List of UNT music star alumni?

[JesseMartin]

I think I want to make a poster-sized piece of our big names in music, so please help me make sure I don't forget anyone. Also I'm not sure where to cut it off. I was going to just do one with the recent ones, but it'd be cool to do one of the first "round" of rock/music stars and another of the younger generation. So I'll put a space in where I think it should be cut off and let me know if that seems like a good spot to split them up. Anyway, let me know if I missed anybody; and did Brave Combo or Bowling for Soup go to UNT? I want to say that some of the BFS guys did but don't remember for sure:

Roy Orbison

Pat Boone

Don Henley

Paul Shaeffer

Meatloaf Adair

Tripping Daisy

Norah Jones

Brandon Rogers

Johann Wagner

Eli Young Band

[adman]

Paul Schaeffer of David Letterman fame? No way he went to UNT.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Gary Willis

Tom "Bones" Malone

"Blue" Lou Marini

Michael League and most (if not all?) of Snarky Puppy

Some members of Brave Combo went to UNT, but I'm not sure which ones.

The list could go on and on, but it might depend on what you define as a "star." I see Tripping Daisy on your list, so I'm assuming it would be fairly inclusive.

[JesseMartin]

I'm going to have to look some of those up!

I thought Tripping Daisy was pretty big in the 90s but I never bothered to look up stats as to how big they really were. I don't want to leave anybody out if they're generally considered to be fairly big or well-known, but I don't want to be so inclusive as to have everyone who had a decent local following but never really blew up, you know?

Like, Johann isn't known outside of the folk scene, but he's one of the top folk musicians in the USA, so that's a big deal. And Brandon was mostly known for American Idol, but since that's gotten him so many tour dates and TV gigs and songwriting credits, I think that's pretty heavy too. There are a few others that did similar things to those two, but didn't end up as well known.

I guess I should include Lecrae as well, huh?

[CMJ]

Would you include any of our classical musicians that dot orchestras around the country?

[JesseMartin]

Maybe, if they're a big enough name. I have a few friends that are included in that classification, but they're not to the point where they're considered a huge name on their own yet (though a couple of them are getting close). But if you know of someone who's a really big name, yeah, I'd think that would count.

[Mean Green 93-98]

sly and the family stone.

Sly was born in Denton, but he moved to California as a child. I'm pretty sure he did not attend NT, much less the entire band.

[DeepGreen]

I think Michael Martin Murphy attended UNT.

Edited May 16, 2015 by DeepGreen

[Mean Green 93-98]

Ray Wylie Hubbard ("Redneck Mothers," et al.)

Steve Bailey (famed electric bassist, currently chair of Berklee's bass dept.)

Herb Ellis (famous jazz guitarist, played with Oscar Peterson for years)

David Hungate (bassist for Toto, noted Nashville studio bassist, bassist on "You're the One That I Want," et al. et al.)

Greg Bissonnette (drummer, most famous as the drummer for David Lee Roth)

Marc Johnson (top jazz bassist)

Lyle Mays (jazz/fusion keyboardist, especially known during his time with the Pat Metheny Group)

[Mean Green 93-98]

I think Michael Martin Murphy attended UNT.

Confirmed.

After graduating from W. H. Adamson High School in Oak Cliff, Murphey studied Greek at the University of North Texas and joined the Folk Music Club where he met Steven Fromholz, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Spencer Perskin, and Eddie Wilson—co-founder of Armadillo World Headquarters. Murphey then moved to California, where he studied creative writing at the University of California at Los Angeles, majoring in medieval history and literature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Martin_Murphey#Early_life

Also, early 90's rapper M.C. 900 Ft. Jesus studied trumpet as a graduate student at N.T.

[Coffee and TV]

Small tidbit about Eli Young band...

Was in summer freshman orientation in 2001 and the lead singer Mike Eli was my RA/orientation leader guy. After all of the day's activities when people were free to mill about he opened his door to anyone in our group/sister girl's group to just chill and talk and answer and questions. He put on some early Eli Young songs and was like "yeah we're just a little Texas country college band, we've played a few gigs" but played it off like it was nothing. Funny seeing them blow up to the national scene 4-5 years later.

[GreenMachine]

How many listed actually admit they went to UNT and /or contribute back to the school? I remember seeing the nuclear Polka band, Brave Combo, play in Frisco. I said something about North Texas to them and they laughed and said they had nothing to do with NT.

Edited May 17, 2015 by GreenMachine

[Mean Green 93-98]

How many listed actually admit they went to UNT and /or contribute back to the school? I remember seeing the nuclear Polka band, Brave Combo, play in Frisco. I said something about North Texas to them and they laughed and said they had nothing to do with NT.

