d The armadillo has been associated with the Austin music scene since the late 1960s but came to full prominence as the namesake and mascot of Armadillo World Headquarters, the iconic music hall that opened in 1970. The distinctive illustrations of the armor-shelled mammal that adorned Armadillo World Headquarters are the creation of legendary Austin artist and AWH co-founder Jim Franklin.
The beginning of the Austin music scene
(Re)discover the roots of Austin music
Austin. Yep. This is the right place...
Where else but Austin can you find Austin City Limits, SXSW, and an Afro-jazz-to-Zydeco musical night life. Back in the late '60s, Austin music is already red hot with it's unique brand of psychedelic rock, cosmic cowboy, and jazz, all fueled by over 35,000 University of Texas students, a thriving high school garage rock culture, and the center of Texas government. The Austin sound starts here.
50 years ago in Austin music
Sonobeat Recording Company is born in Austin, Texas, in mid-1967, but today, in 2019, we're looking back 50 years to 1969, when Sonobeat isn't even two years old and already has a major national release – Johnny Winter's The Progressive Blues Experiment – under it's belt. Take a quick trip back back in time to check out the Austin and Central Texas artists Sonobeat recorded in '69.
Find ’em in a flash!
We've partnered with Site Search 360 to bring you a quick and easy way to search Sonobeat. Looking for a particular band, musician, singer, songwriter, or song? You'll find a search box at the bottom of each page. Enter your search criteria and press Enter or Return to get a graphic list of the pages where your search term appears. Just another way to help you find what you're looking for here at Sonobeat.
Happenin's around Sonobeat
We celebrate our 15th birthday
November marks SonobeatRecords.com's 15th anniversary! Since 2004, we've been celebrating the '60s and '70s rock, jazz, pop, funk, country, and folk artists Sonobeat recorded in Austin during a seminal era that birthed psychedelic rock and progressive country. Today you know the descendents of that wild music scene. Stick around for surprises throughout the coming year as we celebrate our 15th birthday.
You better Watch Out!
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lavender Hill Express' Watch Out!, in 2018 we remaster and reissue a dazzling digital edition. Watch Out is classic southern rock by one of Austin's premiere '60s bands. Originally issued as a vinyl 45 RPM single in June 1968, this is Lavender Hill Express' second Sonobeat release. Our remaster restores its super sonics. Get it on digital download and streaming services worldwide.
Things Our Children Learn In School
America's got a school shootings crisis that threatens our kids' lives every day. Our friends at Austin Music History want to talk about it, so they've created an urgent song and video, Things Our Children Learn In School, sung by former Sonobeat artist Layton DePenning, to inspire change. We can stop the violence against our children, but there's just one way to do it: stop talking and start acting. Now.
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