michael corcoran

For 60 Years, Fred’s Corner Grille Has Kept the Burgers and Ice Cream Flowing in Vernon

May 10, 2021 | By Michael Corcoran

In the early 1960s, Fred and Loys Ray, a young couple in Frederick, Oklahoma, had a dream to quit their jobs and open a restaurant or ice cream shop.

Prospecting for Musical Ghosts Along Lost Highways and Byways

December 27, 2019 | By Michael Corcoran

Musician Ryan Bingham’s Link to Railroad Blues, Under the ‘Big Country Sky’ in Alpine

December 5, 2019 | By Michael Corcoran

A theme of several of singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham’s songs is that you can’t truly escape your past.

Roky Erickson, the Texas Psychedelic Rock Pioneer who Made a Remarkable Comeback, has Died

June 3, 2019 | By Michael Corcoran

Psychedelic rock legend Roky Erickson, former lead singer of the 13th Floor Elevators, has passed away at age 71. He didn’t play a single concert from 1986 until 2005, but in the last 14 years, Erickson toured the world, rocking as hard and singing as introspectively as ever before. 

State of Music

November 14, 2016 | By Michael Corcoran

No state is more musical than Texas, whose very geography seems to hum. Even the city names remind you of songs.

With a Butter Knife and a Ball-Peen Hammer

July 18, 2016 | By Michael Corcoran

The neighborhood kids called Felix Harris “the Voodoo Man” because his front yard was full of eerie poles he brought to life using broken and discarded objects.