{"id":405244,"date":"2026-08-13T06:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/405244\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:30:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:30:28","slug":"the-family-business-austins-musical-legacy-the-austin-chronicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/405244\/","title":{"rendered":"The Family Business: Austin\u2019s Musical Legacy\u00a0 \u2022 The Austin Chronicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fall of 1995, singer-songwriter Sara Hickman<\/a> felt her career gaining momentum. She was touring behind her third album, Necessary Angels, and had just played Los Angeles\u2019 famed Troubadour when she learned she was pregnant.<\/p>\n

Rather than putting music on hold, she kept going.<\/p>\n

Within months, infant Lili Hickman<\/a> was traveling alongside their mother, bouncing between tour stops while relatives and friends helped care for them backstage. Some nights, Sara even walked onstage with Lili strapped to her back while performing before thousands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine what that does to someone\u2019s psyche,\u201d Sara says. \u201cEspecially because it\u2019s a positive response.\u201d<\/p>\n

Years later, the roles had quietly reversed.<\/p>\n

At the Broken Spoke, Sara watched from the audience as 7-year-old Lili took the stage, a feather boa draped around their shoulders and a newsboy cap pulled low. Backed by a band of fellow campers from School of Rock, Hickman took the microphone and belted out the Rolling Stones\u2019 \u201cGet Off of My Cloud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt this empowerment that I had never felt before,\u201d Lili says. \u201cIn that moment, I was like, \u2018Maybe I could do this forever.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Austin has long been celebrated as the Live Music Capital of the World, launching generations of artists who helped define the city\u2019s sound. Less visible are the families behind that legacy. Children raised backstage, inside recording studios, and on tour buses are now becoming musicians themselves, transforming a lifetime of exposure into careers uniquely their own.<\/p>\n

Where the Soundtrack Began<\/p>\n

For Lili, music wasn\u2019t something to aspire to; it was simply everyday life. That same sense of normalcy echoes throughout Austin\u2019s musical families, where rehearsals replaced bedtime stories and the hallways of music venues became childhood playgrounds.<\/p>\n

For Ben Buck, those lessons came through records. Long before he picked up a microphone, his father, drummer and Antone\u2019s Records owner Mike Buck<\/a>, introduced him to Austin clubs, live shows, and a sprawling vinyl collection spanning blues, soul, rock, and country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic has been a constant in my life since before I could walk,\u201d Ben says. \u201cMy dad would play records and take me out to different shows that he was performing around town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Mike Buck with his then-teenaged son, Ben Credit: Ben Buck<\/p>\n

Both of Mike\u2019s children found their way into the arts. Ben built a career as a rapper, producer, and DJ, earning Austin Music Awards recognition<\/a>, while his sister Billie Buck<\/a> is a musician and visual artist. Even so, Mike says he never expected either of them to become musicians. \u201cI just let them choose their path,\u201d he says. \u201cThey gravitated toward music on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than abandoning the sounds he grew up with, Ben absorbed them. His work pulls from the same deep musical history his father introduced him to, filtering blues, soul, and rock influences through hip-hop production and modern storytelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a really immense record collection, and hearing all the music inside the house gave me context for the hip-hop I was listening to,\u201d Ben says. \u201cIt showed me the roots and how it\u2019s progressed and gave me a deeper appreciation for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That same sense of musical inheritance looked different for Calder Allen<\/a>. As a fifth-generation Austinite (and grandson of renowned songwriter and artist Terry Allen<\/a>), he grew up in a family<\/a> where music was a tradition. At gatherings, guitars rarely stayed in their cases for long. Holiday celebrations routinely became impromptu jam sessions as relatives and family friends passed instruments around the room.<\/p>\n

With his father behind the drums and his older brother playing in bands, music became woven into the family long before Calder wrote his first song. \u201cI just thought it was normal,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone else in my family had their own record, so I figured it was my turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

His grandfather remembers that progression as something that happened naturally rather than intentionally. \u201cThere\u2019s always been music around our house,\u201d Terry says. \u201cFrom the time all of these people were little bitty kids, they took to some kind of instrument or to music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching his children and grandchildren continue that tradition has become one of his greatest rewards. \u201cThere\u2019s something really incredible about turning around and seeing your kids behind you with an instrument,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a feeling unlike any other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Five generations of Allens appear on this year\u2019s album Blood Sucking Maniacs<\/p>\n

