Kashmere Stage Band - Texas Thunder Soul, 1968-1974

Gatefold 2LP Vinyl

Texas Thunder Soul is a compilation of recordings by the extraordinary high-school jazz/funk ensemble from Houston, Texas, under the tutelage of the great Conrad O. Johnson. It was released by Now-Again Records in 2006 and subsequently expanded/reissued in 2011.

The band came out of Kashmere High School in Houston's Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. Director Conrad O. "Prof" Johnson was a jazz musician and educator who combined traditional big-band jazz arrangements with the funk and soul his teenage students were listening to.

They became a competitive band, winning 42 of 46 competitions in 1969–1978, and in 1972 were named "Most Outstanding Band in the Nation" at the All-American Stage Band contest in Mobile, Alabama.

The 2/LP contains 18 tracks, all studio recordings, and is packaged as a gatefold with liner notes and photos on the interior panels. 

Kashmere Stage Band Collection

"Kashmere High School spawned a sensation that's still drawing listeners some 40 years later. Not only one of the nation's best stage bands, but one of the best funk bands,  period." - NPR