Welcome to Texas Standard Music Madness

Texas Standard’s second annual Music Madness tournament is back by popular demand!

Last year, we honed in on songs that were about cities or places in the Lone Star State. The championship came down to No. 4 seed “Luckenbach, Texas” vs. No. 2 seed “La Grange,” with Waylon Jennings taking the title. Check out how the full tournament played out here.

This year, we’ve broadened the playing field to any song about Texas – and we need your help deciding which song becomes our champion. Check back during each round of voting to make your picks in the form below.

Make the case for your favorite songs

We want to hear from you! Do you have a special connection to or story about one of the songs in our bracket? Use the form below to record a short message telling us about it – you may hear yourself on an upcoming Texas Standard!

The rounds

Round of 32: March 19-21

Sweet 16: March 24-25

Elite Eight: March 26-27

Final Four: March 28-31

Championship: April 1-3

The methodology

The Texas Standard staff drew up a long list of songs about Texas. Our general criteria were that songs couldn’t be in last year’s tournament, which was about specific places in Texas, and that artists hopefully be associated in some way with the Lone Star State. We also sought input from our station colleagues at KUT and (music experts) KUTX to narrow down the field.

Of course, we’re not perfect. Do you see a glaring omission or a wild card that should have been considered? Let us know! There may be some honorable mentions in order …

If you’re digging our tournament playlist, be sure to check out the Texas Music Experience powered by KUTX, where you can livestream artists and songs linked to the Lone Star State 24/7, wherever you are. And don’t forget to follow Texas Standard on Spotify, where we post daily playlists of all the music you hear on the broadcast.