Next time on Texas Radio Live!
Jo James & Curtis Lee: Texas Radio Live
October 15 @ 7:00 pm
JO JAMES – BIO
JO JAMES is a soulful Americana artist blending blues, grit, and heart. His music reflects a journey through struggle, faith, and redemption, raw, honest, and full of soul. On stage, JO JAMES brings connection and truth, leaving every crowd a little lighter and more hopeful.
Curtis Lee
Curtis Lee was born in Peoria, Illinois where he grew up listening and singing to his parents’ 8-track tapes and 45-records. Among the artists in the family record collection were Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and The Jackson 5. Curtis’s love of music can also be attributed to his mother, since she grew up singing in choirs. Curtis would hear her powerful soprano voice echo throughout the house, and he enjoyed listening.
While Curtis had a love for music, it was only a hobby in his youth. It wasn’t until he learned from his family and voice teachers in grade school that he could actually have a successful music career. At that time, he dropped his dream of becoming a professional football player and began to listen to different genres and artists. To hone in on his craft, he decided to attend Texas State University to study classical and jazz voice.
Currently, Curtis Lee lives in the live music capital of the world – Austin, Texas. He started his professional career as a working musician on 4th, 5th, and 6th street. In this downtown district, he performed at some of the most popular clubs and venues with a 60s and 70s funk-soul cover band called The Bumps.
Over the course of his stay in Austin, Curtis has performed with The Atlantics, London Calling, The M.A.S.K, In The Pink, Dahebegebees, 80H Project, as well as his own group, Curtis Lee Band.
His debut album, Catalogue, was released in the fall of 2015 – a collaboration of the many artists with whom he performs and records. While his focus remained soulful, the myriad of musical flavors found throughout Austin gave Curtis the opportunity to “catalogue” his versatility as well as feature his friends and colleagues. He is now working on his second studio album, where he would like to take his singing career to the next level. He aims to become an original soul artist in the music business and create a nice sound for all ears to hear.
– curtislee.club
Related Events
Texas Radio Live at Half Step Bar is a weekly fundraiser every Wednesday night that supports the Sun Radio Foundation. This live radio show is broadcast across Central Texas on the Sun Radio Network and streamed worldwide at SunRadio.com.
Each week, Sun Radio hosts the latest and greatest singers, songwriters and musicians that call Texas home, while also paying tribute to myriad Texas musicians who have gone before us.
Texas Radio Live is the longest running live music radio program on Austin radio!
Part of Sun Radio’s mission is to support local musicians
Texas Radio Live is a continuation of Larry Monroe’s program, Texas Radio. When Monroe moved to Austin in 1977, his goal was to put Austin music on the radio in the form of records, live performances, and interviews. Soon after he joined KUT in 1981, he started a program called Texas Music, which was soon called Texas Radio. Texas Radio primarily spotlighted the recordings of Texas musicians, but occasionally featured a live guest or broadcast interviews taped by others. Monroe joined Sun Radio in 2011 and brought his programs, Blue Monday and Phil Music, with him, and also desired to bring back his Texas Radio program. Sun Radio founder, Daryl O’Neal responded to this by suggesting they create a live version of it. O’Neal then pitched the idea to Rob Lippincott, owner of Guero’s Taco Bar, who was thrilled at the idea of having Larry Monroe doing a program from Guero’s. Monroe then solicited the help of David Arnsberger… and Texas Radio Live was re-born! Texas Radio Live continues today after Monroe’s untimely death in January 2014 now from its new home at Half Step on Rainey Street.
The Sun Radio Recharge program has enabled Sun Radio to provide financial relief to local musicians through deferring the costs of electricity bills and paying artists to perform.