Sonobeat Records: Pioneering the Austin Sound in the '60s
Written by Rickey Stein for his book, "Sonobeat Records: Pioneering the Austin Sound in the '60s." This History Press. 2014.
The music scene in Austin is known the world over, but it can place aconsiderable portion of its roots in a little-known but prolific indie label: SonobeatRecords. A small, independent label founded by father-and-son duoBill Josey Sr. and Bill Josey Jr., Sonobeat set the stage for the CapitalCityâ??s musical legacy. The labelâ??s brief but powerful tenure produced anenormous amount of music and directly preceded the progressive country movementand the proliferation of a music scene that would earn Austin the nickname ofâ??Live Music Capital of the World.â? Musician and author Ricky Stein explores theroots of Austinâ??s contemporary music history through the story of one small butessential label.
Micheal Barnes of the Austin American-Statesman met me for coffee and suggested some contacts, all while Broadening my cultural history of Autin and encouraging me to pursue this project. Thanks to his introduction, I was able to have a similar conversation with East Austin cultural expert HaroldMcMillan. Casey Monahan, Micheal Corcoran, Eddie Wilson, Paul Drummond and Freddie Krc also provided helpful suggestions, clearing new pathways for research and analysis.
