Garland, Texas

Everything Garland is known for

4 songs mention this city 2 artists from here

Music in Garland

Songs About Garland

Garland
Dirty Heads
80%
"Song about Garland"
Garland (Salon Spa)
Luna Skyborne
80%
"Song about Garland"
Green Garland
Songs From The Road Band
78%
"Green Garland"
Saltwater Cowboy
Tracy Byrd
7%
"wearin' flipflops and a stetson"

Artists From Garland

C
Chris August
pop
C
Crystal Bernard
pop

Rivers & Roads in Song near Garland

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

Interstate 45 8 songs Trinity River 11 songs Interstate 20 13 songs Sabine River 13 songs Interstate 35 43 songs Sulphur River 2 songs

Musical Heritage

Autumn Sound Studios (now Audio Dallas) RoadyGoat

There's a squat beige brick building in an industrial park in Garland, northeast of Dallas, that had been open all of three months when Willie Nelson walked in during January of 1975. It had the first twenty-four track console in Texas, and the lead engineer, Phil York, offered Willie a free day. He took five. What came out was "Red Headed Stranger" — songs running from twenty-five-second interludes to five-minute pieces. Willie had just signed to Columbia for a sixty-thousand-dollar advance, and when the label heard it, they figured he'd handed them a demo. It wasn't. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" off that record became his first number one as a singer. The room's called Audio Dallas now, and it's barely changed since.

RoadyGoat →

Red Headed Stranger 50th anniversary event, downtown Garland RoadyGoat

Fifty years after Willie Nelson cut "Red Headed Stranger" in a Garland studio, the city finally threw the record the party it never got. Here's the kicker: when organizer Jeff Ryan started calling around, he found that locals — even working musicians — had no idea the album was made in their own town. So they fixed that. Two days, one time only. Ray Benson, Rhett Miller, Joshua Ray Walker, and Max and Heather Stalling played the whole album live, backed by a pickup crew they called The Band of Strangers. They rolled in Willie's actual tour bus for photos, screened the old film with Morgan Fairchild on the panel, and the state stamped Garland an official Music Friendly City. Half a century late — but Garland finally said the quiet part out loud. This one's ours.

RoadyGoat →

Red Headed Stranger' by Willie Nelson, recorded at Autumn Sound in Garland RoadyGoat

Everybody wants to give Willie Nelson's outlaw masterpiece to Nashville, or to Austin. Truth is, "Red Headed Stranger" got cut in Garland, Texas — a Dallas suburb — at a room called Autumn Sound. Five days. Four thousand dollars. Willie and his wife Connie dreamed up the whole story on a drive home from Colorado: a preacher on the run after he guns down his cheating wife and her lover. His sister Bobbie played the saloon piano, plain and haunted. When Columbia heard the tapes, they figured it was a rough demo — too bare, too quiet to sell. Then "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" went to number one, Willie's first ever. Turns out the label just didn't know what stripped-down courage sounded like.

RoadyGoat →

History of Garland

How Garland Became the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas RoadyGoat

The city you're rolling through makes more cowboy hats than just about anywhere on earth, and it started with two Dallas hatmakers. In 1927, E.R. Byer and Harry Rolnick founded Byer-Rolnick and chose the name Resistol, a contraction of the idea that a good felt hat should resist all weather. In 1938 they moved production up the rail line to Garland into a larger plant, and by the late 1950s that factory was one of the largest cowboy hat works in the world. Rolnick's signature trick was the Self-Conforming hatband, an interior band that lets a hat slowly mold to the exact shape of the wearer's head. Resistol is still made here today, joined over the decades by Master Hatters of Texas and Dorfman Milano, so labels like Resistol, Stetson, and Justin all trace through this one suburb. Together the local makers turn out more than a million cowboy hats a year. In 2013 the Texas Legislature made it official with House Concurrent Resolution 96, naming Garland the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas. (Source: Texas Monthly; Texas Legislature HCR 96; Resistol.)

