Amarillo, Texas

Everything Amarillo is known for

135 songs mention this city 73 artists from here

Amarillo, Texas, a city steeped in the dust and dreams of the Panhandle, boasts a surprisingly diverse musical heritage. Its story is intertwined with the evolution of country music, particularly the rise of Texas country and Americana. While blues and gospel undoubtedly echoed through the city's early days, it was in the latter half of the 20th century that Amarillo began carving its niche. Joe Ely, a true son of Amarillo, emerged as a pivotal figure, his blend of country, rock, and Tex-Mex infusing the genre with a raw, authentic edge. His influence helped solidify Amarillo's place in the landscape of Texas music, inspiring countless musicians who followed in his footsteps.

Beyond country, Amarillo has quietly fostered a diverse independent music scene. While specific dates are harder to pinpoint, the latter decades of the 20th century and the early 21st saw the emergence of artists exploring folk, rock, and other genres. This eclectic mix reflects the city's unique character, a crossroads of cultures and influences. While large venues may not define Amarillo's musical story, the smaller bars and local stages have served as incubators for creativity, allowing artists to experiment and connect with audiences on a personal level. Amarillo's contribution to music lies not just in specific genres, but in its consistent support for musical expression in all its forms.

Music in Amarillo

Songs About Amarillo

Cadillac Ranch
Chris LeDoux
98%
"Now we call it the Cadillac Ranch"
West Texas Girl
The Panhandlers
95%
"The only joint open’s the High Cotton Tavern” she said as she pointed her pickup to town"
amarillo rain
eric paisley
90%
amarillo
emmylou harrris
90%
Amarillo Funk
Zac Wilkerson
83%
Amarillo Windmill
The Great Divide
83%
Amarillo Sky
Jason Aldean
82%
"Underneath, underneath this Amarillo Sky"
Am I Right (Or Amarillo)
Asleep at the Wheel
82%
"Am I right or Amarillo"
Amarillo Sand
Mo Robson Band
82%
Amarillo
Ryan Culwell
82%
"Say Amarillo is just a waste of time"
Amarillo by Morning
Josiah and the Bonnevilles
82%
The Lights of Amarillo
Chris LeDoux
81%
"The lights of Amarillo"
Amarillo Depot
Johnny Bush
81%
Amarillo Blue
Songs From The Road Band
81%
Goodbye to Amarillo
Houston Marchman
81%
Amarillo Highway (Live)
Robert Earl Keen
81%
Amarillo By Morning
Chris LeDoux
81%
"Amarillo by morning Amarillo I'll be there"
Am I Amarillo
Aaron Watson
80%
"Am I Amarillo?"
Amarillo by Morning
George Strait
80%
"Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone"
Amarillo
Emmylou Harris
80%
"Oh, Amarillo, what you want my baby for?"

Showing top 20 of 135 songs

Artists From Amarillo

N
Nathan Evans
folk Pop: 66
T
The Snuts
indie Pop: 52
E
Emily Wells
rock Pop: 52
A
Aaron Watson
country Pop: 50
B
Beluga Lagoon
indie Pop: 48
R
Runrig
folk Pop: 45
T
Teenage Fanclub
indie Pop: 42
H
Hayden Pedigo
folk Pop: 40
K
Kevin Fowler
country Pop: 39
B
BMX Bandits
indie Pop: 39
T
Talisk
folk Pop: 36
T
The Soup Dragons
indie Pop: 36
J
John Rich
country Pop: 35
T
The Undertakers
rock Pop: 35
T
Trent Willmon
country Pop: 34
I
Infliction
metal Pop: 34
T
The Lapelles
indie Pop: 33
R
Rodney Branigan
country Pop: 32
N
North Atlas
rock Pop: 32
C
Carnivores
metal Pop: 32

Showing top 20 of 73 artists

Rivers & Roads in Song near Amarillo

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Amarillo.

