7. LEAD BELLY

Though born in Louisiana in 1888, this blues-folk pioneer spent a lot of time performing on the streets of Dallas’ Deep Ellum in the early days of the 20th century, when it was a vibrant African-American neighborhood and a birthplace for so much American blues. It was in Dallas where Lead Belly teamed with Blind Lemon Jefferson, forming a duo that put a unique stamp on the history of American music. Lead Belly didn’t spend all of his time in Texas in the northern part of the state, though. He had several run-ins with the law and for a time was imprisoned at the infamous Imperial State Prison Farm in Sugar Land. Lead Belly wrote or popularized songs that became folk and rock standards, “Midnight Special,” “Black Betty,” and “Rock Island Line” among them. Most Texas musical moment: Sometimes he would give “Midnight Special” a special Texas touch with such lyrics as “If you’re ever down in Houston/ Boy, you better walk right/ And you better not squabble/ And you better not fight/ Bason and Brock will arrest you/ Payton and Boone will take you down/ You can bet your bottom dollar/ That you’re Sugar Land bound.”