The Gant Family
The Gant family is part of an elite group of musicians documented by the noted folklorist John A. Lomax and included in the Library of Congress Music Collection in Washington, D.C. The Gants brought tales and songs of Appalachia and the old world to the Texas Hill Country. They overcame hardship and strife, and played a significant role in the rise of the folk music scene in Austin. The family’s influence has transcended Texas, and their songs have since been recorded by generations of diverse artists.
George and Maggie Gant and their seven children arrived in Austin in 1932. They were migrant southern farmers directly affected by drought and the Great Depression. Their story was similar in many ways to that of other families of the era, but their musical abilities set them apart. They often performed at local folk festivals, and their oldest son, Nephi, sang on local radio shows. It was the family’s musical gift that attracted John Lomax, who grew up in Texas and was curator of the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress. Along with his son, Alan, Lomax traveled throughout the U.S. and the world to document and record folk songs for the Library of Congress Music Catalogue. Between 1934 and 1936, the Lomaxes recorded fifty traditional songs performed by the Gant family in their home near Deep Eddy Pool. Five of their songs were published in the Lomax book Our Singing Country.
The Gant family was well-known throughout the state, and performed at the Texas Centennial Celebration in 1936. Tragically, Nephi was murdered in Austin that same year, and his death forever changed the family. They never again recorded together and eventually left Austin and dispersed throughout the country.