Tulsa is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and is the 47th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa metropolitan area, a region with 1,034,123 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County, the most densely populated county in Oklahoma, with urban development extending into Osage, Rogers and Wagoner counties.
John Weldon "J. J." Cale was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, Waylon Jennings, and Eric Clapton, who described him as one of the most important artists in rock history. He is one of the originators of the Tulsa sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz.
Leon Russell was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and roll, country, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, southern rock, blues rock, folk, surf and the Tulsa sound. His recordings earned six gold records and he received two Grammy Awards from seven nominations. In 2011, he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "workshop atmosphere" with a recording studio in a converted church, adjoining houses for artists working at the studio, and other facilities. The Tulsa recording studio was housed in the historic The Church Studio. Russell remained with Shelter until 1976, when he and Cordell fell out. In a settlement, Cordell then became sole owner of the label, while Russell left to start his own label, Paradise Records.
Paul Steven Ripley was an American recording artist, record producer, songwriter, studio engineer, guitarist, and inventor. He entered the music industry in 1977. He was also the leader/producer of country rock band The Tractors.
The Tulsa sound is a popular musical style that originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the second half of the twentieth century. It is a mix of blues, blues rock, country, rock and roll and swamp pop sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Artists considered to have pioneered the Tulsa sound include J. J. Cale, Leon Russell, Roger Tillison and Elvin Bishop. After 1980, Gus Hardin (country), and Jeff Carson (country) released roots music albums. Although Dwight Twilley is from Tulsa, his power pop style bears no resemblance to the Tulsa sound; likewise, David Gates' most recognized songs were mostly in the soft rock genre.
Red dirt is a genre of country music that gets its name from the color of soil found in Oklahoma. Many red dirt acts got their start in bars surrounding Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, a city considered to be the center of red dirt music. The genre also extends to music made south of the Red River in Texas. Outlaw country legends Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson have been associated with the distinctive Texas sound, while the late Oklahoma singer-songwriter Bob Childers is widely recognized as the Father of Oklahoma red dirt music. At one time, the distinction between the two genres was sonically obvious, but by 2008, that gap had diminished.
Cain's Ballroom is a historic music venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was built in 1924 as a garage for W. Tate Brady's automobiles. Madison W. "Daddy" Cain purchased the building in 1930 and named it Cain's Dance Academy.
Dwight Twilley was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter, best known for the top 20 hit singles "I'm on Fire" (1975) and "Girls" (1984). His music is associated with the power pop style. Twilley and Phil Seymour performed as the Dwight Twilley Band through 1978, and Twilley performed as a solo act afterwards.
Will Rogers Middle and High School, located at 3909 E. 5th Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was built by Tulsa Public Schools in 1939 using WPA workers and designed by Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. and Leon B. Senter. It was named for the humorist Will Rogers, who died in 1935, along with Wiley Post in a plane crash. Significant additions were made to the original structure in 1949 and 1964. The alterations were in keeping with the original design and did not detract from the school's architectural or historical significance. It has been called "... one of the best examples of Art Deco high school architecture...in the United States.
Dennis Cordell-Lavarack, known as Denny Cordell, was an English record producer. He is notable for his mid-1960s and early 1970s productions of hit singles for The Moody Blues, Leon Russell, The Move, Procol Harum, Joe Cocker and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He later became a racehorse trainer.
James Oldaker was an American rock music, blues rock and country music drummer and percussionist.
The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization that honors jazz, blues and gospel musicians in the state of Oklahoma. Housed in the former Tulsa Union Depot, which it now calls the Jazz Depot, the Hall of Fame is a music venue that hosts regular jazz performances. It is also a museum, displaying photographs, biographical information, artifacts, and memorabilia from musicians such as Chet Baker, Earl Bostic, Don Cherry, Charlie Christian, Tommy Crook, Pat Kelley, Barney Kessel and Jimmy Rushing.
Wes Sharon is an American musician and an award-winning and Grammy nominated record producer and recording engineer.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
A Poem Is a Naked Person is a 1974 American documentary film directed by Les Blank, filmed in 1972–1974 but not publicly released until 2015, after Blank's death. The film is a documentary about musician Leon Russell, produced and financed largely by Russell and his then-business partner Denny Cordell. Blank spent a large portion of two years on the film, but then its release was delayed for 40 years due to creative differences and music clearance problems. Blank's son, Harrod Blank, spent years working on the clearances before it was shown publicly in 2015.
Harwelden is a historical building, also known as Harwelden Mansion, and is an English Tudor-styled mansion with Collegiate Gothic elements in Tulsa, Oklahoma that is an Event Center and Bed and Breakfast. It was built in 1923 by a businessman and philanthropist, Earl P. Harwell. Previously owned by the Tulsa Arts and Humanities Society (AHHA), it is now owned and renovated by Teresa Knox in 2018. The mansion sits on one full city block overlooking the Arkansas River, minutes from the world-renowned Gathering Place.
James Keys Markham was an American harmonica player and singer. Inducted into both the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, he is considered a pioneer of the "Tulsa sound".
