He died in 1954, in the little town of Richards, northwest of Montgomery, and if it weren’t for a few Europeans, who regarded Algernon “Texas” Alexander (1900-1954), as a Texas Blues Saint; making the pilgrimage to Richards to find his gravesite, the local community may still be unknowing of his valuable legacy to Texas Blues history. After years of Whataburger Coffee Groups chats, and a failed outside effort to bring a Blues Festival to town, the Montgomery Historical Society has finally pulled off a proud first. The inaugural ‘Texas Alexander Blues Festival,’ which was planned during the Historical Society’s anniversary Ice Cream Social event held this past April at Hodge Podge Lodge, involved key Board Members of the Montgomery Historical Society, Mr. T. J. Wilkerson, and musical members of the Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery, as well as Coy Prather, a music lover and author of the book on Alexander. Everything came together perfectly on September 6th, to make for a wonderful celebration in honor of the Blues Pioneer, at the Living Savior Church Fellowship Hall in Historic Montgomery.
There was some singing of Blues, Gospel, and even a song from Texas Alexander, whose music spans over one-hundred years ago. Montgomery History Society President Billy Ray Duncan gave an Opening Remark and Prayer to kick off the festival, welcoming the more than 50 area citizens, and even fans from Navasota, a city whose Blues Festival honors legend and Grandfather of Texas Blues, Mance Lipscomb.
“We are pleased to celebrate today a tribute to Mr Alexander,” said Duncan. “We are really just rediscovering his music that was lost for so long.”
City of Montgomery Mayor Pro-Tem, Cheryl Fox, filling in for Mayor Sara Countryman, welcomed all who attended to the ground breaking new festival that planners have already started on for next year. Historian Dr. Robin Montgomery, who lives in Richards, spent many summers in the town as he grew up. He lectured the gathered on what the area was like during the times when Texas Alexander lived there later in his life, even singing a song he composed with his daughter Joy, about Alexander.
MHS Vice-President Ruben Borjas, Jr, spoke on the origins of the festival in Montgomery.
“Billy Ray and I have bandied about the Blues Festival idea in our morning coffee talks at Whataburger for years,” said Borjas. “Now that it’s actually happening is a true testament to the celebratory willingness that the City of Montgomery possesses. I want to thank Mr T.J. Wilkerson, Billy Ray, Bea Rouse, and other board members for their dedication in making today’s celebration of Texas Alexander possible.”
Gospel singer and musician Brother Benny Lewis, from the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, performed one Texas Alexander song ‘Frost Texas Tornado Blues,’ based on a tornado that struck the town south of Dallas, on May 6, 1930, that destroyed many buildings and left 41 people dead. The disaster was memorialized in Alexander’s song.
Montgomery County Historical Commission President Larry Foerster was introduced by T.J. Wilkerson, and he noted the history of Navasota, being designated as the Capital of Texas Blues. Foerster regaled the assembled Blues lovers about how He and Coy Prather, a Texas Music lover, met over the phone. Prather new of Texas Alexander, the ‘Father of Texas Blues,’ of which no one in Montgomery County knew about. Prather was in search of the gravesite of Alexander, as hints had been left by European Blues enthusiasts searching for his grave. Foerster and Prather started to look into the great Blues player, and thus started an effort to bring awareness of his burial site, which eventually ended with the installation of a blue county marker in honor of Alexander.
“Coy is a researcher of Texas Music,” said Forester. “And since that time I’ve learned that he is an incredible student of all nature of Texas Music, national, and even international music.”
Prather has always been a music writer, writing for Goldmine and Texas Music Magazine, and he played a few original songs recorded by Texas Alexander. Prather told of Texas Blues in Navasota and across the state. He explained the difference between Texas and Mississippi Blues, with MS being more guitar based than Texas’ version, with its piano. He made a further distinction between Blind Lemon Jefferson’s Country Blues, and Texas Alexander’s Primitive Blues, which originated from the cotton fields, Jim Crow, and farms, such as Tom Moore’s.
Coy Prather’s book, ‘A Tombstone for Texas: Texas Alexander and the Blues Pioneers of Texas,’ gives an overview of Alexander’s life and his influence on Texas Blues music. Prather is a jokester and story teller.
“Nearly all of our Blues songs are songs of pain, songs of suffering,” said Prather. “The Blues came out of the soul of despair.”
Prather’s recollections on Alexander were very interesting, including the widely reported myth that Texas Alexander had killed his wife and was put in prison in Paris, Texas. But Coy grew up in the town, and knew there was never a prison there, so the myth was dispelled. It was then that Prather engaged in researching and writing about the Blues musician. The journey took two years, involving Grimes County, the City of Anderson, and Montgomery County.
Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church’s Men’s Choir, The Mighty Men of Valor sang several inspirational songs. Young Jace Lewis, 11, sang an excellent rendition of ‘God is Keeping Me,’ which was sung with an incredible voice, and earned a standing ovation from the crowd.
The key to this and future Blues Festivals in Montgomery will come down to reduced commercialization. Year one is under the belt, and was a great experiment, which will lead to better planning and enjoyment of a genre of music many are just learning of, and will come to love.