Lawrence Clayton – författare

Herding cattle from horseback has been a tradition in northern Mexico and the American West since the Spanish colonial era. The first mounted herders were the Mexican vaqueros, expert horsemen who developed the skills to work cattle in the brush country and deserts of the Southwestern borderlands. From them, Texas cowboys learned the trade, evolving their own unique culture that spread across the Southwest and Great Plains. The buckaroos of the Great Basin west of the Rockies trace their origin to the vaqueros, with influence along the way from the cowboys, though they, too, have ways and customs distinctly their own.In this book, three long-time students of the American West describe the history, working practices, and folk culture of vaqueros, cowboys, and buckaroos. They draw on historical records, contemporary interviews, and numerous photographs to show what makes each group of mounted herders distinctive in terms of working methods, gear, dress, customs, and speech. They also highlight the many common traits of all three groups.This comparative look at vaqueros, cowboys, and buckaroos brings the mythical image of the American cowboy into focus and detail and honors the regional and national variations. It will be an essential resource for anyone who would know or portray the cowboy-readers, writers, songwriters, and actors among them.

The music of Texas and the American Southwest is as diverse and distinctive as the many different groups who have lived in the region over the past several centuries,” writes Gary Hartman in his introduction to this refreshingly different look at various genres of Texas music. Roots of Texas Music celebrates the diverse sources of the music of the Lone Star State by gathering chapters by specialists on each of them—specialists whose views may not have dominated the perception of Texas music to date.Editor Lawrence Clayton conceived this project as one that would not simply repeat the common wisdom about Texas music traditions, but rather would offer new perspectives. He therefore called on contributors whose work had been well-grounded but not necessarily widely published. The result is a lively, captivating, and original look at the musical traditions of Texas Germans and Czechs, black Creoles and Chicanos, and blues and gospel singers.Hartman’s introduction places these repertoires within the larger picture of one of the most fertile musical seedbeds the nation knows. The diverse genres included in the anthology also provide an introduction to the classes, cultures, races, and ethnic groups of Texas and highlight the ways in which the state’s musical wealth has influenced the listening habits of the nation.

In a state as big as Texas, the various regions differ widely in their histories and identities, which makes the cultivation of regional history essential. This collection of stories recounts the colorful past of the Clear Fork country—the land along the Clear Fork of the Brazos River in present-day Shackelford and Throckmorton counties. The editors focus first on the area's military past—Camp Cooper, Fort Griffin, and the society they spawned. The second focus is on the pioneers—the people who made the Clear Fork country their home and helped to establish its character."The editors have masterfully blended the words of modern writers—folks steeped in the region's history—with those of the persons who made that history. Here, combined for the first time, are classic works by two great historians of an earlier era—Rupert N. Richardson and Carl Coke Rister—along with efforts by several noted local writers. Also included is a report from Capt. R. B. Marcy's 1854 expedition through the then-largely unexplored region as well as interviews with several Clear Fork pioneers."This medley of voices offers a truly unique and personal perspective on the Clear Fork country and its people. It has all the elements of a classic western: soldiers, settlers, Indians, outlaws, buffalo hunters, and cowboys. This is the stuff of which, quite literally, legends were made—not to mention novels, movies, and television shows."—Bob Green, from the Introduction

In a state as big as Texas, the various regions differ widely in their histories and identities, which makes the cultivation of regional history essential. This collection of stories recounts the colorful past of the Clear Fork country—the land along the Clear Fork of the Brazos River in present-day Shackelford and Throckmorton counties. The editors focus first on the area's military past—Camp Cooper, Fort Griffin, and the society they spawned. The second focus is on the pioneers—the people who made the Clear Fork country their home and helped to establish its character."The editors have masterfully blended the words of modern writers—folks steeped in the region's history—with those of the persons who made that history. Here, combined for the first time, are classic works by two great historians of an earlier era—Rupert N. Richardson and Carl Coke Rister—along with efforts by several noted local writers. Also included is a report from Capt. R. B. Marcy's 1854 expedition through the then-largely unexplored region as well as interviews with several Clear Fork pioneers."This medley of voices offers a truly unique and personal perspective on the Clear Fork country and its people. It has all the elements of a classic western: soldiers, settlers, Indians, outlaws, buffalo hunters, and cowboys. This is the stuff of which, quite literally, legends were made—not to mention novels, movies, and television shows."—Bob Green, from the Introduction