1990s
1990. Willie Nelson pays off his back taxes by marketing the IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories through TV.
1990. Brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan record a duo album called Family Style, but Stevie Ray dies in a helicopter crash before it is released. Several posthumous releases are quite popular. They win the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "DFW" and Best Contemporary Blues Recording for Family Style.
1990. The huge popularity of the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere movie Pretty Woman brings new attention and new fans to Roy Orbison. His "Pretty Woman" is the sexy, rollicking theme song.
1990. The Oscar Peterson Trio, including jazz guitarist Herb Ellis, reunite for two albums and win Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group, for Saturday Night at the Blue Note.
1990. Austin resident Shawn Colvin receives a Grammy in the category of Best Contemporary Folk Recording for her debut album, Steady On.
1990. Willie Nelson is one of the first artists chosen to be honored the first year of the Grammy Legend Award. This award was created to recognize "ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field."
1990. The astonishing guitarist Eric Johnson sees three instrumentals from his debut album Ah Via Musicom hit the Top Ten. Johnson, born and raised in Austin, had already attracted notice as a guitarist and for an appearance on Austin City Limits. "Cliffs of Dover" enjoyed hours and hours of radio airplay across multiple formats. The album went platinum and "Cliffs of Dover" won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. He has been honored with two signature guitars—an acoustic model by Martin and a Fender Stratocaster—and continues to win regional awards, to sell eclectic and imaginative albums and to tour with great enthusiasm.
1990. Flaco Jimenez, Augie Meyers and Doug Sahm of The Texas Tornados record Soy De San Luis with Freddy Fender. The Tex-Mex supergroup garners a Grammy in the category of best Mexican-American Performance.
1990. Bruce Carroll claims a Grammy for Best Southern Gospel Album with The Great Exchange. He also receives a Dove award for "Who Will Be Jesus."
1991. The release Diez y Seis de Septiembre brings Little Joe y La Familia a Grammy for best Mexican-American performance.
1991. The Best Latin Pop Album Award goes to Vikki Carr for Cosas Del Amor.
1991. Jerry Jeff Walker hosts The Texas Connection on TNN.
Photo of Sara Hickman and Jerry Jeff Walker at the University of Texas Instruments of Freedom Symposium 2005, by Melanie Suzanne Ruddick © Madeline Maxwell
1992. Lyle Lovett and His Large Band receive a Grammy for Best Country Vocal performance.
1992. Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Raitt win Best Rock Performance with a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Good Man, Good Woman." McClinton starts taking people on musical sailing trips to the Caribbean. Musical guests include Bruce Channel from "Hey Baby" of 1962.
1992. Bruce Carroll receives a Grammy in the category of Best Southern Gospel Album for Sometimes Miracles Hide.
1993. For Lyle Lovett’s duet with Al Green, "Funny How Time Slips Away" from Rhythm, he receives a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.
1993. Linda Davis and Reba McEntire join forces to produce "Does He Love You?", which earns a Grammy in the category of Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
1993. Once again, Asleep at the Wheel takes home the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance, this time for "Red Wing."
1993. Lucinda Williams’ "Passionate Kisses" earns The Austin artist a Grammy in the category of Best Country Song.
1993. Austin’s Nanci Griffith wins a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album on the strength of Other Voices, Other Rooms.
1993. The eponymous Kirk Franklin and the Family is the first gospel album to sell a million copies. Its unique blend of R&B, modern rock, hip-hop, pop, jazz and gospel wins popularity with varied audiences.
1994. Corpus Christi’s Tejana heartthrob Selena Quintanilla Perez receives a Grammy in the category of Best Mexican-American Album for her work on Live.
1994. Jimmie Vaughan releases his first solo album to acclaim and rave reviews. His reputation as a master musician’s musician is enhanced.
1994. Asleep at the Wheel and Lyle Lovett receive the Best Country Group Performance for Group or Duo Grammy for "Blues for Dixie."
