It’s common knowledge in Oklahoma music circles that there’s a sonic renaissance going on in Tulsa. The city’s scene has been known in years past for supplying the likes of Leon Russell, J.J. Cale and Elvin Bishop to the world. Now there’s a similar vibe going on, particularly in the Americana genre.
At the Folk Alliance International music conference earlier this year in Kansas City, Tulsa’s presence was over-sized. The Tulsa-based Woody Guthrie Center sponsored official showcases on the conference’s final evening. Still, musicians from all over the Sooner State performed in The Oklahoma Room, sponsored by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and others.
Horton Records’ (“Made in Tulsa”) president Brian Horton has made it his business the last several years to give scores of red dirt singer-songwriters the opportunity to let the world hear their compositions. The conference attracts music industry people from around the world, and Oklahoma’s contributions are among the finest.
