Stan Kenton (1911–1979) formed his first full orchestra in 1940 and soon drew record-breaking crowds to hear and dance to his exciting sound. He continued to tour and record unrelentingly for the next four decades. Stan Kenton: This Is an Orchestra! sums up the mesmerizing bandleader at the height of his powers, arms waving energetically, his face a study of concentration as he cajoled, coaxed, strained, and obtained the last ounce of energy from every musician under his control. Michael Sparke’s narrative captures that enthusiasm in words: a lucid account of the evolution of the Kenton Sound, and the first book to offer a critical evaluation of the role that Stan played in its creation. “Michael Sparke’s book, the first general history of the Kenton Orchestra, is the best evaluation yet of Kenton’s 40-year musical development.”—The Wall Street Journal

In the early 1900s, two families in Scurry and Kent counties in West Texas united in a marriage of fourteen-year-old Gladys Johnson to twenty-one-year-old Ed Sims. Billy Johnson, the father, set up Gladys and Ed on a ranch, and the young couple had two daughters. But Gladys was headstrong and willful, and Ed drank too much, and both sought affection outside their marriage. A nasty divorce ensued, and Gladys moved with her girls to her father’s luxurious ranch house, where she soon fell in love with famed Texas Ranger Frank Hamer. When Ed tried to take his daughters for a prearranged Christmas visit in 1916, Gladys and her brother Sid shot him dead on the Snyder square teeming with shoppers. One of the best lawyers in West Texas, Judge Cullen Higgins (son of the old feudist Pink Higgins) managed to win acquittal for both Gladys and Sid. In the tradition of Texas feudists since the 1840s, the Sims family sought revenge. Sims’ son-in-law, Gee McMeans, led an attack in Sweetwater and shot Billy Johnson’s bodyguard, Frank Hamer, twice, while Gladys—by now Mrs. Hamer—fired at another assassin. Hamer shot back, killed McMeans, and was no-billed on the spot by a grand …

Louisiana’s Neutral Strip, an area of pine forests, squats between the Calcasieu and Sabine Rivers on the border of East Texas. Originally a lawless buffer zone between Spain and the United States, its hardy residents formed tight-knit communities for protection and developed a reliance on self, kin, and neighbor. In the early 1900s, the timber boom sliced through the forests and disrupted these dense communities. Mill towns sprang up, and the promise of money lured land speculators, timber workers, unionists, and a host of other characters, such as the outlaw Leather Britches Smith. That moment continues to shape the place’s cultural consciousness, and people today fashion a lore connected to this time. In a fascinating exploration of the region, Keagan LeJeune unveils the legend of Leather Britches, paralleling the stages of the outlaw’s life to the Neutral Strip’s formation. LeJeune retells each stage of Smith’s life: his notorious past, his audacious deeds of robbery and even generosity, his rumored connection to a local union strike—the Grabow War—significant in the annals of labor history, and his eventual death. As the outlaw’s life vividly unfolds, Always for the Underdog also reveals the area’s history and cultural landscape. Often using the particulars of …

In the 1840s an organization of German noblemen, the Mainzner Adelsverein, attempted to settle thousands of German emigrants on the Texas frontier. Nassau Plantation, located near modern-day Round Top, Texas, in northern Fayette County, was a significant part of this story. James C. Kearney has studied a wealth of original source material (much of it in German) to illuminate the history of the plantation and the larger goals and motivation of the Adelsverein. This new study highlights the problematic relationship of German emigrants to slavery. Few today realize that the society’s original colonization plan included ownership and operation of slave plantations. Ironically, the German settlements the society later established became hotbeds of anti-slavery and anti-secessionist sentiment. Several notable personalities graced the plantation, including Carl Prince of Solms-Braunfels, Johann Otto Freiherr von Meusebach, botanist F. Lindheimer, and the renowned naturalist Dr. Ferdinand Roemer. Dramatic events also occurred at the plantation, including a deadly shootout, a successful escape by two slaves (documented in an unprecedented way), and litigation over ownership that wound its way to both the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

This fourth and final volume of the Savage Frontier series completes the history of the Texas Rangers and frontier warfare in the Republic of Texas era. During this period of time, fabled Captain John Coffee Hays and his small band of Rangers were often the only government-authorized frontier fighters employed to keep the peace. Author Stephen L. Moore covers the assembly of Texan forces to repel two Mexican incursions during 1842, the Vasquez and Woll invasions. This volume covers the resulting battle at Salado Creek, the defeat of Dawson’s men, and a skirmish at Hondo Creek near San Antonio. Texas Rangers also played a role in the ill-fated Somervell and Mier expeditions. By 1844, Captain Hays’ Rangers had forever changed the nature of frontier warfare with the use of the Colt five-shooter repeating pistol. This new weapon allowed his men to remain on horseback and keep up a continuous and deadly fire in the face of overwhelming odds, especially at Walker’s Creek. Through extensive use of primary military documents and first-person accounts, Moore sets the record straight on some of Jack Hays’ lesser-known Comanche encounters. “Moore’s fourth and final volume of the Savage Frontier series contains many compelling battle narratives, …