1995. Bela Fleck and Johnny Gimble are featured with Asleep at the Wheel for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Hightower."
Promo Photo of Asleep at the Wheel in the '90s
1995. Vikki Carr wins the Best Mexican/American Performance Award for the second time for Recuerdo A Javier Solis.
1996. La Mafia takes home a Grammy in the category of Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance for "Un Million de Rosas."
1996. Glenn Miller Orchestra with Tex Beneke and The Modernaires are inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "Chattanooga Choo Choo."
1996. Kirk Franklin and the Family win Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for Whatcha Lookin' 4. They also win a Soul Train Music Award and an NAACP Image Award for the best duo or group.
1996. A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan is released. Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John and Art Neville share the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "SRV Shuffle."
1996. LeAnn Rimes wins big with a Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Blue.
Photo of LeAnn Rimes, © Paul Natkin /used by permission
1997. Roy Hargrove collaborates with some of Cuba’s finest musicians to produce Habana, which earns him a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Performance.
1997. Shawn Colvin takes home two Grammys for the coveted Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Sunny Came Home," which she wrote with John Leventhal.
1997. For the second year in a row, La Mafia receives Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance for En Tus Manos.
1997. "For God's Property" from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation album brings the Family a Grammy in the category of Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus.
1997. Buddy Holly is posthumously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.
1997. Dallas’ Erykah Badu wins two Grammys, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "On & On" and Best R&B Album for Baduizm.
1997. Lyle Lovett receives a Grammy in the category of Best Country Album for The Road to Ensenada.
1998. Kirk Franklin and the Family release The Nu Nation Project and receive another Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.
1998. Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road earns Williams a Grammy for Contemporary Folk Album of the year.
1998. The Dixie Chicks win Best Country Performance by Duo or Group With Vocal for "There's Your Trouble" and Best Country Album for Wide Open Spaces.
1998. Los Super Seven receives a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Musical Performance for the hit "Los Super Seven." The band is made up of Texans Joe Ely, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez, Ruben Ramos and Rick Treviño. The band pays homage to the Texan-Mexican tradition. The acoustic sound, especially the focus on guitars and violins, recalls early mariachi and dancing accordion lines, a mixture of party tunes and ballads.
1998. Flaco Jimenez wins the Grammy for Best Tejano Performance for the solo release, Said and Done.
1998. Roy Orbison is honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his influence and contributions to the recording field. It is safe to say that pop music would not be the same without him.
1999. Asleep at the Wheel win Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Bob's Breakdowns" and the Best Recording Package for Ride With Bob.
1999. Clint Black and some other Texans, frequent visitors to Texas and non-Texans receive a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for Same Old Train. The collaborators were Joe Diffie, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam.
Promo photo of Clint Black with a horse
1999. Erykah Badu’s work with the Roots earns her a Grammy for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group for the hit "You Got Me."
1999. Yolanda Adams lands her first Grammy award in the category of Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for a Solo, Duo or Group Vocal.
1999. Brave Combo, of Denton, earns a Grammy in the category of Best Polka Album for Polkasonic. Bandleader Carl Finch says on their Web site, "I do think the acceptance of polka and other dance rhythms can help bring about world peace. If the people of the world can start dancing together, they can learn to respect each other's cultures, too."
1999. The Dixie Chicks again win the Grammys for Best Country Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Country Album, this year for "Ready to Run" and Fly.
1999. Los Palominos takes home a Grammy award in the category of Best Tejano Performance for "Por Eso Te Amo."
1999. Chris Perez Band wins Best Latin Rock/Alternative Performance for "Resurrection."
1999. George Jones is still winning awards, singing his songs and living the archetypal hard-drinking, singing up and down life of a country singer. From the album Cold, Hard Truth he plucks a single, "Choices," that earns him a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance more than forty years after his first Grammy for "Why, Baby, Why?".
1999. Poncho Sanchez cuts "Latin Soul," which lands him a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Performance.
1999. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honors Willie Nelson’s creative contributions to the recording field.