Brownsville, Texas

Everything Brownsville is known for

31 songs mention this city 29 artists from here

Brownsville, Texas, a city known for its subtropical climate and rich Hispanic culture, has a notable connection to the world of music. Our collection features 42 songs that mention Brownsville, and 29 artists proudly call it home. Among these artists is country music legend Kris Kristofferson, and Latin music icon Chelo Silva.

The city's musical footprint extends to various genres, with songs like "Brownsville Girl" by Bob Dylan and "Hurt" by Johnny Cash referencing the city. Brownsville also hosts the annual Latin Music Festival, showcasing Latin Jazz, and the Brownsville Guitar Festival.

Music in Brownsville

Songs About Brownsville

Supermarine
Hans Zimmer
100%
Go Rest High on That Mountain
Vince Gill
100%
Hurt
Johnny Cash
100%
Brownsville Girl
Bob Dylan
80%
"Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls"
Brownsville Story
Money Millz
80%
"Song about Brownsville"
Brownsville
Joy Of Cooking
80%
"Song about Brownsville"
Brownsville
Furry Lewis
80%
"Song about Brownsville"
Brownsville
DJ Payback Garcia
80%
"Song about Brownsville"
Catch Me Daddy
Janis Joplin
54%
"I said I'm going on down to Brownsville"
Down the Rio Grande
Tom Russell
54%
"Maybe she's in Brownsville, she's got some family there"
Somewhere Between Texas And Mexico
Pat Green
51%
"South Padre Island to the Brownsville Bay"
Texas Women
Hank Williams Jr.
50%
"But they weren't nothin like one night down in Brownsville"
El Corrido de José Mosqueda
Óscar Chávez
45%
Corrido de Juan Cortina
Óscar Chávez
45%
Gulf Coast Girl
Caroline Jones
44%
"We can surf Boca Chica"
leaving brownsville tonight
matt castillo
38%
heard it all before
bob wayne
24%
Elegy
Lisa Gerrard
24%
Cornfield Chase
Hans Zimmer
22%
rollin' steam
zack mcginn
22%

Showing top 20 of 31 songs

Artists From Brownsville

K
Kris Kristofferson
country Pop: 62
V
Vinnie Colaiuta
rock Pop: 55
K
Ka
hip-hop Pop: 52
O
O.G.C.
hip-hop Pop: 48
M
Masta Ace
hip-hop Pop: 46
S
Sean Price
hip-hop Pop: 43
H
Heltah Skeltah
hip-hop Pop: 39
M
Michael Salgado
latin Pop: 35
C
Chelo Silva
latin Pop: 34
J
Jimmy Gonzalez
latin Pop: 30
J
Jimmy Gonzalez y Grupo Mazz
latin Pop: 30
S
Steele
hip-hop Pop: 28
S
Smoothe da Hustler
hip-hop Pop: 28
R
Ratchet Dolls
metal Pop: 23
J
Justin Trevino
country Pop: 20
L
Louieville Sluggah
hip-hop Pop: 19
L
Lisa Kirk
pop Pop: 16
R
Ruck
hip-hop Pop: 15
J
Joe Lopez
latin Pop: 8
V
Veronique Medrano
latin Pop: 5

Showing top 20 of 29 artists

Rivers & Roads in Song near Brownsville

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

Rio Grande / Río Bravo 83 songs Rio Grande / Río Bravo 144 songs

History of Brownsville

Brownsville, TX RoadyGoat

Brownsville has always been a place where two worlds meet, and you feel that most strongly in the air after a good rain. The scent of blooming orange trees mixes with the damp earth, a smell that’s been here long before the first SpaceX launch rattled the windows. That's the big thing these days, isn't it? Space. It’s hard to overstate how much the arrival of Starbase in Boca Chica, just a short drive east, has changed things. It’s not just the obvious – the influx of engineers and technicians, the buzz around town, and the occasional sonic boom that makes you think a cannon from the Mexican-American War just went off again. That land where rockets launch was once mostly empty, save for the crabs scuttling along the shore. Some worry about the environmental impact on places like the Sabal Palm Sanctuary, which is understandable, but others see it as a new chapter, a chance to lift Brownsville to new heights, literally and figuratively. It's a conversation you hear everywhere, from the puestos selling raspas to the classrooms where kids are suddenly dreaming of engineering careers. Brownsville is looking up, no doubt about it.