Interview with Weatherford resident Joe Tison, school administrator and mayor, as part of the Weatherford Oral History Project. The interview includes Tison's personal experiences of childhood, education in Weatherford public schools, Weatherford College, and North Texas State College, as well as his career as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in Aledo and Weatherford ISDs. Tison also discusses the racial integration of Weatherford schools, his career as interim superintendent at various North Texas ISDs, and his experience as mayor. The interview includes an appendix with photographs and articles about Tison.

Interview with Louise Young and Vivienne Armstrong, longtime activists in the Dallas lesbian community. The interview includes Armstrong's personal experiences of childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, New Jersey, and California, as well as her decision to study nursing and settle in Denver, Colorado, and her coming out narrative. The interview also includes Young's personal experiences of childhood in Ada, Oklahoma, her education at East Central State University and the University of Colorado, and her coming out narrative. They talk about their meeting and early relationship, give descriptions of Denver's gay and lesbian communities, their involvement with various groups such as the Daughters of Bilitis and Gay Liberation Front, their decision to move to Dallas, their involvement with groups such as the National Organization for Women and Dallas Gay Political Caucus/Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance in various political campaigns, and Young's career at Texas Instruments and Raytheon and efforts to create more equitable human resources policies from within the corporations. Additionally, Armstrong and Young talk about the effects of the HIV-AIDS crisis on Dallas's gay and lesbian communities, their 2008 marriage, relationships with family members, and secrets to a long relationship.

Interview with Billie Joyce Towles, longtime resident of Weatherford, Texas, as part of the Weatherford Oral History Project. The interview includes Towles' personal experiences of childhood and education in Weatherford, Depression-era struggles, and living in Weatherford during World War II. Towles also discusses her father's work with the Works Progress Administration, marriage to Norman Towles, her family's switch from Democratic loyalty to Republican, her personal evolution on race issues, and religious devotion.

Interview with John Connolly, veteran of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The interview includes Connolly's personal experiences of childhood in Whitney and Amarillo, Texas, Civilian Conservation Corps camps in Cleburne and Hillsboro, Texas, and Grand Junction, Colorado, as well as his World War II-era experience in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Additionally, Connolly discusses his family's difficulties in the Great Depression, his decision to enroll in the Civilian Conservation Corps, his work as a tool and dye manufacturer, and Republican Party politics in Dallas County.

Interview with Bob Glenn, longtime resident of Weatherford, Texas, as part of the Weatherford Oral History Project. The interview includes Glenn's personal experiences of childhood and education in Weatherford, his 1961 enlistment in the U.S. Army, service at various stateside bases, and his career in the banking industry. Glenn also discusses changes in the Weatherford economy.

Interview with Roy J. Grogan, longtime Weatherford resident and elected official, as part of the Weatherford Oral History Project. The interview includes Grogan's personal experiences of childhood and education in Weatherford, Depression-era struggles, enlisting in the U.S. Navy, and World War II. Additionally, Grogan talks about his studies at Weatherford College, Duke University, and Duke Law, his legal career with the FBI and as a land developer, his political career on the Weatherford City Council and Weatherford College Board of Regents, the integration of Weatherford schools, and his involvement in state party politics. The interview includes an appendix with Grogan's resume.

Interview with Raymond Curtis, longtime resident and school administrator of Weatherford, Texas, as part of the Weatherford Oral History Project. The interview includes Curtis' personal experiences of farm life in the Great Depression, childhood in Collin County, Texas, and education at the University of North Texas under the GI Bill. Additionally, Curtis discusses his family history, his career as a teacher, administrator, and coach in various public school districts, the integration of Weatherford schools, the school-building program, and his career as CEO of the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce.

Concert presented at the UNT College of Music Winspear Performance Hall.

Wind symphony concert presented at the UNT College of Music Winspear Performance Hall.

Symphonic band concert presented at the UNT College of Music Winspear Performance Hall.

Jazz recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall.

Trombone choir concert presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

Recording of the first Friday evening performance of the opera "Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride)" at the UNT College of Music Lyric Theater.

Recording of the first Sunday afternoon performance of the opera "Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride)" at the UNT College of Music Lyric Theater.

Choral concert presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

Recording of the second Friday evening performance of the opera "Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride)" at the UNT College of Music Lyric Theater.

Choir concert presented at the UNT College of Music Winspear Performance Hall.

Composition recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

Recording of the second Sunday afternoon performance of the opera "Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride)" at the UNT College of Music Lyric Theater.