RoadyGoat →

The Night a Tornado Crossed the I-30 Interchange RoadyGoat

On the evening of December 26, 2015, the day after Christmas, a violent EF4 tornado tore across the southeastern edge of Garland and into neighboring Rowlett. It touched down near Sunnyvale at 6:46 p.m. and stayed on the ground for about 13 minutes, with winds strong enough to throw vehicles. The cruelest stretch was the elevated interchange where Interstate 30 meets the President George Bush Turnpike, right here. As the funnel crossed the high ramps, it swept cars and trailers off the bridge decks and into the lanes below. Of the 10 people killed by the storm, nine died on that interchange, trapped in their vehicles, including a one-year-old, and hundreds more were injured across the affected suburbs. It stands as the deadliest U.S. tornado of 2015 and, by the records kept since 1950, the first deadly December tornado ever in Dallas County. Drivers passing this interchange today are crossing the exact ground where one of North Texas's darkest holiday nights unfolded. (Source: Wikipedia; National Weather Service Fort Worth; WFAA.)

RoadyGoat →

Garland, TX RoadyGoat

Garland's history is marked by pivotal moments that shaped its destiny. The city was born out of a rivalry between two communities, Embree and Duck Creek, which eventually merged to form Garland in 1891. A devastating F4 tornado in 1927 claimed 15 lives, including the former mayor. The city's industrial growth was spurred by World War II, with several aircraft plants operating in the area. Post-war, Kraft Foods and Walmart's first Hypermart USA prototype further boosted the economy. Garland's population nearly quadrupled by 1960, reflecting the post-WWII suburban boom.

A. J. Head Service Station

1947

The Federal Aid Road Act (1916) and the formation of the Texas Highway Department resulted in the creation of Texas Highway 1, or Bankhead Highway. The Bankhead was America's second east-to-west transcontinental highway, which went through several Texas cities, including Garland. Commercial growth and a boom of businesses along the highway boosted Garland's economy for decades.
 A.J. Head, the original owner of the A.J. Head/Humble Station, opened a filling station in 1947. It housed many businesses to serve Bankhead Highway drivers, including a tire shop, auto repair shop, bail bond office, welding shop and discount retail store. Head sold the business in 1957, coinciding with the decreased importance of the Bankhead Highway.
 Still at its original location, the station has received few significant changes over the years. Designed by Robert Otis Lagrone, the two-story brick building was built in the Streamline Moderne style, popular in the 1930s and 1940s. The style emphasized smooth surfaces, horizontal lines, and curved corners. The curved brick wall of the building and the original metal canopy illustrated important characteristics of the style. While the canopy at the front of the building was removed, the steel and horizontal lines emphasized the style's industirual aesthetic. Because of its important place on the Bankhead Highway, the A.J. Head Humble Station shows its important role in Garland's essential economic and industrial growth in the 1940s and 1950s. (2018)

Historical Marker →

Duck Creek, TX

1846

Duck Creek was the name of two communities, sometimes called Old Duck Creek and New Duck Creek, located in northeastern Dallas County; their site was within the present city limits of Garland, fifteen miles northeast of downtown Dallas. The first Duck Creek, at the present junction of Garland Road and Duck Creek, had its beginning as one of the original settlements of the Peters colony . Early settlers were attracted to the area by the many springs along the creek. The first schoolhouse, a log structure built sometime after 1846, was replaced by a frame building in 1852. This second school also served as a meetingplace for the Baptist and Methodist congregations. In 1854 Duck Creek acquired a post office, which it retained until 1866. About 1868 the school was named Duck Creek Academy. Overcrowding caused the school to move into the Grange Hall at an unknown date and later into the Methodist Church. In 1880 a new one-room school was built on the site of the old school. The Masonic and Grange Hall was moved to the school and added onto it as a new wing. Permission to establish a Duck Creek Masonic lodge was granted on September 19, 1873, and a charter was issued on June 7, 1875. In 1874 a store was established on the west bank of the creek, and in 1876 a corn mill was built. Duck Creek acquired a post office again in 1877. By 1884 the community had a district school, three churches, two gristmills, three steam cotton gins, and three general stores. Its population of 100 included three physicians, two teachers, one carpenter and a carpenter-wagonmaker, one blacksmith, and one shoemaker. Two years later the town acquired a patent roller flour mill, which was built on the east side of the creek. The largest business in Duck Creek is said to have been the Grange store, known as the Duck Creek Co-operative Association, which closed in March 1887. In 1886, first the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe and then the Dallas and Greenville railroad bypassed Duck Creek. The Santa Fe built a depot about a mile to the east, while the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (which acquired the Dallas and Greenville later in 1886) established a depot less than a mile to the north. Both railroads bought land from William A. Tinsley and laid out towns adjacent to their depots. The community established by the Santa Fe was named Embree, after Kelley H. Embree, a physician, storekeeper, and Duck Creek postmaster. The community laid out by the MK&T took the name Duck Creek, and was also known as New Duck Creek. Thereafter, residents of Old Duck Creek moved to one or the other of the new communities. Sometime in 1886 or early 1887 the Duck Creek Rustler moved and became reincarnated as the Embree Enterprise . On February 1, 1887, the Duck Creek post office was moved to the Santa Fe depot at Embree. The site of New Duck Creek is in Garland south of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (later the Missouri Pacific) tracks and north of State Street. After the (Old) Duck Creek Rustler moved to Embree, John H. Cullum moved to Duck Creek at the urging of Thomas F. Nash, manager of the Grange store, and established the Duck Creek News , whose first issue appeared on April 8, 1887. Duck Creek remained a shipping point for area farmers. By late October 1887 it had shipped about 2,000 bales of cotton for the season and still had "a large quantity" on hand. New Duck Creek and Embree engaged in an intense rivalry, with several attempts made by one town to take over the other. In April 1887, one or more Duck Creek partisans had a map recorded that gave the whole area the name of Duck Creek. The two towns also obtained injunctions to prevent each other from incorporating. In spite of this, Embree was incorporated on November 12, 1887. Two weeks earlier, on October 29, Congressman Joseph Abbott , who was traveling to Washington for the opening of Congress, stopped at Duck Creek at the request of local residents to look at the situation. Shortly afterward he succeeded in having the post offi

