The Songwriters: Sung and unsung heroes of The Wittliff

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Entrance to The Songwriters

We all love Willie, Waylon and the boys.

But Willie Nelson would be the first to say that there is so much more to Texas music. The Songwriters aims to widen our collective points of musical reference to recognize and celebrate the richness and diversity of the songwriters who have defined the sound of the Lone Star State from the beginning and continue to do so.

It’s a place where Lydia Mendoza, Cindy Walker, Barbara Lynn, Marcia Ball and Terri Hendrix are considered in the same breath as Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gary P. Nunn and Jerry Jeff Walker. Where music conversations begin with Lightin’ Hopkins, Santiago Jimenez and Leon Payne, or perhaps Celia Mireles, Roosevelt Williams and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the songwriter – not only the guitar god.

The Songwriters presents, for the first time, many artifacts acquired since the advent of the pandemic and highlights the preservation efforts and research opportunities at The Wittliff Collections.