THE PRICE CENTER
The Price Center is hosting a panel of Texas Women Songwriters on April 30 at 3:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by the Center for Texas Music History at TXST and the Texas Women Songwriters Festival, the panel will bring together three remarkable songwriters.
HalleyAnna Finlay, Tish Hinojosa and festival founder Mandy Rowden will discuss their careers and the lasting legacy of women in Texas music. Avery Armstrong, public historian at Texas State University and Program Administrator for the Center for Texas Music History, will moderate the discussion.
HalleyAnna Finlay is a lifelong Central Texan who grew up along the San Marcos River in Martindale. Much of her childhood revolved around spending time at the famed Cheatham Street Warehouse, co-owned by her father, Kent Finlay and her mother, Diana Finlay Hendricks. Over the years, she has played with icons in Texas music such as Todd Snider, Hayes Carll and Terri Hendrix. In January, she was named “Best Singer-Songwriter” in San Marcos at the third annual KZSM Music Awards, also at the Price Center.
Tish Hinojosa has remained a heroine in the Texas music scene for more than six decades. Her musical style blends Tejano, folk, country and pop. Over the course of her career, she has teamed up with artists such as Joan Baez, Michael Martin Murphey, Flaco Jimenez, Pete Seeger, Dwight Yoakam and many others.
Mandy Rowden is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and the founder of the Lockhart- based Texas Women Songwriters Festival. A longtime force in Austin’s music community, Rowden is an educator, mentor, community organizer and advocate for women in Texas music. She is the founder of Girl Guitar, an Austin-based guitar, songwriting and rock and roll school for women musicians of all skill levels.
Moderator Armstrong said she first saw Finlay and Hinojosa perform live at the 2025 Texas Women Songwriters Festival, when she also had the opportunity to brainstorm about the songwriter panel with Rowden.
“Mandy and I dreamed up this panel when thinking about how the festival and the academic study of Texas Music History could intersect,” she said. “I wanted to include the voices of seasoned songwriters, such as Tish, and younger songwriters such as HalleyAnna and Mandy, and then also weave in the story and importance of the festival.”
Bobcat Country, a country ensemble of Texas State student musicians directed by Rowden, will play a short set prior to the panel discussion, starting at 3:00 p.m.
The ensemble was founded by Dr. Jordan Stern in 2023 and explores country genres, such as western swing, traditional country and outlaw country, according to their website. Texas State students can join the ensemble for class credit.
The popularity of Bobcat County performances and country/bluegrass jam sessions at Tantra Coffeehouse indicate the continuing popularity of this music in San Marcos, dating back to the legacy of HalleyAnna’s parents.
“Country and Americana have been alive and well in San Marcos for decades, in large part due to the longtime legacy of Cheatham Street Warehouse, which has remained a mainstay in the city for over 50 years,” Armstrong said. “Cheatham Street still holds songwriters’ circles every Wednesday night, per tradition, and has been the ‘jumping off point’ for artists’ careers such as Randy Rogers, Hayes Carll, Todd Snider, and, of course, George Strait.”
Armstrong’s latest research project at Texas State examines the Texas “progressive country” scene. She will be presenting her preliminary findings at the Alliance for Texas History conference in Fort Worth next month. A previous research project focused on the work of the Lost Gonzo Band with Jerry Jeff Walker, including an oral history featuring interviews with all of the band’s original members.
The Price Center is located at 222 W. San Antonio St. For more information on the Price Center, call 512-392-2900 or visit price-center.org. To find out more about the Center for Texas Music History, call 512.245.6465 visit txst.edu/ctmh.