Tsha Handbook →

Hill, Anita Dorcas Carraway

1977

Anita Dorcas Carraway Hill, state legislator, was born on August 13, 1928, in Chatfield, Texas, to Archie C. Carraway, a Methodist preacher, and Martha Helen (Butler) Carraway. During the Great Depression the family moved to Arkansas. Anita Carraway later returned to Texas, where she graduated from Marlin High School in 1946. She attended Texas State College for Women (later Texas Woman's University), where she earned a bachelor of arts in journalism in 1950. She was vice-president of her senior class, editor for the student paper Lass-O , and member of Theta Sigma Phi and numerous student clubs and organizations . Prior to graduating she was hired as society editor of the Garland News . By 1952 she was the educational director of the First Methodist Church of Garland, where she was a congregant for the rest of her life. On September 21, 1952, Anita Carraway married Clodius Harris Hill in Garland. Harris Hill was an executive in the Hunt Oil Company and longtime trustee of the Garland school board-the Garland Independent School District's administrative building was named after him. They had two children, Steve and Ginger. Anita Hill served for seventeen-years on the Garland school board, starting in 1972. In 1971, following her successful efforts to save the town's Indian Lake and surrounding green space from development, Hill was appointed to Garland's park board and served as its chair from 1976 to 1977. Indian Lake Park was renamed Anita C. Hill Park at Indian Lake after Hill's death in 2003. Hill worked as a legislative aide to Kenneth Vaughan, Democratic state representative for District 33-D. Following Vaughan's resignation in 1977, Hill ran in a special election to replace him. She defeated her opponent, Republican Mike McCauley, by fewer than 300 votes in a runoff. She campaigned on repealing state taxes on utilities. She was sworn into the Texas House of Representatives on August 11, 1977, during the Sixty-fifth Texas Legislature. In September she was appointed to the committees on Business and Industry and on Health and Welfare. Hill served on numerous committees and sponsored a wide variety of bills throughout her more than fifteen-year-long career as a lawmaker. In the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh legislatures she was vice chair of the Judicial Affairs Committee; in the Sixty-eighth legislature she was vice chair of the Cultural and Historical Resources Committee; in the Seventieth and Seventy-first legislatures she chaired the House Research Organization Steering Committee; and, in her final term in office, the Seventy-second legislature, she was vice chair of the Business and Commerce Committee. Among her legislative achievements were regulations mandating child safety seats in motor vehicles and toughening safety standards for nursing homes. She also supported occupational safety regulations and the restriction of abortion access for the third trimester and opposed the repeal of "blue laws," which required certain businesses to be closed on Sundays, and the repeal of anti-gambling laws. Hill was the first female Texas legislator to switch political parties while in office. She made this change in 1979 in anticipation of Republican party gains at the local and national levels in the 1980 election, in which Ronald Reagan won the presidency. A conservative Democrat who had worked for Barry Goldwater's campaign in 1964, Hill explained that her switch to the GOP was motivated by liberal shifts in the Democratic party and that "the people of my district want conservative representation." Her husband resigned as secretary of the Dallas County Democratic party to support her campaign. In 1981 Hill became embroiled in controversy when she was denied entry to a lunchtime meeting at the private Citadel Club in Austin's Driskill Hotel because of her sex. In response a group of women legislators proposed a resolution stating that no member of the House would attend functions at places that denied entry to any House member.

