{"id":346040,"date":"2026-06-22T20:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/346040\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T20:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:15:16","slug":"historical-plaque-dedicated-to-east-texas-music-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/346040\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical plaque dedicated to East Texas music icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

JEFFERSON, Texas (KTAL\/KMSS<\/a>) \u2014 One of the most accomplished professional musicians in East Texas is being celebrated with the dedication of a historical plaque in his hometown of Jefferson.<\/p>\n

Born in Jefferson in 1913, H. Stedman \u201cSteady\u201d Nelson began taking music lessons as a child and studied throughout his teenage years.<\/p>\n

Steady was determined to pursue a career performing jazz and swing music and relocated to Houston to seek opportunities in the music industry.<\/p>\n

In Houston, a veteran trumpet player from Beaumont encouraged Steady to move to New York in order to play with the nation\u2019s leading big bands.<\/p>\n

Downtown Texarkana hosts free Wings and Blues Festival <\/a><\/p>\n

Steady married his wife, Ruth \u201cEzy\u201d Ezel Nelson, shortly after, and they moved to New York City together.<\/p>\n

His career flourished, and he performed with some of the most notable orchestras and bandleaders of the swing era, including Jimmy Dorsey, Hal McIntyre, Gene Krupa, and Woody Herman\u2019s original herd.<\/p>\n

Steady earned a reputation as one of the most respected and accomplished trumpet players in the country and later moved to Los Angeles, joining the NBC Orchestra.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At a time when swing and big band music were \u201cpop\u201d music in America, he was one of the notable and elite musicians in the genre.<\/p>\n

After touring and performing for years, Nelson became a successful accountant but continued to play jazz swing and contemporary music for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

H. Stedman \u201cSteady\u201d Nelson died in 1988, but his legacy and dedication continue to inspire musicians and music lovers.<\/p>\n

Clive Davis, music industry giant, dies <\/a><\/p>\n

To recognize his contributions to American music, Steady will be honored with a historical marker in Jefferson. The ceremony will be followed by a special big band concert celebrating the music he excelled at playing.<\/p>\n

The festivities will also include an announcement that Steady has been selected as a Texas Music Pioneer<\/a> by the Texas State Historical Association<\/a>. The distinction recognizes his role in preserving and advancing Texas\u2019 musical heritage.<\/p>\n

Community leaders, historians, musicians, and residents are invited to participate in the celebration of a native Jeffersonian who used his talents to grace the stages of America\u2019s most famous orchestras.<\/p>\n

Exploring Historic Jefferson, Texas: 77th Annual Pilgrimage Tour <\/a><\/p>\n

Hosted by the Opera House Theatre Players<\/a>, the marker dedication takes place at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 3, 2026, downtown in Mead Park, followed by a reception at Green Gables Bed and Breakfast Inn<\/a> next door.<\/p>\n

The Sounds of Swing will perform the big band concert at 7 p.m. in the Visitor Center on Austin Street. Concert tickets are $20 per person and are available online<\/a>, by email, or by calling
(903) 665-8243 or (903) 926-2760.<\/p>\n

You can now stream KTAL 6 and KMSS 33 News live 24\/7 on your smart TV\u00a0with\u00a0KTAL Now<\/a>,\u00a0our brand-new app!\u00a0No antenna, cable, or satellite needed\u2014watch for free, anytime.\u00a0Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming.<\/p>\n

More Local News<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JEFFERSON, Texas (KTAL\/KMSS) \u2014 One of the most accomplished professional musicians in East Texas is being celebrated with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":346041,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[123428,2604,123429,47270,123432,123427,123430,123431,123433,27,29,28],"class_list":["post-346040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-american-music","tag-east-texas","tag-h-stedman","tag-jefferson","tag-music-in-america","tag-music-lessons","tag-ruth-ezy-ezel-nelson","tag-stedman-steady-nelson","tag-swing-music","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}