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 Austin music hall that opened in summer 1970. The distinctive illustrations of the armor-shelled mammal that adorned Armadillo World Headquarters are the creation of legendary Austin artist Jim Franklin.
The beginning of the Austin music scene
(Re)discover the roots of Austin music
There at the beginning...
Back in the '60s and '70s, Austin music scene was beginning to sizzle with its unique brand of psychedelic rock, progressive country, and jazz fusion, fueled by 35,000 University of Texas students, a booming Austin club scene, and the center of Texas government. Sonobeat Records was there to document that epic era, which has only gotten bigger and better. Here are the roots of Austin music.
The David Flack Quorum
San Antonio, Texas, native David Flack's cutting-edge jazz-rock-classical fusion trio, formed while David is a student at The University of Texas, records an album with Sonobeat in sessions spanning 1970 to 1973, but the album, Mindbender, isn't released until 1976. Here's the story of the long and winding road to the eventual release of The David Flack Quorum's wildly imaginative album.
Zip through Sonobeat's history
Sonobeat Records documented the Austin music scene from the mid-'60s to the mid-'70s, releasing dozens of phonograph records by Austin, Central Texas, and world artists. Sonobeat Milestones is a fun and easy-to-navigate timeline through Sonobeat's history – date-by-date and event-by-event – with quick links to stories of artists Sonobeat recorded. It's like a zipline through Austin music history!
