Though not a household name for the general public, Kent Finlay (1938-2015) was one of the world's best-known and best-loved promoters, mentors, and gurus of Texas music. This volume pays tribute both to Finlay and to his unselfish love for Texas music and musicians.

The evening of May 10, 1970, found a young Watt M. Casey Jr. standing awestruck, only a few feet from Jimi Hendrix as the legendary guitarist tore into his unique arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the stage of San Antonio's Hemisfair Arena during the Texas leg of his Cry of Love Tour. Bemoaning the fact that he had no camera to document the amazing experience or the visionary musicians creating it, Watt promised himself that he would make up for his oversight in the weeks and years to come. Little did he realize at the time that Hendrix had less than five months to live.

Casey...

Influenced at a young age by classic country, Tejano, western swing, and the popular music of wartime America, blues musician Delbert McClinton grew up with a backstage pass to some of the most significant moments in American cultural and music history. From his birth on the high plains of West Texas during World War II to headlining sold-out cruises on chartered luxury ships well into his seventies, McClinton admits he has been "One of the Fortunate Few."

This book chronicles McClinton's path through a free-range childhood in Lubbock and Fort Worth; an early career in the desegregated...