Bugle Boy Foundation

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For the better part of her life, Louisiana native Wendy Colonna has been communing with folks through the gift of live music. She was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, close to the Texas border, and grew up steeped in the swampy, music-rich culture of Cajun Country. Her musical lineage is part memory and part DNA melting pot: Italian, Portuguese, and English via Trinidad, French, and Cajun. After singing and strumming guitar all through her early childhood and teens, Colonna started writing songs in high school and the momentum continued through college, and upon moving to Austin in 2000, she fit right in with the city’s collaborative music community. Rock writer Margaret Moser dubbed her powerful alto “smokey” and “alluring,” and in 2016 she was honored as one of Black Fret’s major grant winners. She’s also landed an original song in a Coca-Cola ad, been commissioned to write and produce a song celebrating her hometown of Lake Charles (“My Southwest Louisiana Home”), and released eight albums since her move to Texas. Her latest endeavor is “The Paradigm Project,” featuring a variety of pairings of Austin musicians in a tiered release of songs, all reflecting her faith in the power of collaboration.

“She can move from a sweet whisper to a full on bayou-soul-shout without skipping a beat.” — Elmore Magazine

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What does it mean when an artist is called “a songwriter’s songwriter”? A lot of times, that over-used expression can ring a bit hollow. But when it comes to San Antonio native Walt Wilkins, it’s just a straight-up fact. He’s had well over a 100 of his songs recorded by other artists, including Pat Green, Ty Herndon, Pam Tillis, Steve Azar, Eric Church, Kellie Pickler, and Kenny Rogers, to name but a few. He’s also recorded prolifically: as a solo artist, as a duo with his wife, Tina Wilkins, and as the charismatic leader of the all-star Mystiqueros, one of Texas’ best-loved troubadour bands. With a voice as comfortable as a pair of old blue jeans and the heart and pen of a poet, Walt is the kind of musician that inspires others to up their game and dig deeper with every line they write and sing. Tina, meanwhile, has released a half dozen albums of her own (in addition to duo projects with her husband and recordings with the Mystiqueros). After stops in Los Angeles and Nashville, where she was an in-demand session and stage singer, she developed a reputation as a writer with a unique eye for everyday life and has blossomed in her latest Texas Hill Country-based chapter. As a performer she radiates charm, humor, grace, beauty, and a love of life — and more than holds her own sharing the stage with her husband. And just in case you were wondering, seeing as how the Wilkins will be playing the Bugle Boy in December, yes, there will most certainly be more than a little Christmas spirit in the air (and on the set list!)

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San Antonio-native Tish Hinojosa is the youngest of 13 children born to Mexican immigrant parents who, as stated in her song “West Side of Town,” “made a good life the hard way.” She started playing guitar and singing at 14, influenced by her parents’ kitchen radio with its eclectic Latino programming, her older sisters’ ’60s records, and the ’70s folk rock she grew up with. By the time she started college she was playing gigs at local coffee houses and student gatherings on campus. In 1979 Hinojosa was invited to sing at the Kerrville Folk Festival, but was also required to present some original songs. Even though she had never written before, she won the New Folk Songwriters contest that year and launched her career as a writer. Since then, she has won widespread acclaim for her unique and insightful blend of folk, country, and Hispanic music. She sings and writes in Spanish and English and has many bilingual songs, including a full album of children’s songs that has often been used by teachers as a tool for teaching the Spanish language. She has recorded both as an independent artist and for major labels, been featured on Austin City Limits and A Prairie Home Companion, performed at the White House, and collaborated with such artists as Joan Baez, Booker T. Jones, Flaco Jimenez, Pete Seeger, and Dwight Yoakam. In 2018, Hinojosa was inducted into the Texas Songwriters Association’s Music Legends Hall of Fame, and the following year became only the second songwriter to ever be honored with membership to the Texas Institute of Letters. Most recently, she teamed up with fellow songwriters Patricia Vonne and Stephanie Urbina Jones to form the Texicana  Mamas, whose debut album was released in 2020.

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Austin’s Carrie Rodriguez is a Berklee-trained virtuoso instrumentalist and bilingual singer-songwriter who finds beauty in the cross-pollination of diverse traditions. A passionate performer, she effortlessly melds fiery fiddle playing, electrifying vocals and a fresh interpretation of new and classic songs with an “Ameri-Chicana” attitude. After a widely acclaimed run as an Americana duo with “Angel of the Morning”/”Wild Thing” songwriting legend Chip Taylor, Carrie embarked on a successful solo career highlighted by such critical triumphs as 2016’s Lola, hailed by NPR Music as “a classic example of storytelling and a definitive statement of identity that stays with you long after that story ends.” She has performed on Austin City Limits, The Tonight Show, A Prairie Home Companion, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, and recently composed the music and lyrics for the musical ¡Americano!, praised by Broadway World as “an inspired act of conscience.” Carrie will accompanied by her longtime partner and musical collaborator Luke Jacobs, a multi-instrumentalist and gifted singer-songwriter in his own right originally from Minnesota.