Tsha Handbook →

Lake Highlands Elementary School

1955

Opening in 1955, Lake Highlands Elementary School has served this area for more than 50 years. Prior to 1955, public education in the area was limited to Little Egypt School for black students and Rogers School, which closed in 1929 when it was incorporated into Richardson Independent School District, for white students. Public schools in the Richardson School District would remain segregated until 1965. 	Following World War II, Richardson School District’s enrollment increased dramatically, following the trend of suburban growth across the nation. In 1954, voters approved bond issues supporting the funding of a new elementary in Lake Highlands, and an elementary and high school for African-American students in Hamilton Park. Builders completed work on the six-room Lake Highlands Elementary School in 1955. However, a surge in area population growth led to a six-room addition in 1959. During these early years, an active Parent-Teacher Association developed, which raised funds for school projects. 	Lake Highlands Elementary has been a leader in public education since its opening. Notably, in 1960, it became one of the first schools in the nation to use television for educational purposes, as students learned from programs broadcast from Richardson High School. Throughout the 1960s, enrollment continued to grow. By the 1980s, the school began to host special programs, including bilingual education, pre-kindergarten and centralized special education. The student body has also diversified over the years. Today, Lake Highlands Elementary School remains a leader in child education in the State of Texas.	(2008)

Historical Marker → · 4.8 mi away

Garland

1846

Settlement of this area began in the 1840s. A small community named Duck Creek was established and by 1846 a log cabin was serving as a community center, school, and Union Church. Early businesses included a general store, grist mill, and cotton gin. In 1886 The Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe Railroad built a line through Dallas County, passing about one mile east of Duck Creek. A new town, named Embree in honor of one of Duck Creek's early doctors, was laid out along the rail line. The Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railroad built a second rail line north of the Santa Fe Tracks. The original Duck Creek settlement declined in favor of New Duck Creek on the MKT Rail Line. A U.S. Post Office was authorized for the area in 1887 and was positioned between the two towns. Named for U.S. Attorney General A. H. Garland, the site became a new town into which the earlier communities merged. The citizens voted to incorporate in 1891, and M. Davis Williams was elected first mayor. Garland flourished in the early 20th century and survived the Great Depression. Rapid transportation and industrial growth following World War II changed the city's economic base. Garland continues to be an important part of Dallas County history.

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Garland

historical 13.5 mi away
The Sixth Floor Museum

Where Lee Harvey Oswald fired from. The JFK assassination site at Dealey Plaza.
historical 13.5 mi away
Dealey Plaza

On November 22 1963 President John F Kennedy rode through Dealey Plaza in an open Lincoln convertible and was shot from the sixth floor window of the Texas…
quirky 11.6 mi away
Big Tex at the State Fair

A fifty-five-foot cowboy named Big Tex has welcomed visitors to the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park Dallas every fall since 1952. He booms howdy folks over a…
historical 7.8 mi away
Southfork Ranch

The filming location of TV's Dallas. JR Ewing lived here.
spooky 8.3 mi away
Lady of White Rock Lake

Since the 1930s drivers along White Rock Lake report picking up a soaking-wet woman in a white dress. She asks for a ride home then vanishes leaving the seat…
quirky 9.0 mi away
Southfork Ranch

The Ewing family TV mansion from the Dallas soap opera sits on two hundred acres in Parker Texas and is open for tours every day. JRs bedroom is there. The…
food 12.3 mi away
Pecan Lodge

Dallas' best BBQ. The beef rib alone is worth the drive.

Sports in Garland

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 5A · Football

Naaman Forest Forest Rangers — Naaman Forest — a college & pro athletic pipeline

8 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Garland's Naaman Forest High School has a proud tradition of athletes who have gone on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels. Among the football talents, Nick Browne played for the TCU Horned Frogs, while Uche Nwaneri went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacob Lacey brought his skills to the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings. John Harris played for the Texas Longhorns and in the CFL. More recently, Devean Deal is an NFL linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks.

