Bevis M. Griffin, the "Black Rock Maverick of Texas," is regarded as a pioneer of black rock music for his contributions to the scenes in Austin, New York City, and beyond.

In this episode, we discuss his move back to Austin and forming The Chill Factor with Denny Freeman, bassist Sarah Brown, and drummer George Rains - all longtime contributors to Antone's. As fate would have it, Ray Benson reached out with an offer to work as a hired gun, pulling Bevis to San Antonio and into another shift in direction. Reconnecting with old friend Kurt Otto in San Antonio led to Rawhead TechX, an ambitious electronic-leaning project they even tried to take to Nile Rodgers in New York.

Momentum continued when Vernon Reid called with news that Living Colour’s manager was interested in working with Bevis, opening the door to the Steel Wheels tour with The Rolling Stones and unforgettable backstage moments, including a Dallas stop that felt like a homecoming for his Austin circle. While all of this was happening, he was still heavily involved in the Austin scene; recording at Arlyn Studios with Tommy Shannon and Reese Wynans, and working in other projects like Solid Senders, The Paradigm, One Fell Swoop, The Cosmopolitans, and Dino Lee’s Luv Johnson.

We close with Bevis reflecting on the ending of his music career, and the gratitude and clarity he carries despite it not unfolding the way he once imagined.

Sampled Songs: "Thunderdome" - Rawhead TechX, "Really Love to Know" - Banzai Kik, and "Words (just get in the way)" - One Fell Swoop