Highway I 40 10 songs U.S. Route 66 11 songs Canadian River 2 songs

History of Amarillo

Comancheria: The Empire That Rose and Fell on These Plains RoadyGoat

1706

The High Plains around Palo Duro Canyon were once the heart of Comancheria, an Indigenous empire historians now rank among the great powers of early North America. The Numunu ('the People,' the Comanches' own name for themselves), a Shoshone offshoot, entered the southern plains from the west through passes of the Sangre de Cristo range in small bands alongside their Ute allies. New Mexico's Spanish officials first recorded their arrival in 1706 and dismissed it as a minor event. Within half a century the Comanches had fought a long war that displaced the Apaches from the southern plains and had built a new way of life on the triad of grasses, bison, and horses: specialized mounted bison hunting. They became the dominant military and commercial power of the lower midcontinent, rearranging trade and alliance networks among neighboring tribes and European colonies; historian Pekka Hamalainen argues their rise marks the beginning of the long decay of Spanish imperial power in what is now the American Southwest, and calls their conquest of the southern plains the largest and bloodiest the American West would see until the United States' own expansion a century and a half later. The canyonlands cut into the Llano Estacado, Palo Duro foremost, were Comancheria's shelter and wintering ground. The end came on September 28, 1874, when Colonel Ranald Mackenzie's 4th U.S. Cavalry descended into Palo Duro Canyon during the Red River War, burned the villages' lodges and winter food stores, and captured about 1,400 horses, shooting most of them near Tule Canyon. Within months the last free bands, including Quanah Parker's Quahadis, surrendered at Fort Sill, in June 1875. (Sources: Pekka Hamalainen, The Comanche Empire, winner of the 2009 Bancroft Prize; Texas State Historical Association Handbook.)

10.3 mi away

Amarillo, TX RoadyGoat

Amarillo is a place that might surprise you. It’s more than just a stop on I-40.

13.4 mi away

Claude, TX RoadyGoat

Claude, Texas, a little speck on the map up here in Armstrong County, might seem like just another ranching town at first glance. The courthouse, built back in 1912, stands proud, a reminder of times when things moved a little slower. We still rely on the land, raising cattle and growing what we can, just like they did when they named the place after that railroad man, Claude McClellan, way back in '87. You can feel the echoes of those days, too, when you hear tell of the old stagecoach stop hidden in a cave somewhere nearby. But Claude's more than just history.

15.9 mi away

Smyth, Rawleigh Porteus

1855

(August 4, 1855 - February 2, 1941) An Austin native and graduate of the Texas Military Institute, R.P. Smyth became a Brigadier General after Spanish American War duty. As a surveyor, he ran boundaries (1887) of the Two Buckle and other South Plains ranches and platted towns of Plainview, Happy, Tulia, Kress. Married Florence Tucker (d. 1894); was a Masonic leader. As a state legislator, 1897, helped make laws to aid Plains settlers. As an irrigation advocate, helped to create area's agricultural empire. Recorded 1975

Historical Marker → · 4.6 mi away

JA Ranch, The Old

1876

In 1876, veteran Texas cattleman, Charles Goodnight entered Palo Duro Canyon by way of an old Comanche Indian trail near here, to establish the first ranch in this area. In 1877, Goodnight in partnership with Englishman John Adair moved farther down the canyon to lay out headquarters of the JA Ranch. This pioneer venture became one of the greatest cattle operations in the world, taking in more than a million acres of land and grazing 101,023 head of cattle. Goodnight had became acquainted with the Palo Duro as a scout and guide for Texas Rangers during the Civil War. He knew that the canyon, fenced in by the overhanging caprock, was an ideal spot for a ranch: it furnished water and shelter in the winter and the adjacent plains provided ideal grazing in the summer. Upper division of this ranch (the park area) was reserved for the purebred, of JA herd. The vast lower end of the JA was ranged by longhorns - gradually being improved by better blood. In 1887 the Goodnight-Adair partnership was ended. Adair retained the JA which, in the hands of his heirs, is still one of the great ranches of Texas. (1968)