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Take it from the Bugle Boy’s own Lane Gosnay: “Ruben V is a triple Amenaza! An American Latin-Rock performer with blistering guitar chops, catchy tunes and captivating stage presence. Get to one of his shows soon!” This homegrown Texas guitar hero’s music is a fresh, smooth blend of blues, Latin, soul, and rock. He’s released eight solo albums and 14 group albums, and has been awarded the title  “Best Guitar Player”( four times ) and “Best Songwriter,” “Best Blues Band” in his native San Antonio. Fellow bluesman Van Wilks raves that “Ruben V carries on the proud Texas guitar style of attacking his guitar with style, taste, and fire.” But as Rick Del Castillo of Austin’s Del Castillo also points out, “Most people think of Ruben V as a soul-wrenching blues player, which he is, but they often forget how powerful his voice is as well.”

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Oklahoma native Kelly Willis was still in her late teens when she first moved to Austin, Texas, fronting the celebrated but short-lived rockabilly combo Radio Ranch, and it didn’t take long to turn heads — including that of famed Texas songwriter Nanci Griffith, whose recommendation to producer Tony Brown netted Willis a major label Nashville record deal. Rather than mainstream country stardom, however, her destiny was to find critical acclaim and a diehard fan following as a darling of the alt country/Americana set, beginning with her aptly titled 1999 breakthrough What I Deserve. In the 23 years since she’s released three more outstanding solo albums (2002’s Easy, 2007’s Translated from Love, and 2018’s Back Being Blue), as well as three equally splendid duo records and a Christmas EP with Bruce Robison. She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2009, and also has seven other Austin Music Awards, including three wins for Best Female Vocals and one for Album of the Year (for What I Deserve). “Kelly Willis looks back to country music before Nashville embraced power ballads and cute happily-ever-after songs. She has an old-fashioned country voice with a twang, a breathy quaver, a break or a throaty sob whenever she needs one. … Whether she was wishing for comfort, admitting to a bruised heart, yielding to illicit romance or trying to say goodbye, her voice was modest and true, illuminating the delicate tension and pain in every line.” — The New York Times

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Marcia Ball, the 2018 Texas State Musician Of The Year, has won worldwide fame and countless fans for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she takes the stage. Her rollicking Texas boogies, swampy New Orleans ballads and groove-laden Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music lovers all over the world. With each new release, her reputation as a profoundly soulful singer, a boundlessly talented pianist and a courageous, inventive songwriter continues to grow. Her love of the road has led to years of soul-satisfying performances at festivals, concert halls and clubs. The New York Times says, “Marcia Ball plays two-fisted New Orleans barrelhouse piano and sings in a husky, knowing voice about all the trouble men and women can get into on the way to a good time.” The Houston Chronicle says simply, “She’s as perfect as an artist can be.” But she’s never been one to rest on such laurels. With her new album, Shine Bright, Ball set out to, in her words, “Make the best Marcia Ball record I could make.” In doing so, she has put together the most musically substantial, hopeful and uplifting set of songs of her five-decade career.

“A welcome ray of sunshine…Ball is a killer pianist, a great singer and songwriter. Potent blues, sweet zydeco, soulful, fast and furious Texas boogie…heartfelt, powerful and righteous” – Billboard

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Elizabeth Wills once described her music as being all “about spreading one’s wings, coming into one’s own and expressing from a higher place — letting go of fear and expectations, and just allowing yourself to fly.” We assume she was referring to the themes she favors as a songwriter, but all of the same could just as easily describe the soaring emotional lift conveyed by her angelic voice and melodies alone. A native of Fort Worth, Wills recorded her first album at 19, an auspicious debut leading to a long and acclaimed career on the Texas and national progressive folk scene. In addition to being both a B.W. Stevenson Songwriting Competition winner and a Kerrville New Folk Finalist, she was also the very first recipient of the Bugle Boy Foundation’s Founder’s Choice Talent Trust. We look forward to welcoming Elizabeth back to our listening room every January. Last year, she picked the Bugle Boy as her venue of choice to celebrate the release of her new album, Marigold from the Ashes, and this year she plans to bring her whole trio with her for what promises to be an equally memorable evening!

