Forgive me Klawitter for jumping the gun on this post, but I found myself with rare free time and the itch to type myself into a stupor.

So, what I'll start with is a couple very fine local musicians doing a cover of a Houston artist's superb song: Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You"

Carrie Rodriguez & Ben Kyle "If I Needed You" @ Oude Theater Oss 6-10-2010 [4] (via Joost Festen)

I've been lucky enough to see Carrie and Ben at a couple house concerts and I can't recommend them enough. Go out and see them and buy Ben's new self-titled CD. Also catch Romantica, their band.

To counter the cover, what better than another cover of the same fine tune? This one is done by another Houston native, Lyle Lovett. His marriage to Julia Roberts might have gotten him fame, but his music will be his legacy.

Lyle Lovett & Townes Van Zandt - If I Needed You (via horbaful)

The faceoff is now in the bag, so I'll continue on to the real purpose of this post; honoring one of the great labels in blues/R&B and Gospel history. I'm, of course, speaking of Peacock records which was founded in Houston in 1948 by the late Don Robey. Their stable of artists included James Booker, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown: here with a Houston native-Albert Collins Little Richard, Memphis Slim and "Big Mama" Thorton.

In 1952 Peacock acquired Duke records out of Memphis and became Duke/Peacock records recording folks such as Johnny Ace, Junior Parker, Bobby Bland, Roscoe Gordon, and Otis Rush.

By the early sixties Peacock had moved to gospel music only and recorded the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Mighty Clouds of Joy.

In the late sixties Duke/Peacock again recorded some secular music, such as this song by Jackie Verdell, and this cut by Little Frankie Lee.

ABC/Dunhill purchased Duke/Peacock in 1973 retaining Don Robey as a consultant until his passing in 1975 thus ending one helluva run for a small label out of Houston. I'll end with a cut from this Duke/Peacock artist; Joe Hinton singing Got You on My Mind.