More Than a Last Name<\/p>\n

For the next generation of Austin musicians, inheriting a musical legacy comes with both opportunity and expectation. As the child of a beloved Austin musician, Lili has occasionally been labeled a \u201cnepo baby,\u201d a title they greet with humor rather than resentment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a forever nepo baby,\u201d Lili says with a chuckle. \u201cIf that means I get to be Sara Hickman\u2019s kid, I\u2019ll take the title for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Lili understands the desire to be recognized beyond a family name. That search for independence began with Flora & Fawna, the Austin electropop band they formed before joining country supergroup Next of Kin. Without their last name attached, Lili found a new freedom in introducing music on their own terms: \u201cIt was nice to feel, in a way, my own person.\u201d<\/p>\n

After years exploring a sultry sound with Flora & Fawna, Lili found themselves returning to the roots-inspired music that first shaped them. After inviting Madison Baker and Caelin to sing harmonies on a demo, the chemistry between the three musicians was undeniable. \u201cI think all three of us realized something really special was happening,\u201d Lili says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Sara and a grown-up Lili Hickman perform together Credit: Jill Henderson<\/p>\n

The spark they found in that first recording session has since turned into one of Austin\u2019s fastest-rising acts. With a blend of country storytelling and harmony-rich arrangements, the trio brings their sound to stages across the country; they made their Lollapalooza debut on Aug. 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Calder Allen took the Lollapalooza stage the following day. Calder\u2019s music fuses traditional Texas country with heartland rock into a Red Dirt blend, pairing reflective songwriting with the storytelling traditions passed down through generations of Texas musicians. Despite their different sounds, both Hickman and Allen navigate the challenge of honoring a family legacy while building careers that reflect their own voices.<\/p>\n

Calder\u2019s approach is less about recreating the past than continuing a conversation. \u201cI do feel a sense of artistic integrity that\u2019s been influenced by my grandfather and my parents,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve always respected the way they\u2019ve lived their lives, and I want to carry that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some artists, honoring a family legacy also means becoming the representation they never saw. For CHERRI<\/a>, finding her artistic voice meant forging a path where few had come before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The singer-songwriter and producer, born Corinne Jones, first gained attention on TikTok<\/a>, where she documented Austin\u2019s lack of visible Black music spaces while encouraging audiences to support local R&B artists. Her videos have garnered thousands of views, highlighting overlooked musicians and challenging perceptions of the city\u2019s music scene. By the time she launched her March residency at Firehouse Lounge, many of the viewers who had discovered her online were filling a room that once struggled to reach capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people come up after shows and say, \u2018I\u2019ve lived here for 20 years and never seen this many Black people in one room,\u2019\u201d CHERRI says. \u201cWe\u2019re actively changing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music had always surrounded her. She spent much of her childhood watching her mother, soul and R&B singer Tam\u00e9ca Jones<\/a>, perform across Austin, absorbing lessons from the wings before ever stepping into the spotlight herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a Black female musician, it\u2019s a lot harder to navigate the industry,\u201d CHERRI says. \u201cFor a long time, [my mom] didn\u2019t even want me to do music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tam\u00e9ca admits that hesitation came from experience rather than doubt in her daughter\u2019s talent. \u201cI definitely didn\u2019t encourage her at first,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was a projection of my own hurt in the industry because money corrupts art, and it\u2019s definitely corrupted my love for music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she watched those fears slowly give way to pride as CHERRI developed into a confident performer in her own right. \u201cI saw her blossom as a performer,\u201d Tam\u00e9ca says. \u201cShe\u2019s so naturally charismatic. The way she interacts with the crowd is effortless and genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Corinne and Tam\u00e9ca Jones Credit: Nathan Migal<\/p>\n

That confidence extends beyond the stage. CHERRI\u2019s debut single, \u201cCome Around,\u201d blends contemporary R&B with soulful vocals and understated production, prioritizing mood and intimacy over traditional pop structure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For CHERRI, carving out her own identity meant carrying forward her mother\u2019s influence while reshaping what that legacy can look like. This journey reflects a challenge shared by many artists raised around Austin\u2019s music scene: how to honor the people who came before them while creating something distinctly their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom\u2019s passing the torch,\u201d she says. Even her laugh carries the same warmth as Tam\u00e9ca\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, I always thought, \u2018I\u2019ll be my own artist someday,\u2019 and that\u2019s happening right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A note to readers:\u00a0Bold and uncensored,\u00a0The Austin Chronicle\u00a0has been Austin\u2019s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community\u2019s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. <\/p>\n

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