Out & About

After spending the first part of his professional life performing at rodeos and Wild West shows as both rider and musician, then kicking around Nashville for six years (the telling title of his debut CD: VietNashville), Houston Marchman is only getting more seasoned the longer he lasts. "VietNashville is about...

By Chris Smith

December 21, 2000

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After spending the first part of his professional life performing at rodeos and Wild West shows as both rider and musician, then kicking around Nashville for six years (the telling title of his debut CD: VietNashville), Houston Marchman is only getting more seasoned the longer he lasts. "VietNashville is about finding yourself, defining what's important to you, and standing up for those things," Marchman says. "While I was living in Nashville, I met so many very talented people who were true to their profession but were not allowed the opportunity to express their art."The main factor that worked against Marchman in Nashville will make him fit right in with a local audience: He is T-E-X-A-N. Unwilling to bend, Marchman turns out songs derived from his roots--stories of ranch hands, rodeo riders, truckers, and broken hearts--but then propels them into the here and now via a blend of rock, country, Texas folk, blues, conjunto, and polka.

Marchman's last disc, Leavin' Dallas, was released last May, and CD No. 3--Tryin' for Home, which features his stellar backing group, The Contraband--just made its way into stores. The disc includes the song "One Foot Deeper," which is already part of the soundtrack for an upcoming HBO special. Add that into his current standing-room-only status, and Houston Marchman might be on the verge of making a big name for himself in country music. Proving better than anyone else that you don't need Nashville to do that.

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