There’s a reason why there’s a specific designation as “Texas Country”. It’s a different sound, a different style, and has a different swagger than Country music that comes from other states. But not all music in Texas is Country (thankfully). With festivals like South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin and artists like Pantera, Midlake, and others, there’s a lot of musical diversity in the Lone Star State. Here’s our running list of Texas music.

Country

• Max Stalling
• Radney Foster
• Willie Nelson
• Pat Green
• George Strait
• Robert Earl Keen
• Mac Davis
• Ernest Tubb
• Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers

Alternative Country

• Dixie Chicks
• Lyle Lovett

Western Swing

• Bob Wills

Rock

• ZZ Top
• Roy Orbison
• Buddy Holly
• Los Lonely Boys

Indie Rock

• Midlake

Alternative Rock

• Bowling for Soup

Heavy Metal

• Pantera

Texas Referenced In Music

Listening through the airwaves (and vinyl, 8-tracks, cassette tapes and whatever) you’ll hear Texas pop up in all kinds of songs. Here are the ones I know of:

China Grove : The Doobie Brothers
Song titled after the Texas town of China Grove.

Thunderstruck : AC/DC
“Texas” is mentioned the song.

More Music

Texas Monthly list of top 100 Texas Songs