Come And Take It

He was the founder and leader of the Flying Tigers, a band of mercenary pilots who defended China against the Japanese onslaught during World War II and inspired the imagination of the American public. This week we talk about the life of Texan aviation legend Claire Chennault.

They started out as a nondescript glam band, then became one of the top heavy metal bands of all time. Drug abuse eventually led to the end of the band, and even greater tragedy struck the members afterwards. Today, we’re talking about the original Cowboys From Hell.

In 1924, George Saunders, the president of the Cattle Drivers Association, published a two-volume book compiling first hand stories from experienced trail drivers and their life on the plains. This is our third installment reading selections from this fascinating historical document.

If road trips in Texas in the spring are known for anything, it’s the vast swaths of glorious color that line the shoulders and medians, from bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes to sunflowers and foxglove. This week we look at the fascinating stories behind Texas Wildflowers.

In 1966, the University of Texas in Austin was the site of America's first mass school shooting. Today we're talking about the 2016 documentary Tower, in which filmmaker Keith Maitland uses a unique blend of animation, historical footage, and interviews with victims, witnesses, and participants to tell the engrossing story of what happened on that fateful day from the perspective of the people that were there.

Houston has a long history of producing amazing soul, blues, jazz, and funk music. Previously we looked at the history of the legendary Peacock Records, but this week we look at a few more Houston soul and funk legends, Archie Bell, Billy Preston, and the Kashmere Stage Band.

On November 25th, 1963, in a humble grave dug for William Bobo in Ft. Worth, Texas, one of the nation’s most notorious assassins was laid to rest. Today, we’re discussing the lonely grave of Lee Harvey Oswald.

It takes a big man to fill the shoes of a Texas hero, even if it’s only make believe. And it takes a big love of art, film, and people to live the life of Texas’ own astronaut big brother space marine.

The grand movie houses of Texas come in many shapes and sizes. Some started as vaudeville palaces like the Hoblitzelle Majestics, but some have always been movie houses from their very first day. Regardless of their origin, all the theatres we’re looking at today have made their mark on Texas history (and our hearts).

Edward Blackshear and Hightower Kealing were two of Texas’ first African American collegiate administrators. They played key roles in the founding of the first of Texas’ Historically Black Colleges and Universities. They pioneered the way for educators across the state and left a lasting impression on Texas.

In the 1960s, Houston was home of the largest and most successful African-American-owned record label in the country. It established Houston as one of the great homes for American soul music.

There have been many great women in Texas history. Some were pioneers who scraped out an existence at the edge of the prairie like Jane Long. Others were reached the top of the male-dominated political world, like Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, or Kay Bailey Hutchins. Today we’re going to take a look at the life of Bessie Coleman, a native of small town Texas who became the first African-American woman pilot in American history. (This was originally recorded for a history podcast collage.)

He was an Eastern doctor who sought to restore his fortune in Texas, rising to become a respected statesman, and the last President of the Republic of Texas.

The early twentieth century was the era of vaudeville. Unique live acts took their performances all over the world performing in all varieties of theatres, but the best were grand palaces filled with lavish decoration and tributes to classical architectural styles. Many of these theaters survived vaudeville and found new life and elegant movie palaces. Texas, of course, had its share, including the Majestics, a string of venues operated by Karl Hoblitzelle and his Interstate Amusement Company.

In our last Texas Rock? episode, we talked about several artists and musicians who had huge hits or were seminal, groundbreaking performers, but who don’t really stand out as being associated with Texas. This week we’re going back to that well to look at some more artists we missed in our previous discussion. Remember that these performers are from Texas, but you don’t really think of them being from, or even maybe don’t even know that they are from, the Lone Star State.

This week we look at the unlikely return to power of Texas first political dynasty and the remarkable story of how Texas got its first woman governor.

They were Texas’ first political dynasty. The country lawyer who became governor before being impeached and banned for life from politics, and his wife who he pushed into politics and became the first woman elected governor of any State.

We’ve talked in previous episodes about the now lost port of Indianola, once the second busiest port in all of Texas. It was near this port, on Matagorda Bay where the first lighthouse in Texas was built. Today we discuss this magnificent cast-iron historical icon of the Texas Gulf Coast.

In 1924, George Saunders, the president of the Cattle Drivers Association, published a two-volume book compiling first hand stories from experienced trail drivers and their life on the plains. For those familiar with the podcast, the names and places referenced may sound quite familiar. So in a different kind of episode, we’re presenting more tales of Texas Trail Drivers in their own words.

He was a fiery and passionate supporter of the rights of the states and the institution of slavery. He was also violent, bigoted, a drunkard, and a US Senator from Texas on the eve of the Civil War. This week we look at the life of a Texas fire-eater.