Brownsville, TX RoadyGoat

Brownsville’s story is really the story of the Rio Grande. That river, winding its way to the Gulf, shaped everything here. Before it was Brownsville, this land was part of Mexico, vast ranchos stretching out under the Texas sun. But the Mexican-American War changed all that, and suddenly this strategic spot on the river became American soil. It was named for Major Jacob Brown, who gave his life defending the area. The river wasn’t just a border, though; it was life. It brought trade, steamboats puffing upriver, carrying goods and people. The flat land, just a few feet above sea level, was perfect for agriculture, especially with the river’s water nearby. The warm air held the scent of orange blossoms, and even then, a culture began to bloom. Even the sabal palms, those sturdy native trees, seem to whisper stories of those early days along the Rio Grande.

Brownsville, TX RoadyGoat

Brownsville. The name itself whispers of history, a blend of sacrifice and the promise of a new beginning. It wasn't a whimsical choice, not a romantic flourish. It was a tribute. After Major Jacob Brown gave his life defending Fort Texas during the Mexican-American War, the burgeoning settlement honored him by taking his name. Brownsville. It’s a simple name, but it carries the weight of conflict and the hope for peace that followed. The Rio Grande, the river that defines our border, was a strategic lifeline then, and it's still the heart of our community today. The name Brownsville reminds us of the past, but it doesn't define us. It's a foundation. From that foundation, we've built a city known for its warmth, its rich culture, and the sweet scent of orange blossoms that fills the air. We celebrate our heritage with Charro Days, a festival that bridges two nations. Even the sabal palms, those resilient, native trees that dot our landscape, seem to echo the city's spirit – strong, enduring, and uniquely Brownsville.

Brownsville Affair

1906

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt dishonorably discharged 167 Black soldiers of the 25th Infantry after a shooting incident in Brownsville. All were exonerated in 1972.

Historical Marker →

Chisholm Trail

1600

Iberian range cattle, progenitors of the Texas longhorn, were brought into Texas by Spain in the 1600s and 1700s. The cattle thrived on the area's rich grasslands and roamed throughout Texas. At the time of the Texas Revolution (1835-36) vast Mexican ranchos with their illustrious vaqueros (Spanish for cowboys) were an established tradition in the Rio Grande Valley. By 1860 cattle ranching dominated land use in the region. Demand for beef rose dramatically after the Civil War. Longhorn cattle worth $2 and $3 in Texas sold for $30 and $40 in midwestern railroad centers such as Kansas City and Chicago. Area ranchers, aware of the longhorn's stamina, united to drive their cattle to frontier railroad terminals in Abilene and Dodge City. The Rio Grande was the southernmost point at which cattle were gathered for the drive north through Austin, Fort Worth, Red River station and into Oklahoma. There the trail joined the original 220-mile Chisholm Trail into Kansas established by Indian trader/guide Jesse Chisholm in 1865. The entire route and its feeder trails soon became widely known as the Chisholm Trail. An estimated 10 million cattle were driven north along the Chisholm Trail by the late 1870s when use of the trail was drastically curtailed by quarantines.

Historical Marker →

Fort Brown Reservation

1846

Named by Gen. Zachary Taylor during Mexican war, for Maj. Jacob Brown, who died in 1846 defending the post. Permanent 385-acre reservation laid out 1848 by Col. Wm. Davenport, around original earthworks. Young officers in the Taylor occupancy included D.C. Buell, U.S. Grant, Geo. G. Meade, Geo. H. Thomas, later Civil War general in the U.S. Army; and Braxton Bragg, T.H. Holmes, James Longstreet, J.C. Pemberton and E. Kirby Smith, future confederate generals. In the late 1850's Robert E. Lee served here. In March 1861, Texas confederates under Col. John S. Ford occupied the post; later C.S.A. Commanders were Cols. P.N. Luckett and Aug. Buchel, Gens. H.P. Bee and J.B. Magruder. In November 1863 the post was burned. Federals under Gen. N.P. Banks had a camp of tents at Fort Brown until July 1864. After that, Gen. J.S. Slaughter and Col. Ford reoccupied the post with confederates until the war ended. Soon after the confederate surrender at Appomatox, U.S. Gen. Phillip Sheridan brought in troops for a show of force against the French in Mexico City. In 1867-69, new permanent Fort was built by Capt. Wm. A. Wainwright. City and college acquired reservation in 1948. Northern boundary International Boulevard.

