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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.

Visit his website at joenickp.com.

Latest

Bobbie Nelson, wearing a sequined black hat, plays the piano in front of a band

Bobbie Nelson, Pianist and Big Sister to Willie Nelson, Dies at 91

By Joe Nick Patoski
March 11, 2022

Spring Road Trips : From Kolaches to the Comanche to the Kings Highway

By Joe Nick Patoski
March 8, 2022
A close-up image of yellow and black wildflowers

Wildflowers

How to Find Wildflowers Year-Round Across the State

By Joe Nick Patoski
February 24, 2022

More

Made in Louisiana and Revered in Texas, Cajun Music Legend Marc Savoy Has a Boundless Influence

By Joe Nick Patoski
December 15, 2021

Fossati’s Delicatessen in Victoria Is the Oldest Deli in Texas

By Joe Nick Patoski
November 24, 2021

It’s Closing Time for Longtime Austin Institution Dry Creek Cafe and Boat Dock

By Joe Nick Patoski
October 27, 2021
A group of men in a shadowy picture pose in blue jeans with their arms at their sides

The Lost Gonzo Band Talks Jerry Jeff Walker, Austin Music in the ’70s, and Reuniting at Gruene Hall

By Joe Nick Patoski
October 15, 2021
Old Settler's

After a Lost Year and a Postponement, Old Settler’s Music Festival Returns near Lockhart

By Joe Nick Patoski
October 12, 2021
Barbara Lynn

The Eastside Kings Festival Celebrates the Blues Music that Shaped Austin’s Scene

By Joe Nick Patoski
August 30, 2021
McDonald Observatory

McDonald Observatory and Big Bend Communities are Forming the World’s Largest Dark-Sky Preserve

By Joe Nick Patoski
August 4, 2021

Remembering Bassist Dusty Hill, the Foundation of ZZ Top’s Enduring Texas Groove

By Joe Nick Patoski
July 29, 2021

Take a Dip at Soon-to-Reopen Balmorhea Pool in West Texas

By Joe Nick Patoski
June 24, 2021
An overhead view of the wide blue Blanco river with boats in the middle and trees on the side

Behold the Bounty of the Blanco

By Joe Nick Patoski
June 24, 2021
An illustration of a man smiling and playing an accordion

Music

San Antonio Accordion Master Flaco Jiménez Lets His Accordion Do the Talking

By Joe Nick Patoski
April 29, 2021

A New Book Shines a Light on the Many Faces of Dallas-Fort Worth Musical History

By Joe Nick Patoski
April 27, 2021

Explore the Texas Panhandle with These Four Spring Daytrips

By Joe Nick Patoski
April 15, 2021
A stretch of highway runs up the middle of the image, with the Davis Mountains in the distance. Photo by Will van Overbeek

Spring Into Action with Day Drives to the Davis Mountains, Rio Grande Valley, and Edwards Plateau

By Joe Nick Patoski
April 2, 2021
View from the Rainbow Bridge crossing the Neches River. Photo by Kevin Stillman.

Spring Day Trips Around Austin, Houston and East Texas That Will Make You Want to Hit the Road

By Joe Nick Patoski
March 19, 2021
A collage featuring concert posters, black and white photographs, flyers, and other art adorns the wall in the tribute to Terry Allen at Sundance Records. Photo courtesy of Tomas Escalante.

San Marcos’ Famed Sundance Records Pops Up This Week Before Reopening Permanent Store

By Joe Nick Patoski
March 8, 2021
Herbalist Tony Ramirez uses herbal and natural medicine to combat injury and illness.

A Traditional Healer Searches the Texas Brush Country for Medicinal Plants

By Joe Nick Patoski
February 25, 2021
In 'Organisms' by Powell St. John, a group of different kinds of birds are reflected back at each other, like a mirror. Photo courtesy of the Webb Gallery.

