Visit Beaumont, Texas RVG - Flipbook - Page 6
LOVE LOCAL
LOCAL LEGENDS
JAN IS JOPLI N
Port Arthur
Rock legend, Janis Joplin, sang the blues and rocked the world. Never compromising, this soulful, Port Arthur
native - born January 19, 1943 - sang in the church choir before taking on Austin, San Francisco, and the globe. Visit
the Museum of the Gulf Coast for a gallery dedicated to Joplin’s music catalogue, childhood in Port Arthur, early
artworks and a replica of her iconic 1964 psychedelic Porsche.
BAB E Z AHARIA S
Port Arthur
Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was known as the “greatest female athlete” and hailed from Southeast
Texas. She won three medals in track and field in the 1932 Olympics, played in a Major League Baseball exhibition
game, founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), and played a number of other sports throughout
her career. You can view her awards and triumphs at the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum.
TSO/ ROG E RS B ROTH E RS
Beaumont
The Rogers brothers – Victor J. Rogers, Dr. Sol J. Roges, Ben J. Rogers, and Nathan J. Rogers were important figures in
the Southeast Texas community. Dr. Sol. J Rogers and Ben Rogers founded Texas State Optical, spreading through
Texas. The brothers amassed a fortune which they used to help others. Their likeness is depicted in a bronze cast
by renowned artist, David Cargill, in front of the Texas Energy Museum.
BARBAR A LYN N
Beaumont
Barbara Lynn Ozen, also known by her stage name, Barbara Lynn, is an American rhythm and electric blues
guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Beaumont, Texas. Her first single, “You’ll Lose a Good Thing,” was a number 1
US Billboard R&B chart hit and Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 and later covered by Aretha Franklin and Freddy Fender.
One of the few women African American guitarists at the time, Barbara Lynn was a pioneer in the field and toured
with artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Sam Cooke, and more.
ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG
Port Arthur
Milton “Robert” Rauschenberg was an American painter, sculptor and graphic artist whose early works
anticipated the Pop Art Movement. He is well known for his Combines, a group of hybrid artworks which
incorporated everyday objects, found photos and raw materials that famously blurred the distinctions between
painting and sculpture. His contemporaries included Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, William de Kooning, and
Jasper Johns, who described Rauschenberg as “the most inventive artist of the 20th century since Picasso.” Visit a
gallery of original artworks on the second floor of the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
THE BIG BOPPER
Sabine Pass
J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson Junior, was an American musician and guitar player, song writer and disc
jockey. His best-known compositions include the 1958 gold record “Chantilly Lace,” “Running Bear,” written for
his Port Arthur friend Johnny Preston, an international number one hit in 1960, and “White Lightening,” which
became George Jones’ first number one hit in 1959. Richardson died in a 1959 plane crash along with fellow
musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. The tragedy is remembered as “The Day the Music Died.”
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