Native American drumming and chant; Czech and German polka; country fiddling; African American spirituals, blues and jazz; cowboy songs; Mexican "corridos"; zydeco; and the sounds of a Cambodian New Year's celebration -- all are part of the amazing cultural patchwork of traditional music in Texas. In "Everyday Music," author and researcher Alan Govenar brings readers face-to-face with the stories and memories of people who are as varied as the traditions they carry on.

From 1983 to 1988, Alan Govenar traveled more than 35,000 miles around Texas, interviewing, recording, and photographing...