Bull.

They have repeatedly emphasized their UNT ties.

If Brave Combo has "nothing to do with UNT," how do you explain this?

[GreenMachine]

Bull.

They have repeatedly emphasized their UNT ties.

If Brave Combo has "nothing to do with UNT," how do you explain this?

okay, then I am lying, suit yourself.

[JesseMartin]

Maybe they were being sarcastic?

My funny Mike Eli (Diaz) story is that he was supposed to be the Freshman Interns director of SGA around the time of Coffee's story, maybe a year later and he decided not to do it to focus on his music. I bumped into him at Bonfire and we were talking about all that, and I was like, "Well, just be sure you have a backup in place..." hahaha. On the other hand, they all talk about how staying focused on school have made them good at the business side of the music.

[Stix]

According to Wikipedia, Brave Combo formed in 1979 - it doesn't say when. I saw them at an outdoor concert on campus during the week before classes started in August of '79, so I like to think I saw their first performance, but I don't know if that's the case. They certainly played at the Rock Bottom Lounge frequently enough when it existed.

I don't know if Carl Finch attended NT, but I know several of the original members did, and I'm pretty sure some of the members along the way did too. Anyway, I don't think you can talk about Brave Combo without talking about NT.

[greenminer]

I think the Schaffer-UNT connection is a myth. I can't remember where I heard it, but I think he has referred to "Fry Street in Denton, TX" as the best/easiest place to find weed.

Tom "Bones" Malone is a great example of a jazzer that has crossed into mainstream culture. He's been part of the CSS Orchestra for a while now. I don';t know if he'd fit your first round criteria, but it's name worth mentioning sooner or later.

NT Daily profile

Jeff Coffin is another musician that comes to mind. Longtime saxophone for Bela Fleck and more recently has been a member of DMB.

Here's a Wiki list I found.

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

Wouldn't say they are completely main stream, but half of Parquet Courts if you want a modern band. Andrew and Austin met in Bruce hall.

Edited May 18, 2015 by ChristopherRyanWilkes

[Mean Green 93-98]

I think the Schaffer-UNT connection is a myth. I can't remember where I heard it, but I think he has referred to "Fry Street in Denton, TX" as the best/easiest place to find weed.

That was on the Letterman Show, but it was Willie Nelson who said it.

Tom "Bones" Malone is a great example of a jazzer that has crossed into mainstream culture. He's been part of the CSS Orchestra for a while now. I don';t know if he'd fit your first round criteria, but it's name worth mentioning sooner or later.

Both he and "Blue" Lou Marini probably hit their greatest fame with the Blues Brothers.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Mean Green 93-98

[JesseMartin]

If I do this, I might have to do a few; rockers, jazz, classical, and "new blood." I found that wiki list too and it just keeps going!

[Cowtown]

Dave Palmer can melt your mind on the keys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Palmer_%28American_keyboardist%29

&

Earl Harvin is the most gifted drummer I have ever seen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Harvin

Ten Hands

Deep Blue Something

[BeanCounterGrad'03]

Lacrae - (hip hop artist and recent Grammy nominee)

[forevereagle]

Lacrae - (hip hop artist and recent Grammy nominee)

He has actually won multiple Grammys.

[Cerebus]

Neon Indian

Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas.[2] The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo (born July 24, 1988), who is also known for his work with the band Ghosthustler, and as the solo artist VEGA. The band's debut studio album, Psychic Chasms, was released in October 2009 to favorable reviews. Rolling Stone named Neon Indian one of the best new bands of 2010.[3] Their second studio album, Era Extraña, was released in September 2011.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Cerebus

[Cerebus]

A.N.S

Baboon

The Baptist Generals

Bosque Brown

Bowling for Soup

Brave Combo

Brutal Juice

Centro-Matic

Chris Garver

Circus della Morte

Corn Mo

Deep Blue Something

Don Henley

Bob Dorough

Eli Young Band

Eric Keyes

Faktion

Febrifuge

Fishboy

Flesh Born

Flickerstick

Fra Pandolf

Lift to Experience

The Marked Men

Mazinga Phaser

Meat Loaf

Midlake

Mingo Fishtrap

Neon Indian

New Science Projects

Norah Jones—raised in Grapevine, TX—studied jazz piano at the University of North Texas

Pat Boone

Pink Smoke

Polyphonic Spree

Ralph Kirshbaum

Ray Peterson

The Riverboat Gamblers

The Rocket Summer

Two Knights

Roy Orbison

Sarah Jaffe

Slobberbone

Sly Stone

Snarky Puppy

William Basinski