Take a Trip with Musician Powell St. John’s Art at Waxahachie’s Webb Gallery

By Joe Nick Patoski
February 23, 2021
Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge of Southeast Texas: Making Drivers Think Twice Since 1936

By Joe Nick Patoski
January 16, 2021

Hey Baby, Que Taco! Flaco Jimenez’s Son Opens a Food Truck in San Antonio

By Joe Nick Patoski
January 12, 2021
The shore of Surfside Beach offers calm waters and a wide-open beach is in the Brazosport area. Photo by Kevin Stillman.

6 Texas Daytrips to Drive Away the Winter Blues

By Joe Nick Patoski
December 30, 2020

Cajun Culture Flourishes in Texas’ Golden Triangle

By Joe Nick Patoski
December 24, 2020
Musicians Johnny Lee (left) and Mickey Gilley stand under the sign outside the famous Pasadena honky-tonk Gilley's. Photo courtesy Third Coast Talent.

A Look Back at How Gilley’s Gave Us ‘Urban Cowboy’

By Joe Nick Patoski
November 20, 2020

Music

60 Years Ago San Antonio Teenagers Invented the Westside Sound

By Joe Nick Patoski
November 20, 2020
Zydeco musician C.J. Chenier performs at the Accordion Kings & Queens Concert at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre.

A Hands-On Challenge: Nurturing Texas’ Beloved Folklife in a Virtual Environment

By Joe Nick Patoski
November 17, 2020
Green Apple Art Center

As Texas Clubs and Musicians Struggle to Host Live Shows, One Sure Bet Is Grateful Fans

By Joe Nick Patoski
November 9, 2020
The new Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial by sculptor Casto Solano.

On the 30th Anniversary of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Death, a Dallas Memorial Nears Completion

By Joe Nick Patoski
August 27, 2020
A group of people standing at a rodeo in unique cowboy boots

‘Daddy-O’s Book of Big-Ass Art’ Explores the Artist’s Larger Than Life Artworks

By Joe Nick Patoski
August 27, 2020

Ray Benson Reflects on 50 Years of Seminal Western Swing Band Asleep at the Wheel

By Joe Nick Patoski
August 21, 2020
black and white, historic, 1952, 7-eleven, fort worth

Texas-Based 7-Eleven Mastered the Art of Curbside Service a Century Ago

By Joe Nick Patoski
August 10, 2020
Two buildings on High Street in Comfort, Texas

How 10 Small Towns In Texas Have Adapted and Flourished

By Clayton Maxwell and Joe Nick Patoski
July 30, 2020
Volunteer Dick "Coach" Smith sits at a sound board in front of a microphone

How Two Small-Town Radio Stations Are Serving Their Rural Communities During COVID-19

By Joe Nick Patoski
July 17, 2020
Clouds form above palm trees, parked cars and a bike rider along Seawall Boulevard on Galveston Island.

Space City Weather on 2020 Hurricane Season and Becoming Houston’s Go-To Weather Source

By Joe Nick Patoski
July 16, 2020

Emily Gimble, 2020’s Texas State Musician, Grew Up On Western Swing

By Joe Nick Patoski
July 13, 2020
Audry Griffin dives into the Nueces River

Shhh … This Just Might Be the Prettiest Body of Water in Texas

By Joe Nick Patoski
June 25, 2020

Kendall County Proves Parts of the Hill Country Are Still Wild

By Joe Nick Patoski
March 26, 2020

Four musicians sound off on the creative inspiration of the Lone Star State

By Joe Nick Patoski
March 17, 2020

History

A Texas Panhandle Museum Explores the Wire that Tamed the American West

By Joe Nick Patoski
February 27, 2020

An Exhibition in San Antonio Captures Selena Before and After Fame

By Joe Nick Patoski
February 27, 2020

Wildflowers

Everything You Need to Know About Texas’ Native Wildflowers

By Joe Nick Patoski
February 27, 2020

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