Historical Marker →

Brownsville Raid of 1906

1906

The Brownsville Raid of August 13-14, 1906, an alleged attack by soldiers from companies B, C, and D of the black Twenty-fifth United States Infantry stationed at Fort Brown, resulted in the largest summary dismissals in the annals of the United States Army. The First Battalion, minus Headquarters and Company A, arrived at Brownsville, a community of 6,000, from recent duty in the Philippines and Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, on July 28. The soldiers immediately confronted racial discrimination from some businesses and suffered several instances of physical abuse from federal customs collectors. A reported attack on a White woman during the night of August 12 so incensed many townspeople that Maj. Charles W. Penrose, after consultation with Mayor Frederick Combe, declared an early curfew the following day to avoid trouble. The evening passed peacefully until around midnight, when a brief shooting spree claimed the life of bartender Frank Natus and destroyed the arm of police lieutenant M. Y. Dominguez. Various residents claimed to observe soldiers running through the streets shooting, despite the darkness of the hour and vantage points of considerable distance. Several sets of civilian and military investigations presumed the guilt of the soldiers without identifying individual culprits. A citizens' committee, cooperating with Penrose's own inquiry, successfully demanded the removal of the troops but failed to receive White replacements. Maj. Augustus P. Blocksom, of the army's Southwestern Division, deemed the soldiers uncooperative and urged their dismissal if they refused to turn evidence. The men denied any knowledge of the shooting, while officers and a sentry reported hearing pistol fire outside the reservation. Texas Ranger captain William Jesse McDonald pursued the trail to twelve enlisted men, whom he arrested for holding positions key to a conspiracy. However, a Cameron County grand jury failed to return any indictments. Inspector General Ernest A. Garlington charged a "conspiracy of silence" against the companies and urged implementation of Blocksom's suggestion. Accordingly, on November 5 President Theodore Roosevelt summarily discharged "without honor" all 167 enlisted men previously garrisoning Fort Brown. The action of Roosevelt, who had served with black troops in the Spanish-American War and conspicuously appointed African Americans to office, shocked his black constituency and moved the controversy to the national stage. The Constitution League, a civil-rights organization, decried the lack of due process accorded the soldiers and impugned the timing of the order, which followed the congressional elections. Amid signs of alienation that could jeopardize the presidential ambitions of Secretary of War William Howard Taft, Senator Joseph B. Foraker (R-Ohio) urged a Senate investigation. Foraker, a nemesis of Roosevelt and an aspiring presidential candidate in his own right, kept the issue alive through speeches and writings over the next several years. He and Roosevelt clashed in addresses to the Gridiron Club in 1907 and hired private detectives to enhance their investigations. The Senate Military Affairs Committee, which included Foraker, conducted hearings while courts-martial cleared Penrose and officer-of-the-day Capt. Edgar A. Macklin of alleged negligence. The majority report, issued in March 1908, concurred with the official White House decision, while a minority of four Republicans found the evidence inconclusive. Yet another minority report, submitted by Foraker and Morgan G. Bulkeley (R-Connecticut), asserted the soldiers' innocence. It assailed alleged contradictory, insufficient, and contrived evidence and bias of witnesses and investigators. The report suggested that townspeople or outsiders had staged the raid to banish the black troops or to avenge customs enforcement. Submitting to pressure, the administration appointed a board of retired army officers to review applications for reenlistment. After i

