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Houston In The 1960s


jb4647

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Wondering if the picture at the bottom could have been taken from Rice Stadium? Looks like spectators in coats.

i think this is from the east bleachers at robertson/jeppesen stadium at uh

the angle is wrong for rice stadium..at rice you would be looking straight up shepherd/greenbriar and couldnt see downtown

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Some more that my Dad took with his Argus C3 camera:

Thanks for specifying the camera! I love those old rangefinders.

If anyone saw "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", it's the same camera that Gwyneth Paltrow used.

argusc3.jpg

It's affectionately known as "The Brick", due to its shape (and weight).

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Or the old Buff Stadium whree Fingers is now located.

maybe....but I have been in Robertson a lot and it seems pretty close to what the view is now. I am not that familiar with how the bleachers at Buff stadium were arranged...but the concrete edge of the stands sure does remind me of Robertson.

just imagining the buildings and where 45/calhoun is in relation. I have a hard time seeing it as Buff stadium.

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Thanks for specifying the camera! I love those old rangefinders.

If anyone saw "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", it's the same camera that Gwyneth Paltrow used.

argusc3.jpg

It's affectionately known as "The Brick", due to its shape (and weight).

That description prompted me to dig out my old C3 to measure and weigh.

5"W x 3"H x 2"D and 8 1/2 lbs. That's pretty close to a brick.

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Agree. 

Go Coogs!

okay..i confirmed to myself also that it can't be Buff Stadium.

From a picture in Houston Freeways (p150) pg 7 in ebook pdf file here

http://houstonfreeways.com/ebook/Gulf_Freeway_72ppi.pdf

The grandstands open to the north and east (homeplate at the southwest corner)

so there could be no shot with a downtown view like that.

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Some more that my Dad took with his Argus C3 camera:

I'm just curious what kind of film was used in this and your other posts. Many appear to be slide film. When I've worked with old slide film the color balance has typically decayed over time to an extreme (usually becoming red/magenta). The color balance on your images generally is very good.

Did you adjust the color balance to restore it?

Also, you may want to scan the slides using a scanner with ICE (such as Nikon Coolscan). It will remove all the dirt.

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I'm just curious what kind of film was used in this and your other posts. Many appear to be slide film. When I've worked with old slide film the color balance has typically decayed over time to an extreme (usually becoming red/magenta). The color balance on your images generally is very good.

Did you adjust the color balance to restore it?

Also, you may want to scan the slides using a scanner with ICE (such as Nikon Coolscan). It will remove all the dirt.

You are correct they are all slides. Most if not all had not be seen in 40 years. My dad had them all in those Argus slide cubes rather than the circular Kodak machine. His slide projector broke many years ago so they were in storage since.

Regretfully, I did not find about about the Nikon Ice technology until well after I scanned them in 2002. I used a Minolta Dimage slide scanner to scan them and used adobe photo shop to do auto color balence on them. It took me three hours a night for four months to scan them and do not look forward to repeating the process. Perhaps as the technology gets even better and the prices come down I will attempt to scan them again.

My Dad has always been a rather cheap bastard so I was pleasently surprised when I found he used ALL color film from 1956-79. There was not one B&W slide in the bunch!

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  • 6 months later...
I found a site that has a lot of great information on Houston music and music venues in the 1960s.

Check it out.

neat! any record i've found that was recorded in houston has

been christian, high school choir or preteen partridge wannabes.

i feel better now.

i do have one recording of "hulda" from iceland performing

folk songs at the shamrock hotel in three different languages!

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There are several bands that come to mind, as I've developed a taste for psychedelia. I feel somewhat connected to this era vicariously through my dad, who personally knew and hung out with at least one member from each band listed.

Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Austin, TX

If it weren't for International Artists, a recording company that was in Houston's warehouse district, they'd have been BIG. They were already HUGE in Europe, but IA mismanaged them, so they stayed pretty regional. My dad took me to meet Rocky Erickson, the lead singer and front man, when I was a kid. The fellow wasn't in very good shape, at least during the 1980's. He was mostly incoherent, but my dad and he, neither of which had seen eachother in years, hit it off. I've now got all their CDs and they're one of my favorite bands. The electric jug is genius, albeit overplayed. Rocky wasn't on most of the Elevators' last album, 'Bull of the Woods', although I consider it my personal favorite...very shroomy...good album for rolling down the windows on Houston's summer afternoons and driving around without A/C, letting the humidity soak in. In the late 70's and early 80's, Rocky was with the Aliens; his thing was making horror music to match the horror movies of his own childhood...and probably the horrific experiences from his stay at State hospitals for the mentally ill. Electroshock treatment does weird stuff to people.

Janis Joplin and the Holding Company - Port Arthur, TX & Austin, TX

My dad hung out with Janis a lot. I'm unclear about whether they dated at one time, but I understand that she got around. Still, she came from Port Arthur and only spent relatively brief stints in Austin. California killed her.

Doug Sahm - San Antonio, TX

This band was primarily out of San Antonio. I've only heard a couple songs, but I recall thinking that SRV sounded somewhat similar...probably influenced by them.

On a side note, my dad also knew SRV. We ended up buying a house from a mentally-ill keyboardist that SRV had wanted to have on his band at one point, but who had a compulsive urge to destroy stage equipment and was ultimately not kept on. We lived there for many years, and for about the next five to six years out, the fellow kept on hanging out in our front yard from time to time. My dad used to work with the mentally ill and knew how to chase the guy off, since the cops would never arrest this guy...but my dad's method of choice resulted in my dad's arrest. The guy never came back and no charges were filed...either way. The guy's family understood our plight.

Willie Nelson - Austin, TX

It seems like every native Texan just has to know Willie. He got his start in the 50's, and has been going ever since. My dad knew him and took me to see him several times during the mid-to-late 80's. I wish there was something I could say that's worth saying, but he's generally just a nice guy. Incidentally, my best friend in High School's father (living in McAllen) also knew Willie and would go up there to jam out on occaision. He has a funny story about getting stopped by State Troopers his way out there...they didn't ticket him, and ended up giving directions because they were also friends of Willie and had been up there a few weeks earlier.

There are lots more, but these are the ones that I've been able to gain access most readily to.

Edited by TheNiche
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Interesting read about these bands Niche. I'm the guy who runs the 1960s Texas Music site.

Through the years there has been an ongoing debate about the role Interantional Artists played in the career of the Elevators. As I see it here are the two points of view:

1. IA contributed to the breakup of the group and it's lack of national and international success (your viewpoint Niche). The group would have been much better off if they had been signed to a nationally recognized label (like Columbia or Warner Bros) that could have properly promoted and have managed them.

2. from this website Elevators FAQ:

"Q: Did the Elevators get ripped off by their record label (International Artists) and/or Lelan Rogers (worked for IA and Kenny Rogers brother)?

A: Hardly. Especially not when compared with the average deal that a semi-national band on a small label got in the mid-1960s. I A kept the Elevators on salary, which was not common, and plowed significant amounts of money into "Easter Everywhere" and the third LP sessions.

Lelan Rogers is often portrayed as a bad guy but was only an employee at I A and not really in the position to rip anyone off. He should receive credit for helping to break "You're Gonna Miss Me" nationally, and band members like John Ike and Stacy have spoken of him in respectful terms later on. The dubious "Live" LP was conceived long after he had left I A."

No doubt International Artists made some significant mistakes when managing the band (as they also did with Bubble Puppy) but Elevators also were able to accomplish alot with IA in their short 2 years of activity.

The 3rd LP "Bull of the Woods" is primarily a solo LP by the guitarist Stacy Sutherland. Roky contributed very little as you've noted.

There are several bands that come to mind, as I've developed a taste for psychedelia. I feel somewhat connected to this era vicariously through my dad, who personally knew and hung out with at least one member from each band listed.

Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Austin, TX

If it weren't for International Artists, a recording company that was in Houston's warehouse district, they'd have been BIG. They were already HUGE in Europe, but IA mismanaged them, so they stayed pretty regional. My dad took me to meet Rocky Erickson, the lead singer and front man, when I was a kid. The fellow wasn't in very good shape, at least during the 1980's. He was mostly incoherent, but my dad and he, neither of which had seen eachother in years, hit it off. I've now got all their CDs and they're one of my favorite bands. The electric jug is genius, albeit overplayed. Rocky wasn't on most of the Elevators' last album, 'Bull of the Woods', although I consider it my personal favorite...very shroomy...good album for rolling down the windows on Houston's summer afternoons and driving around without A/C, letting the humidity soak in. In the late 70's and early 80's, Rocky was with the Aliens; his thing was making horror music to match the horror movies of his own childhood...and probably the horrific experiences from his stay at State hospitals for the mentally ill. Electroshock treatment does weird stuff to people.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
What a find! KFMK was the first 'free form' FM rock station of the late 60s and preceded KLOK and KAUM. Check out KILT's special about drugs on Houston's college campuses.

http://vasthead.com/Radio/radio_works.html

Ha. that is great. I listened to the KRBE link from 1970. I was sort of expecting something different. I was pleasantly suprised not to hear Sam Malone and his retard crew. :lol:

About half way into the broadcast they do a weather report. The DJ clearly called a number which gave him a recorded report. The DJ talked through it which was pretty humorous.

I guess this was the Beattles hour as all the songs are tunes from them.

Great find. Thanks.

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Thanks for specifying the camera! I love those old rangefinders.

If anyone saw "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", it's the same camera that Gwyneth Paltrow used.

argusc3.jpg

It's affectionately known as "The Brick", due to its shape (and weight).

I've seen some digital cameras that resemble this old one.

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Ha. that is great. I listened to the KRBE link from 1970. I was sort of expecting something different. I was pleasantly suprised not to hear Sam Malone and his retard crew. :lol:

About half way into the broadcast they do a weather report. The DJ clearly called a number which gave him a recorded report. The DJ talked through it which was pretty humorous.

I guess this was the Beattles hour as all the songs are tunes from them.

Great find. Thanks.

Yes, I remember overhearing the radio playing there in Houston back in the early 1960s. Two car dealership commercial jingles are still in my head: Chuck Davis Chevrolet and Tommie Vaughn Ford. Last year Tommie Vaughn died at age 87.

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okay..i confirmed to myself also that it can't be Buff Stadium.

From a picture in Houston Freeways (p150) pg 7 in ebook pdf file here

http://houstonfreeways.com/ebook/Gulf_Freeway_72ppi.pdf

The grandstands open to the north and east (homeplate at the southwest corner)

so there could be no shot with a downtown view like that.

That's a great shot of downtown with old Buff Stadium there at Cullen and the Gulf Freeway. I went to a bunch of Buffs games in the mid and late 50s, and that was a fine little stadium. FYI: the Houston Baseball Museum inside the Finger's Store has Buff Stadium's last home plate in the floor, marking the very spot where it was when a ball park once stood there. That museum, and that home plate, are the late Sammy Finger's gift to Houston Buff fans.

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Filio, do you remember Pidge Brownie? He was one of the more popular Buffs, but I don't remember if it was for his abilities or his catchy name.

One of my fondest memories is seeing Enos "Country" Slaughter hit a home run. He had a dual role as both player and manager.

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Filio, do you remember Pidge Brownie? He was one of the more popular Buffs, but I don't remember if it was for his abilities or his catchy name.

Heights... I remember Pidge very well. He came over from Shreveport in the mid-50's. He did very well with the Buffs and helped them win the Dixie Series in 1956, I think it was. I can still remember the players at every position for the 1947 Dixie Series champ Buffs. I was a member of their Knot-Hole Gang at the time and saw many of their games for $.25/game admission. Buff Stadium seemed huge at that time to a little kid. I think it held all of 10,000 fans. For some of their sold-out championship games, they allowed fans in front of the fences in the outfield behind ropes.

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For some of their sold-out championship games, they allowed fans in front of the fences in the outfield behind ropes.
That was normal for major league games for quite a few years. Naturally, that gave a whole different definition to
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