Historical Marker → · 7.1 mi away

The Civilian Conservation Corps at Palo Duro Canyon State Park

1933

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a New Deal program developed under the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide jobs to the unemployed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The program was initially designed to employ young men and later grew to include World War I veterans. The CCC was just what was needed to improve the 15,000 acres that had been recently acquired by the State of Texas for the establishment of Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The first three companies of CCC enrollees, made up of World War I veterans, arrived in Amarillo via train on July 11 and 12, 1933. After setting up their camp, the first task for the early workers was the construction of the road from the rim of the canyon to its floor. The fourth veterans company arrived in December of 1933. The early veterans groups at the canyon were initially integrated, but the African American troops were reassigned to Sweetwater, Texas in 1934. Two companies of segregated African American enrollees arrived from East Texas in August 1935. The final group of workers to labor in the canyon was comprised of youth members, and when the group left the park in December 1937, the project at Palo Duro Canyon was one of the few to include workers from each of the three special groups -- veterans, African Americans and juveniles. The projects completed by the CCC from 1933 until 1937 include public buildings (such as El Coronado Lodge) and cabins constructed of native sandstone, roads, bridges, culverts and hiking and bridle trails, many of which are still in use today. (2009)

Historical Marker → · 7.6 mi away

Washburn, TX

1887

Washburn, on U.S. Highway 287 in the northwest corner of Armstrong County, was part of the JA Ranch holdings from 1876 until the ranch was divided in 1887. In August of that year Robert E. Montgomery, who owned section ninety-eight, promoted a townsite at what was then the terminus of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway. He named it after D. W. Washburn, an official of the railroad and an old friend of his father-in-law, Grenville Dodge, then president of the Union Pacific line. The Denver Road drilled two water wells and erected a double pump station, a coal chute, a section house, a depot, and stock pens. In 1888 a line was built to Panhandle, in Carson County, to connect with the Southern Kansas Railway. Washburn thus boomed with tents, dugouts, and board shacks almost overnight. It became a base of operations for settlers, ranchers, and neighboring towns. A post office was established in March 1888 with postmaster James Logue, who also served as justice of the peace, as postmaster. In 1889 a combination school and church building was erected. By 1890 the town had a newspaper, the Armstrong County Record , three hotels, and a building supply house. That year in a close, contested election, Washburn lost its position as county seat to Claude. Businesses failed, and people left. The failure to complete other railroad projects, the abandonment of the tap line, and the emergence of Amarillo caused a further decline. Nevertheless, Washburn's community spirit enabled it to survive as a rural town. Telephone service was extended from Amarillo in 1896. A Methodist church was built in 1907, and the following year James Logue established a bank, which in 1911 merged with the one at Claude. Sometime before 1920 a community club was organized for the purpose of modernizing the school facilities, improving education, and sponsoring cultural events. A Baptist mission was established in Washburn in 1963. Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Washburn had a population estimated at twenty-five. It rose to an estimated 100 in 1964. From 1974 to the 1980s the population was estimated at seventy. In 1984 the town had a hotel, a grain elevator, and one business. Its post office closed in 1956. Some of its residents commute to Amarillo, twenty miles west. In 1990 the population of Washburn was 104. The population reached 120 in 2000.

