The Big Bopper’s casket is one of the most unusual things you will ever see in a music museum, and it’s not even the coolest thing in the Texas Musicians Museum. The Irving, Texas, depository of pop-culture memorabilia recalls the accomplishments of Texas artists in many genres who have contributed to our national songbook.
Thomas “T.K.” Kreason is the museum guide for a journey through a diverse landscape of contributions by Texas artists. A former director of acquisitions for the Hard Rock Cafe, Kreason has decades of experience collecting rare keepsakes of regional musical history. As Kreason walks visitors through the showcases of guitars, clothes, records, and documents, he has a well-rehearsed story to go with each item. His rolling narrative adds an informative and fun depth to the static displays. There are items from Willie, Waylon, Tanya Tucker, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Pantera, and a constellation of other great names in music.
A fun part of the walk through musical history is discovering the more obscure Texas connections: Sly Stone grew up in Denton as Sylvester Stewart. Dooley Wilson, the piano player in the movie Casablanca, was born in Tyler and began performing in minstrel shows at the age of 12. The exhibit includes a music video playing on a 1958 Philco television by “The Big Bopper.” J.P. Richardson, who died in the plane crash with Buddy Holly, was one of the first musicians to release music videos. Kreason has a great story about how Richardson’s casket came into his possession.
There are hundreds of items on display in the museum that help the visitor connect with past and present Texas musicians. What is the coolest article depends on the visitor’s perspective.
The Texas Musicians Museum is at 222 E. Irving Blvd. in Irving. It’s open Tuesday through Thursday from 10am to 6pm and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm. To find out who is playing on the museum’s outdoor stage on weekends, call 972/259-4444 or go to www.texasmusiciansmuseum.com.
1,284th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 40312, South Austin, TX 78704.
Day Trips: Texas Musicians Museum, Irving
A version of this article appeared in print on Mar 4, 2016 with the headline: Day Trips: Texas Musicians Museum, Irving
This article appears in March 4 • 2016.
