Lone Star Music was founded in 1999 by Chad Raney while living in New Braunfels, Texas, as an internet site dedicated to selling Texas music. Raney had had successful previous experiences as an entrepreneur. Most of the initial 1,300 artists were on independent labels. In December 2002 Raney found himself in the hospital, leaving Christmas orders un-shipped. Michael and Clair Devers, friends of Raney's, took over the operation while he was recovering. By mid-2003 Raney had made them both partners, allowing them to run daily operations while he stayed in Texarkana. In March 2004 a Lone Star Music retail store was opened in the historic Gruene district, which is located within New Braunfels city limits. A second retail store was opened in Kerrville, Texasin September 2007, but was closed the following year. In 2009, Raney and the Devers sold the company to another Texas entrepreneur, Zach Jennings, who immediately began expanding both the online and physical store's inventory to include more Americana roots and rock music by artists from beyond the Texas and Oklahoma regions. In 2012, Jennings moved the physical store from Gruene to San Marcos, TX, re-opening as Superfly's Lone Star Music Emporium in September, 2012. Although the online LoneStarMusic retail site continues to specialize in Texas and Americana music, Superfly's store in San Marcos carries all genres, with a large selection of new and used vinyl.
On May 20, 2006, the 8-foot statue of Texas musician Bob Wills was discovered to have been pulled over during the night. The statue's arm was broken off, lying on the ground next to it. Spurred by the upcoming Bob Wills Day, the vandalism made headlines on hundreds of news organizations around the world. The story was covered on CNN, Yahoo, and CBS.com.
Recent activity
In 2006, Lone Star Music acquired Mavrik Magazine, a glossy, full-color bi-monthly magazine dedicated to covering Texas and Red Dirt Music. In September 2007 the name of the magazine was changed to LoneStarMusic Magazine. It is distributed free at venues, bars, restaurants and other locations throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Since Zach Jennings purchased the company in 2009, the magazine — just like the online retail store — has expanded its coverage to feature articles not just on Texas songwriters and musicians, but artists from across the Americana and roots rock/folk spectrum.