Tsha Handbook → · 7.7 mi away

Husband, Rick Douglas

2003

Rick Douglas Husband, astronaut, pilot, U. S. Air Force colonel, and Flight Commander of STS-107 Columbia , was born on July 12, 1957, in Amarillo, Texas, to Douglas Earl Husband and Jane Virginia (Barbagallo) Husband. His father was a Naval pilot in the Korean War and was noted as inspiring Rick and his brother Keith to become aviators; Rick’s brother Keith grew up to be a commercial airline pilot. From at least the age of four, Rick always wanted to be an astronaut. He grew up watching the moon landings and referred to those events as being the motivating factors to become an astronaut. He went to Amarillo High School, and just after graduation in 1975, Husband got his pilot’s license at Tradewind Airport. He enrolled at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he majored in mechanical engineering and was a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. A member of the university’s ROTC program, he was a member of the undergraduate pilot program and earned a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1980. Husband attended flight school at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma and was then assigned to F-4 flight training at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. While in the U. S. Air Force he logged more than 3,800 flight hours in more than forty different kinds of airplanes and became a flight instructor and test pilot. After being stationed in Florida, Husband was assigned to be a flight and academic F-4 instructor at George Air Force Base in California. In 1987 he was assigned to Edwards Air Force Base in California to attend U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Upon completion of test pilot school, Husband was a test pilot for the F-4 and all five models of the F-15. He was honored as F-4 Tactical Air Command Instructor Pilot of the Year in 1987. Husband also attended California State University, Fresno, while in the Air Force and earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1990. He served as an exchange pilot in the Royal Air Force in England in 1992 and test flew many of their aircraft still in use in the early twenty-first century. Husband was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for astronaut training at Johnson Space Center in December 1994; he had applied four times. After completing training, he worked with NASA on safety features for astronauts and the Crew Return Vehicle. He also had a hand in studying the return to the moon project as a safety officer. Husband’s first flight into space was aboard the STS-97 Discovery on which he served as a pilot in 1999. The ten-day mission, which included the very first docking at the International Space Station, also delivered four tons of supplies and equipment for the team that would live on the space station for the next year. The next mission for Husband was his last, aboard STS-107 Columbia . The mission was designed as a sixteen-day research mission for which Husband was the Shuttle Commander. On February 1, 2003, as the Columbia was attempting reentry at 8:52 am EST, sensors onboard began to register an abnormal increase in temperature; soon other sensors began registering the same problem, indicating that the space shuttle was heating up faster than normal. At 8:58 the shuttle was over New Mexico and showing signs of increased drag. At 8:59 the space shuttle registered a tire pressure sensor malfunction, which alerted the crew and indicated that they were responsive. Shortly after, all communication with the crew was lost, as the space shuttle began disintegrating at Mach 18 at an altitude of more than 200,000 feet over East Texas. The shuttle and all crew members on board were lost ( see SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA CRASH ). Rick Husband married Evelyn Neely on February 27, 1982, in Amarillo, Texas, and together they raised two children, Matthew and Laura. He was a devout Presbyterian and attended church with his wife and children as regularly as he could, given the nature of

Tsha Handbook → · 12.3 mi away

Marsh, Stanley III [3]

1974

Stanley Marsh III, businessman, prankster, and public artist, was born in Amarillo, Texas, on January 31, 1938. He was the son of Stanley and Estelle Elizabeth (Fariss) Marsh. Heir to a fortune made by his grandfather and father in the oil and gas industry , Marsh eventually changed the "III" in his given name to "3" because he thought that the original seemed pretentious. Apparently he showed an aptitude for art during his childhood and did watercolor painting and wood carving. He graduated from Amarillo High School, and he attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in American civilization before returning to Amarillo and beginning a business career, first as a banker and then as the owner of television station KVII, which he purchased in 1967 and sold in 2002. Marsh married Gwendolyn Bush O'Brien on April 22, 1967. The couple eventually adopted five children and lived in a home called "Toad Hall" on a large estate near Amarillo. The estate was known for its unusual livestock, such as a yak and camel, and other exotic animals. Marsh quickly gained the reputation of a quirky prankster and eccentric businessman. To perpetuate the myth of all Texans being tall, he invited all citizens of Amarillo taller than six feet, four inches to a reception for a delegation of Japanese businessmen. In 1975 when Texan and U. S. Treasury Secretary John Connally faced a trial in Washington, D.C., for his supposed role in a milk-price scandal, Marsh showed up wearing a fringed western jacket and carrying a bucket of cow manure. All the while he engaged in such antics, Marsh insisted that he was in reality an artist and set out to prove it most famously with the 1974 creation, "Cadillac Ranch," a row of ten such luxury cars partially buried at an angle, nose-down along Interstate 40 west of Amarillo. Marsh called the Ranch "a monument to the American dream" to a boy coming of age in the 1950s. According to Marsh, a car "represented money; it was the first valuable thing we ever had. It represented sex; it was where you had dates," he added. "And it represented getting away from home. And I assure you those were the three things that were on our minds when we were 16." In 1997 he had the cars, which had become a roadside attraction covered with graffiti, moved a mile west of their original site. Another of his notable works of "public art" was designing a football-field-sized piece of land to represent a billiard table that could only be viewed from the air. Painted green, the "table" was replete with giant billiard balls and a 100-foot-long cue stick. He was also known for the various mock road signs that he had posted around Amarillo. Marsh's eccentricities brought notoriety that local citizens generally found amusing or acceptable for years, but serious problems arose for him in 2012 when a series of lawsuits were brought on behalf of local teenaged boys who accused him of having used money, gifts, alcohol, and drugs to pay them for sex. Those cases were settled by Marsh, but similar lawsuits, all of which were unresolved, plagued him for the last two years of his life. He was under indictment for a number of felony counts at the time of his death. He suffered several strokes and died of pneumonia in Amarillo on June 17, 2014. He was buried at the Llano Cemetery in Amarillo. His tombstone included the epitaph that he had written decades earlier: "Thanks, everybody. I had a good time." Lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and child sex trafficking continued to be filed after his death. Some area residents called for the dismantling of Cadillac Ranch, but as of 2019 the popular roadside attraction still stood.