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“The more guitar you play, the more you sing, the better you get,” says Texas guitar slinger, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Carolyn Wonderland. And since performing her first professional gig at age 15, she’s never stopped singing and making music. A musical force equipped with the soulful vocals of Janis and the guitar slinging skills of Stevie Ray, Wonderland reaches into the depths of the Texas blues tradition with the wit of a poet. Her music includes a bold mix of timeless original songs and reinventions of some of her favorites, ranging from blistering electric blues to deep, heartfelt ballads to cosmic country to soulful Tex-Mex. Over the course of her award-winning career, Wonderland has swapped songs with Townes Van Zandt (while still in her teens!), jammed with Bob Dylan, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Levon Helm, and even toured the world as the lead guitarist in John Mayhall’s Blues Breakers — the first woman to ever hold the position previously occupied by such legends as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor. All that on top of also touring worldwide leading her own band and recording 11 albums, including four produced by Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson and her latest, 2021’s Dave Alvin-produced Tempting Fate. 

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As a renowned solo artist as well as a former member of both Austin’s very first punk band, the Skunks, and the True Believers (with Alejandro Escovedo), Jon Dee Graham is the only musician ever to be inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame three times. He is a guitar player, frontman, and songwriter of uncommon ferocity, disarming honesty, and razor-sharp, serrated wit — a potent combo that invites favorable comparisons to both Neil Young and Tom Waits but that is above all just, well, Jon Dee. But Graham is more than “just” one of the very best songwriters and axemen to ever hail from Texas; he’s also a very fine painter of bears, a raconteur without equal, and a survivor. To wit: November 2023’s Only Dead for a Little While, his first new album in seven years, was actually his second record made in the wake of a very near-death experience. But unlike the horrific auto accident that preceded his 2010 album It’s Not as Bad as It Looks, the post-show heart attack he had in 2018 actually did kill him — but only for a little bit. He calls that five-minute flat-line “the deepest sleep I’ve ever had.” The following week, he was back onstage at Austin’s Continental Club. Two years later, he had a stroke. That blow did admittedly knock him back a step or two, but again — just for a little while. As he put it best himself in a video accompanying the new album’s release, “Even at 64, it turns out I’m pretty hard to kill —but even then I don’t stay dead for long. One thing I know for sure is: That all this life and death stuff has given me a sense of urgency to get as much of my work out there as I can in whatever time I have left.” 

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Before moving to Texas in 2006, Bob “Slim Bawb” Pearce was the leader of  the Sacramento Area Music Hall of Fame band the Beer Dawgs. The Dawgs released 10 albums together and still play reunion shows once a year. After moving to Texas, Slim Bawb spent some time kicking around with Hill Country favorites the Chubby Knuckle Choir. But these days when he hits the stage or records a new batch of original songs, it’s under his own name. His calling card is “swamp” music, played on banjo, resonator guitar, mandolin, pedal steel and anything else he can get his hands on, and he serves up every note and word of it with “Gristle & Guts” to spare. Add his ferociously talented bandmates the Fabulous Stumpgrinders to that mix, and the result is guaranteed gritty, greasy, gnarly and most of all, fun.

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Michael Hearne’s destiny has been tangled in wire and wood since he first laid his hands on a guitar at 7 years old. With a natural ear for harmony and an aptitude for picking, it wasn’t long before he was a fixture at parties and local events in his childhood hometown of Dallas, and by 16 he set out as a touring musician. He toured with Michael Martin Murphey’s band in the early ’80s, and went on to lead his own bands as well as to make his name as a esteemed songwriter, with his songs being covered by the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker Gary P. Nunn and Johnny Rodriguez as well as by his uncle and aunt, Bill and Bonnie Hearne. In addition to his extensive solo catalog, he’s also recorded and toured as a duo act with Shake Russell, and for the last two decades has hosted his own Big Barn Dance Music Festival in his beloved adopted hometown of Taos, New Mexico.

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With a joyful sound that blends the traditional Western swing of the 1940s American southwest with European hot jazz influences of the same era, the award-winning Austin, Texas-based Hot Club of Cowtown may be the world’s most globe-trotting, effervescent string trio. Fifteen albums, a global following, and the relentless passion of its live shows are the band’s enduring trademark, as demonstrated everywhere from Texas dancehalls and the Grand Ol’ Opry to the Lincoln Center in New York City, the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K., and the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. The internationally renowned trio of guitarist Whit Smith, fiddler Elana James, and upright bassist Zach Sapunor — who celebrated Hot Club’s 25th anniversary in 2022 — perform an irresistible mix of band originals and spirited reinterpretations of everything from country hoedowns to American songbook standards. Over the course of their long run, they’ve toured with the varied likes of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Roxy Music, while also proudly representing traditional American music throughout the world for the US State Department from Azerbaijan to the Sultanate of Oman. Hot Club of Cowtown has been named the Ameripolitan Awards’ Western Swing Group of the Year, and the band has also been inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame. Recently signed to UK roots label the Last Music Company, Hot Club of Cowtown continues to amass a devoted following worldwide through its one-of-a-kind versatility and virtuosity.