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Crockett Blues Tour
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(1) T-Bone Walker
T-Bone walker was a pioneer innovator of the jump blues and electric blues sound. In 2018 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 67 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". T-Bone had just performed in Dallas and was traveling to Crockett for a performance when he was detained and held in the Houston County Jail, located at the top floor of the Courthouse at the time. Dallas authorities wanted him for alleged drugs and gambling related charges.
Banners
Discover Downtown Crockett
Take a tour of the banners throughout Downtown Crockett and discover the influential individuals they represent.
Davy Crockett
David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician.. He represented Tennessee in the U.S House of Representatives and camped in Crockett on his way to The Alamo. The town is named in his honor.
Lightnin’ Hopkins
Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) considered as one of the all-time great guitarists was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. Described as "the embodiment of the jazz-and-poetry spirit, representing its ancient form in the single creator whose words and music are one act". He was a notable influence on Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Jr., and a generation of blues musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan. A statue of Lightnin’ Hoplins can be found across the street from The Camp Street Café and Store in Crockett.
Pipp and Guy Gillette
Award winning singer/songwriter, Pipp Gillette lives and works on the family ranch near Lovelady, Texas, where his grandfather started raising cattle and cotton in 1912. Pipp and his late brother Guy received the Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Album of 2011 and the 2013 Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Original Western Composition for their performance of the Waddie Mitchell song "Trade Off.” Drawing on a lifelong interest in Western history and music, Pipp plays traditional cowboy music on guitar, banjo, harmonica and bones. Pipp’s first solo CD, Singing Songs by Waddie and Pipp received the Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Album of 2016. His newest CD, Pipp Gillette with Lloyd Wright was released fall 2018.
Lucile Smith
Crockett native Lucille Elizabeth Bishop Smith (1892–1985) was an African American entrepreneur, chef, and inventor. She invented the first hot biscuit mix, and has been called "the first African American businesswoman in Texas".
George Keene
Major George Lawson Keene, (1898 – 1956) the most decorated U.S. soldier in World War I, was born in Crockett in 1898.
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Myrtis Dightman
Crockett born, Myrtis Dightman, was the first black cowboy and bull rider to compete in the National Finals Rodeo in 1964. Known as the “as the Jackie Robinson the rodeos. In 2011, Dightman was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was inducted into the Pro Rodeo and Bull Riding Hall Fame. A bronze statue stands at the entrance of the Porth Ag Arena in his honor in Crockett.
Eliza Bishop
The woman known as “The Houston County historian”. She was a commanding figure in the forefront of historical preservation in Houston County, and someone truly proud of East Texas.
