The Stars at Night Are Big and Bright at Lubbock Lights

“You can’t be involved in the Texas music scene and not be influenced by the music from the South Plains,” Terri Hendrix said.

Hendrix, a singer-songwriter from San Marcos, Texas, said musicians like former Lubbockites Terry Allen and Joe Ely have inspired her particular sound. On April 9, she had the opportunity to play with a few other famous West Texans.

The first Lubbock Lights: Celebrating the Musical Heritage of the South Plains was held on April 9 at the Allen Theatre.

The first Lubbock Lights: Celebrating the Musical Heritage of the South Plains was held on April 9 at the Allen Theatre.

Singer-songwriter Butch Hancock, Texas country musician Wade Bowen, music producer Lloyd Maines, and Hendrix celebrated the history of creativity on the South Plains by collaborating for the Lubbock Lights inaugural event at the Allen Theatre.

Suzanne Taylor, director of external relations for the Office of the President at Texas Tech University, said her office began planning the event at the beginning of last semester.

“President Nellis kind of originally cast the vision for the event because he had a music festival at the University of Idaho, because they have a lot of jazz music in that area,” Taylor said, “And so when he came here, he was like, ‘Oh my word, Lubbock and West Texas have their own musical culture and so many musical legends have come out of this area.'”

Butch Hancock, a Lubbock native who attended Texas Tech, said the group had been in Lubbock since Wednesday. He said they toured the campus, and learned more about the facilities that are helping the next generation of creators grow.

“Everywhere we’ve been, for me, is like going back and seeing a place I haven’t seen in a while,” Hancock said. “It was pretty fascinating to get a good face full of Texas Tech again.”

Hancock, Maines, and Bowen all began their careers in Lubbock. Bowen, a 2001 Texas Tech public relations graduate, said his time in the Hub City prepared him for a successful career.

“When I actually got out here and started a band, kind of started touring around and begging bars to let me play, I realized how important the music scene actually is out here,” Bowen said. “Which, I think it’s good that we’re doing this, and hopefully it will get some more recognition, because I don’t think enough people know about West Texas, and its music heritage, and it’s really important that we get that out.”

Maines, a member of The Maines Brothers and the father of Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, said Lubbock has always had an interesting music scene. During the show, he said he was a part of the second generation of musicians in his family, with the fourth generation now beginning to make their own music.

After the concert, Terri Hendrix, Butch Hancock, and Wade Bowen signed autographs and talked to fans.

After the concert, Terri Hendrix, Butch Hancock, and Wade Bowen signed autographs and talked to fans.

Maines said when he was growing up in Lubbock, playing music was just something to do.

“You either played music or you played sports, and I was lucky enough to do both,” Maines said. “But, you know, there’s no mountains, there’s no seashore, very little water as far as lakes. So you truly had to make your own entertainment, your own fun. So a lot of people did it with music.”

Hancock said West Texas has a rich arts history. He said he was not sure what inspired so many West Texas musicians, but he is glad it happened.

“We’ve blamed it on the DDT trucks, and the UFO, and the wind and all kinds of things,” Hancock said. “It’s just something about the people and the land, and that’s kind of the project they’re doing right now.”

Suzanne Taylor said Texas Tech University President Nellis would like to turn the Lubbock Lights event into a Texas Tech tradition.

About Sarah Self-Walbrick

Graduate Executive Director — Mass Communication Graduate Student, Class of 2017
Sarah, a Lubbock native, has two bachelor of art degrees in electronic media and communication and journalism, and is pursuing a master's in mass communications. She loves Texas, her husband and dog, and good storytelling.