered Lead Belly, to his uncle Alan Lomax’s influence on the British Invasion and the BBC. John shares stories about his father managing Lightning Hopkins, his own career managing Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle, and the vibrant Austin and Houston music scenes of the 1960s-70s. The conversation covers the 13th Floor Elevators, Liberty Hall, the transition from folk to psychedelic rock, and John’s perspectives on Nashville’s country music evolution.

Guest: John Lomax III - Music writer, manager, and producer

Austin Roots - Available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

Billy Gibbons talks about coming up in Texas #texas

“Austin in the 1920s” with Richard Zelade

“We have this idea now of Austin being this liberal, communist bastion, but a hundred years ago we were one of the most conservative cities in Texas.” - Richard Zelade. 

Richard Zelade, author of Austin and the Jazz Age, shares fascinating details about how UT Austin became the epicenter of early jazz culture in Texas, producing influential musicians like Jimmy’s Joys and pioneering figures in country western music including Tex Ritter and John Lomax. The conversation explores the stark contrast between conservative Austin city politics and the liberal university culture, covering topics from wild jazz bands to the Ranger humor magazine, hamburger culture on “the drag,” and legendary figures like gunslinger Ben Thompson. The episode reveals how Austin’s 1920s cultural renaissance - driven by innovations like radio station KUT’s powerful broadcasts and the university’s bohemian spirit following WWI and the Spanish Flu - laid foundations for the city’s later reputation as a music capital.

Guest List: Richard Zelade, Austin historian and Author, Austin Murder & Mayhem, Austin in the Jazz Age, and Guy Town by Gaslight

CW: adult themes, historical references

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Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian
Editor, Renee O’Connor 
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson
Producers, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music
Production assistant, Miles Muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik

In March 2020, when the world shut down, Eddie Wilson compiled an eclectic list of Austin’s artists, authors, movers, and shakers who defined the city’s cultural scene in the sixties, seventies, and eighties. In their words, we thread together what made the city they called home, a world renown destination for music, art, and food. Listen to Eddie (Threadgill’s proprietor and author of Armadillo World Headquarters), historian Jason Mellard, and our esteemed friends connect on a nostalgic journey down memory lane, with stories of food, music, politics, measuring the true character of Austin, Texas.

Host, Eddie Wilson
Armadillo World Headquarters founder

Host, Dr. Jason Mellard
Cultural historian

Producer, Renee O’Connor
Producer, Sandra Wilson
Executive Producer, TSSI

Music by Jake Andrews Music

Music Mixing, Matt Carlson

Austin Roots on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/austin-roots/id1880873432

Austin Roots on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2FJNnTjQgbTwkaGYOuqo9g

Austin Roots in iHeartRadio
https://iheart.com/podcast/324014396