Music Scene in Wichita Falls

Music Scene in Wichita Falls

Posted on Facebook on February 8, 2023.

   Dating back to the1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, Wichita Falls was a Hot Spot for Musicians. Those making music were able to perform, make a recording, or get a booking right here in the “City That Faith Built”.
   One would think that with such a rich history in the music industry, we could have coined the title “Wichita Falls City Limits”.   ​

​  The Miller Brothers Band was a western swing group from Wichita Falls. Surprisingly, the founding band member’s name was not Miller. Three brothers: Nat, Leon and Sam Gibbs started the band in the 1930’s and became nationally rated on the charts. They played under the guise of the Miller Brothers to protect their daytime jobs at the Times Record News.

​  Eventually Sam Gibbs gave up performing with the band and started a booking agency. He scheduled gigs for road musicians from Texas to California, from Mexico to Canada and to the Orient. Sam also started a music store in Wichita Falls that is still in operation.

​   On Sept 17, 1953 the Gibbs Brothers, still playing under the pseudo name of the Miller Brothers opened the M-B Coral at 3305 Sheppard Access Road. Many entertainers who later gained world-wide fame got their start at Wichita Falls’ own M-B Coral.
   On alternating nights, the M-B Coral was open to black patrons & white patrons. White performers consisted mostly of country and western musicians like Bob Wills, Roger Miller, Lefty Frizzel, Conway Twitty, Hank Thompson, and even Jerry Lee Lewis performed there. Some of the black performers to play at the M-B were: Bo Diddley, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Ike & Tina Turner, and Little Richard.

  Elvis Presley played at the M-B Coral before reaching stardom. Sam Gibbs remembers the night Elvis performed at the M-B, he was just a shy kid with a lot of talent. Elvis’ fee was only $125 for his one night performance. It wasn’t two months later that Elvis had become so popular that he was demanding $50,000 a night and getting it.

   Wichita Falls was also home of a popular recording studio. Because he kept the most up-to-date recording equipment, Lewis Nesman attracted many big named musicians. Operating out of his home at 3108 York Street, Nesman received a panicked call from Buddy Holly needing a recording the next day. Holly ended up recording the songs “Down the Line” and “You and I are Through” as demos to be sent to Decca Records. Buddy called later and said they got a contract with Decca from those two recordings.

  Lewis Nesman also made recording for a local rock duo, The Sprague Brothers pictured here in his studio. Many of the Sprague’s recordings were instrumental with macabre titles such as: “Skull & Cross Bones”, “Blood In The Moonlight” & “Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered”. Oddly enough, some of the Sprague Brothers recordings can be viewed on Youtube. And they started right here in little ole Wichita Falls !!!