Tsha Handbook → · 12.3 mi away

Things to Do in Amarillo

quirky 19.6 mi away
Cadillac Ranch

Ten Cadillacs buried nose-down in a Texas field since 1974. Bring spray paint.
quirky 10.3 mi away
Palo Duro Canyon

The second-largest canyon in the United States cuts straight through the flat Texas Panhandle like somebody took a knife to a pancake. A hundred and twenty…
nature 10.5 mi away
Lighthouse Rock

Lighthouse Rock is the signature hoodoo of Palo Duro Canyon -- a three-hundred-foot pillar of red sandstone with a harder caprock balanced on top. The caprock…
food 10.6 mi away
The Big Texan Steak Ranch

Home of the free 72-oz steak challenge since 1960. Giant cowboy out front.
nature 11.3 mi away
Palo Duro Canyon

Second-largest canyon in the US. The Grand Canyon of Texas with stunning red rock walls.
quirky 17.3 mi away
Slug Bug Ranch

Five Volkswagen Beetles buried nose-down in a field outside Conway Texas -- a blatant rip-off of Cadillac Ranch seventy-five miles west on Interstate 40 but…

Sports in Amarillo

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 5A · Girls Basketball · 2018–2019

Amarillo Mustangs — UIL 5A Girls Basketball State Champions — 2 titles

Most recent: 2019 5A

Amarillo High School's girls' basketball program stands as a notable presence in Class 5A, showcasing a consistent drive for excellence. The team has secured two UIL State Championships, capturing the 5A title in 2018 and again in 2019. These back-to-back victories reflect a period of strong performance on the court, bringing pride to the Panhandle.

The Lady Sandies' achievements are a highlight for the Amarillo community, demonstrating the results of dedicated effort in high school athletics. While no specific alumni are listed as having gone on to professional or major-college careers, the program's success remains a point of local distinction.

State titles
2 (2018–2019)
Most recent
2019
Class
5A
The moment

The Amarillo High School girls' basketball team captured the Class 5A state championship in 2019.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 4A · Volleyball · 2022

Randall Raiders — 2022 UIL 4A Volleyball State Champions

Most recent: 2022 4A

Randall High School, a Class 4A powerhouse in Amarillo, Texas, has established itself as a formidable presence in high school volleyball. The Raiders proudly claimed a UIL State Championship in 2022, showcasing the dedication and skill fostered within the program. The school's commitment to athletic excellence is evident in its consistent performance on the court, bringing a sense of pride to the local community.

The volleyball program at Randall High continues to be a point of regional distinction. With a state title under its belt, the team represents the competitive spirit found in the Texas Panhandle. The community in Amarillo rallies around its student-athletes, celebrating their achievements and the positive impact they have, both on and off the court, within the Class 4A landscape.

State titles
2022
Most recent
2022
Class
4A
The moment

The 2022 4A UIL State Championship stands as a significant achievement for Randall High School volleyball.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 5A · Volleyball · 2016

Amarillo Mustangs — 2016 UIL 5A Volleyball State Champions

Most recent: 2016 5A

Amarillo High School, a Class 5A powerhouse in the Texas Panhandle, boasts a strong volleyball program. The Sandies have demonstrated their competitive spirit and skill on the court, achieving significant success within the University Interscholastic League (UIL) framework.

The Amarillo High School volleyball team proudly claimed a UIL 5A State Championship in 2016. This accomplishment stands as a highlight for the program, reflecting the dedication and hard work of the athletes and coaching staff in the heart of Amarillo.

State titles
2016
Most recent
2016
Class
5A
The moment

The 2016 UIL 5A State Championship represents a pinnacle for Amarillo High School volleyball.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Amarillo

192 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Amarillo on the Map
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