Tsha Handbook → · 7.1 mi away

Chapman, William Warren

1846

William Warren Chapman, soldier and influential citizen of South Texas, the fourth child of James and Ethelinda (Preston) Chapman, Jr., was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on January 31, 1814. He entered West Point on July 1, 1833, and graduated seventh in general order of merit, but second in military affairs, in the class of 1837. After West Point he served in the second Seminole war in Florida. He was stationed at Fort Foster on the Hillsborough River north of Tampa Bay from November 1837 until May 1838. He began as quartermaster of the fort but was commander at the time the fort was abandoned in the spring of 1838. After leaving Florida in May of 1838 he served briefly in Tennessee, where he assisted in the relocation of the Seminole and Cherokee Indians to the Western states. On July 7, 1838, Chapman was promoted to first lieutenant in the Second Artillery. He married Helen Ellsworth Blair ( see CHAPMAN, HELEN E. B.) in Westfield, Massachusetts, on August 29, 1838; they had a son and a daughter. Chapman was assigned to Fort Niagara near Buffalo, New York, from 1838 through 1841, during the Canadian border disturbances. From 1841 through mid-1846 Chapman served in the garrison at Fort Columbus, Governors Island, New York. On May 11, 1846, he was promoted to captain. He joined the army of Gen. John E. Wool in San Antonio, Texas, as staff assistant quartermaster, traveled with Wool's column into Mexico, and fought in the battle of Buena Vista, February, 22–23, 1847 ( see MEXICAN WAR ). He was brevetted major for gallant and meritorious conduct in that battle. In November 1847 he left Wool's staff and became quartermaster of the army depot in Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Matamoros was then under martial law, and, in addition to his duties as quartermaster, Chapman was also appointed collector of revenue and given responsibility for the administration of civil government. With characteristic energy, he improved the city streets, the central plaza, and the schools of the Mexican city during his tenure. Upon the termination of hostilities with Mexico in mid-1848, the army decided to build a new fort across the Rio Grande from Matamoros. Chapman selected the site and constructed the permanent military facility, known as Fort Brown. This fort replaced the original Fort Brown that had been bombarded by the Mexican army during May 3–9, 1846, while Zachary Taylor 's army was otherwise occupied at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma a few miles north. The city of Brownsville was laid out and developed simultaneously with the construction of the permanent Fort Brown. From mid-1848 until mid-1852 Chapman was the quartermaster at the fort. After the first year his duties were enlarged to include responsibility for the military depots at Brazos Santiago and Point Isabel, Texas. In 1850 he sent an expedition on the first official exploration of the Rio Grande to determine the navigability of the river and the economic potential of the region. Chapman and his wife were prominent and well-regarded citizens of early Brownsville. In mid-1852 Chapman was appointed quartermaster of the new army headquarters in Corpus Christi under Gen. Persifor F. Smith . Chapman remained at the military facility until it was closed in 1857. During his military service in the fledgling community of Corpus Christi, Chapman was prominent in civic and business affairs, including a partnership with Richard King in the acquisition of the first tracts of land to be incorporated into the King Ranch . Thereafter during 1858 he was briefly assigned to the military depot at Fort Schuyler in New York. In 1859 he was transferred to Fort Monroe, Virginia. He died on September 28, 1859, at Old Point Comfort, Virginia. His son was a life-long resident of Corpus Christi.

Tsha Handbook → · 7.1 mi away

Things to Do in Brownsville

historical 21.4 mi away
The Last Battle Nobody Wanted

The very last battle of the Civil War was fought just east of Port Isabel on May 13 1865 more than a month after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Both sides had…
historical 23.0 mi away
The Bridge That Vanished in the Dark

On September 15 2001 just four days after the September 11 attacks a tugboat pushing four barges slammed into a support column of the Queen Isabella Causeway…
quirky 17.8 mi away
The Pirates Well

The notorious pirate Jean Lafitte prowled the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre around Port Isabel in the early 1800s. Legend says he had his crew dig a…
historical 21.6 mi away
First European Eyes on Texas

In 1519 Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda sailed along the Gulf Coast and became the first European to lay eyes on what would become Texas. He charted…
historical 21.7 mi away
The Last Lighthouse Standing

Of the sixteen lighthouses ever built along the Texas coast only one survives and you can still climb it. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was completed in 1853 its…
historical 0.1 mi away
Brownsville, Texas (c. 1916)
historical 8.5 mi away
Palmito Ranch Battle Marker (1865)
quirky 17.0 mi away
The Tournament That Started It All

In 1934 a local doctor named J.A. Hockaday decided the world needed to know about the fishing in the Rio Grande Valley. He organized the first Texas…

Everything Near Brownsville

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

Explore Brownsville on the Map
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