The Rangers' athletic influence extends beyond the gridiron. On the basketball court, Demarcus Holland plays professionally in New Zealand, and Prince Ibeh plays professionally in Mexico. Naaman Forest has also seen success in soccer, with Reyna Reyes playing for the Mexico women's national soccer team and Portland Thorns FC. These alumni represent the dedication and skill fostered within the school's athletic programs.

Pro/D1 alumni
8
Class
5A
Key Players
  • Nick Browne — (1999) - Football player who played for the TCU Horned Frogs
  • Uche Nwaneri — (2003) - Football player who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Jacob Lacey — (2005) - Football player who played for the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, and Minneso
  • John Harris — (2010) - Football player who played in the CFL and for the Texas Longhorns
  • Demarcus Holland — (2012) - Basketball player who plays professionally in New Zealand
  • Prince Ibeh — (2012) - Basketball player who plays professionally in Mexico
The moment

Uche Nwaneri played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 6A · Football

Garland Owls — Garland — a college & pro athletic pipeline

6 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Garland High School, a proud Class 6A institution in Garland, Texas, has a history of producing athletes who've achieved at major-college and professional levels. The Owls' athletic program has seen former students go on to compete in various sports, making their mark beyond high school. From the gridiron to professional leagues, these alumni represent the dedication and talent fostered within the Garland community.

Among the notable former Owls are Hakeem Adeniji, an offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals, and Chuck Dicus, an NFL wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers and member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Other alumni include NFL wide receiver Jordan Hudson for the Dallas Cowboys, former college football quarterback Seth Russell for the Baylor Bears, and Herkie Walls, an NFL, European, and Arena League running back. Karl Williams, an NFL and AFL veteran for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals, also hails from Garland High School.

Pro/D1 alumni
6
Class
6A
Key Players
  • Hakeem Adeniji — , offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL)
  • Chuck Dicus — , NFL wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers in the late 1960s and early 1970s and membe
  • Jordan Hudson — , NFL wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys
  • Seth Russell — , former college football quarterback for the Baylor Bears
  • Herkie Walls — , NFL, European, Arena League running back, attended Texas
  • Karl Williams — , NFL, AFL, 9-year veteran for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals from 199
The moment

Chuck Dicus was an NFL wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 5A · Football

S Garland Titans — S Garland — a college & pro athletic pipeline

3 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

South Garland High School has a proud tradition of athletic excellence, with several former Patriots going on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels. These athletes demonstrate the talent fostered within our community. We celebrate their hard work and dedication, which began right here in Garland.

Among the notable alumni are Quincy Morgan, who played wide receiver for teams like the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys. Nick Florence quarterbacked for the Baylor University football team. More recently, Tyrese Maxey has made his mark as a guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, following his time with Kentucky.

Pro/D1 alumni
3
Class
5A
Founded
1964
Key Players
  • Quincy Morgan — (1996) – Wide receiver for the Blinn College, Kansas State Wildcats football, Denver Bronc
  • Nick Florence — (2007) - Quarterback for the Baylor University football team, 2009-2012
  • Tyrese Maxey — (2019) - Guard for Kentucky and for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The moment

Tyrese Maxey played guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Sources: Wikipedia
⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 5A · Athletics

Lakeview Centennial Patriots — Lakeview Centennial — a college & pro athletic pipeline

3 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, Texas, has a proud tradition of athletic excellence, with several former Patriots making their mark in major college and professional sports. Our alumni have gone on to compete at the highest levels, showcasing the dedication and talent fostered right here in Garland. It's always a pleasure to see former students achieve their dreams.

Among the notable athletes who once walked the halls of Lakeview Centennial are Derrick Dockery, an NFL football player; Athena, a professional wrestler currently of All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor; and Zhaire Smith, an NBA basketball player. These individuals represent the diverse athletic pathways available to our students and serve as an inspiration to current Patriots.

Pro/D1 alumni
3
Class
5A
Founded
1976
Key Players
  • Derrick Dockery — , NFL football player
  • Athena — , professional wrestler Athena, currently of All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor, previo
  • Zhaire Smith — , NBA basketball player
The moment

Athena, a professional wrestler, has captivated audiences in All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Garland

1848 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Garland on the Map
All music from Texas → · Browse more cities