Joe Nick Patoski
Senior writer Joe Nick Patoski has been writing about Texas and Texans for more than 50 years. The author of books about Willie Nelson, Selena, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Dallas Cowboys, and Austin, Patoski hosts the weekly Texas Music Hour of Power on Marfa Public Radio and Wimberley Valley Radio. He lives near the Hill Country community of Wimberley.
A Look Back at How Gilley’s Gave Us ‘Urban Cowboy’
November 20, 2020
The shout-out the 1980 film Urban Cowboy received earlier this month at the Country Music Association Awards show got me thinking about its stars, John Travolta and Debra Winger, and the funky old place that roused an era of garishly feathered hat bands, belt buckles the size of hubcaps, jewelry-studded designer jeans, and $1,000 boots: Gilley’s Nightclub in Pasadena.
A Hands-On Challenge: Nurturing Texas’ Beloved Folklife in a Virtual Environment
November 17, 2020
When folks are locked down, can there still be folklife?
That’s the existential question that Texas Folklife has been asking.
As Texas Clubs and Musicians Struggle to Host Live Shows, One Sure Bet Is Grateful Fans
November 9, 2020
When Kevin Russell declared “my business model has been ruined” by Covid-19 on social media a couple months ago, the front man for the Austin band Shinyribs could have been speaking on behalf of almost everyone involved in live music in Texas.
Space City Weather on 2020 Hurricane Season and Becoming Houston’s Go-To Weather Source
July 16, 2020
Hurricane season on the Texas Gulf Coast is upon us, and Space City Weather is watching.
