Justin Trevino

Despite his blindness, Texan Justin Trevino pursued his musical ambitions without pause. At age seven he began playing guitar and soon found that singing along was the only way to put the chords he practiced to use. His father persuaded club owners around Austin to book the teenager, resulting in his first paid appearances at thirteen in local juke joints and honky tonks. At sixteen he shared stages with his idol Johnny Bush, which placed him in the spotlight and led to steady work both as a member of Bush’s Bandoleros and as an accompanist for country legends Hank Thompson, Kitty Wells, and Wanda Jackson. Home demos formed the foundation of his independently issued debut Texas Honky-Tonk; the follow-up, Loud Music & Strong Wine, was cut with musicians from Johnny Bush’s Bandoleros and the Pure Texas Band plus steel guitarist Jimmy Day. Lone Star Records issued his third album, Traveling Singing Man, in early 2001. For his fourth release, The Scene of the Crying, in 2002, Trevino brought in Cajun singer Jimmy C. Newman and rockabilly mainstay Wanda Jackson.