[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-394736-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-394736-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","its-the-music-volume-5-issue-1-art-3","“It’s the Music” - Volume 5 - Issue 1 - Art. 3","","“It’s the Music” examines Kent Finlay’s Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, Texas, focusing on the Wednesday-night Songwriters Circle that draws performers and pilgrimage-minded songwriters seeking to sign up for that night’s set. It describes the venue’s acoustic character, the unwritten courtesy code on stage, and the role of surrounding railroads in shaping the atmosphere. The piece also traces Finlay’s background—from Texas origins and musical family influences to the development of his songwriting and education—framing his vision as both communal and culturally distinctive.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/comic/","Comic",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/its-the-music-volume-5-issue-1-art-3/394736/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/its-the-music-volume-5-issue-1-art-3/394736.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Genevieve","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-16","2026-09-26",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What happens on Wednesday nights at Cheatham Street Warehouse?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"Songwriters gather for the weekly Songwriters Circle, and a sign-up sheet determines whether they perform one or two songs that night.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"Why is Cheatham Street described as special to Texas songwriters?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"It is portrayed as culturally distinctive and inspirational, with seasoned writers regarding it with “reverential awe” as something beyond ordinary open-mic nights.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"How did Kent Finlay’s upbringing influence his music path?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"His farm-family background gradually shifted toward music and education through high school experiences, family musical talent, and early public performance opportunities.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},394736,1792181797,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,99,104,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},5,60,"comic",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":96,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":105},1374391974585,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","“It’s the Music”:  \nKent Finlay’s Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, Texas  \nGregg Andrews  \nPhoto of Cheatham Street Warehouse, 1974. Courtesy, Nathan Allen  \nAs songwriters step inside Kent Finlay’s Cheatham Street Warehouse every Wednesday night in San Marcos, Texas, perhaps the most frequently asked question of the bartender and others gathered inside is,“Is the list out yet?”Of course, the“list,”which the bartender does not put out until eight o’clock (bar time), is a sign-up sheet for songwriters who hope to perform that night. Hopefuls eagerly check out the Budweiser Light clock behind the bar in anticipation, aware that their position on the sign-up sheet might determine whether they perform two songs or only one, depending on the number of names on the list.  \n~~ Journal of Texas Music History, Vol~~.~~ 5 [2005], Iss~~.~~ 1, Art~~.~~ 3 ~~  \n“It’s Kent  \nThe weekly Songwriters Circle is the heart and soul of Finlay’s vision for the now legendary honky tonk that he opened in June, 1974. Seasoned songwriters are well-aware that Wednesday nights at Cheatham Street are much more than“open mic” nights. For historical purposes, Finlay carefully preserves the yellow legal pads that contain years of lists of Songwriters Night performers. As he often reminds the audience when he kicks off the show at nine o’clock, usually with his song, “I’ll Sing You a Story, I’ll Tell You a Song,” this  \nCanada, Australia, Mexico, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands, and other regions of the world, songwriters make the pilgrimage to Cheatham Street to sample the influences of this very special night of “church” under Kent Finlay’s creative ministry.  \nAlthough Songwriters Circle is Finlay’s real passion, it is only part of his broader vision of Cheatham Street—a vision that is rooted in his own personal evolution. He was born in Brady, Texas, on February 9, 1938, the oldest of five children (Barbara, Mike, Tommy, and Steve), to parents Grace (Short)  \nthe Music”:  \nFinlay’s Cheatham Street Warehouse  \nAlthough Finlay grew up in a farm family, it became apparent during highschool that his future would be in music and education, not farming.  \nis “church,” and “we’re here to listen.” Little wonder, then, that Ace Ford has called Finlay the “Godfather of Texas Songwriters.” Al Barlow, Director of Music Programs and Community Relations at the New Braunfels Museum of Art and Music and a popular singer-songwriter who got his start at Finlay’s Songwriters Night, has observed that Cheatham Street“is kind of like the Ryman Auditorium for Texas songwriters.”1 The fast-rolling trains that shake and rattle Cheatham Street’s walls and tin sheeting may be too close-by for some folks’s comfort, but for songwritersand other musicians, the trains are an important prop. Located just a few yards from the railroad tracks, the honky tonk with its low ceilings and wellseasoned wood provides fabulous acoustics in a setting that fires the imagination of writers. Woven into the folklore of the old warehouse are numerous stories about the outside crashing sounds of rumbling trains occasionally picking off a stray car parked  \ntoo closely to the tracks. Except for newcomers who at  \ntimes need to be reminded of the unwritten courtesy code that discourages talking, shooting pool, or distracting behavior while songwriters are on stage, writers and faithful members of the audience regard Wednesday nights at Cheatham Street with reverential awe. They appreciate that they are part of something culturally distinctive and inspirational. Whether from small Texas towns and cities, other parts of the United States, or  \nand James Finlay, Jr. As anyone who has heard Finlay sing,“I’m Hanging My Hat Just Down the Road,” an entertaining song about his wide travels in Texas, can tell you, he grew up in the tiny west Texas town of Fife in McCulloch County. Some of his ancestors gave Fife its name in 1882 to honor Fifeshire in Scotland. Since only about 50 people lived in Fife at th","cbCaieh36Xl0oNw0","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieh36Xl0oNw0","pdf",2000908,18,"English","# “It’s the Music”\n## Cheatham Street Warehouse and Songwriters Circle\n## The sign-up list and the weekly ritual\n## Finlay’s vision and musical background","[{\"question\":\"What happens on Wednesday nights at Cheatham Street Warehouse?\",\"answer\":\"Songwriters gather for the weekly Songwriters Circle, and a sign-up sheet determines whether they perform one or two songs that night.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is Cheatham Street described as special to Texas songwriters?\",\"answer\":\"It is portrayed as culturally distinctive and inspirational, with seasoned writers regarding it with “reverential awe” as something beyond ordinary open-mic nights.\"},{\"question\":\"How did Kent Finlay’s upbringing influence his music path?\",\"answer\":\"His farm-family background gradually shifted toward music and education through high school experiences, family musical talent, and early public performance opportunities.\"}]","“It’s the Music” - Volume 5 - Issue 1 - Art. 3 | PDF",1790410956]