Come and Take It

Some say his voice sounds like if chocolate fudge cake could sing. Through a career that spanned decades his remarkable voice made its mark on the music of our time. Today we're talking about The Walrus of Love, Barry White.

He's a maverick performer who made a name for himself by questioning everything about his profession. He's a stand-up comedian turned movie star turned banjo star that now spends most of his time writing. We're talking about a comedy legend?and technically a Texan.

Covering over 800,000 acres of far west Texas, Big Bend National Park is the first and largest national park in Texas. Larger than the state of Rhode Island, Big Bend is a diverse and fascinating combination of striking geological formations, rich diversity in plants and wildlife, amazing discoveries from the fossil record, and the darkest skies in all of Texas. This week Come and Take It visits the truly amazing Big Bend National Park!

Once a sports sensation who put competitive cycling on the map of American culture, Lance Armstrong would eventually be known as the man who perpetrated one of the biggest doping scandals in athletic history. For better or worse, it was a sad end to the story of Texas' greatest cyclist.

It's the 'Grand Canyon of Texas', 120 miles cut through the Caprock Escarpment in the Texas Panhandle. It's rich with geological curiosities, teeming with wildlife, and steeped in thousands of years of history. This week we talk about the Palo Duro Canyon!

They were the most notorious outlaws of the Great Depression, known both for their violent crime spree as well as their scandalous public image. Their names have gone on to be forever linked to the image of young criminals in love.

He was the ultimate country music outlaw, and somehow it's taken us six years to record an episode on this Texas legend. This week we talk about the one and only Waylon Jennings.

Audie Murphy went to from the cotton fields of Texas to the battlefields of Europe to the lights of Hollywood in his all-too-brief life. One of the most decorated soldiers in American history, perhaps his greatest legacy was his work to shed light on post traumatic stress disorder. This week we look at one of the truly great Texas heroes, Audie Murphy.

Few people embody the Texan ideal like legendary country music artist Willie Nelson. He is an icon of country music and one of the most recognizable Texans of all time. This week we examine his life, from his childhood in Texas, to the height of his success as the leader of Outlaw Country. We are proud to present this two parter on the life of the legend, Willie Nelson, on Come and Take It!

One of the most recognizable and influential comedians of all time, her Tarzan yell, and ear-pulling secret message to her beloved grandmother have become a part of America's psyche. Today we're talking about San Antonio native Carol Burnett.

Texas is a big state with a rich history, so naturally it attracts some big and rich myths and legends, especially political ones. This week we look at the facts and history behind some of the myths and legends in the Lone Star State.

On October 2, in the village of Gonzales near San Antonio, Texian colonists resisted the attempt by the Mexican officials to sieze a small cannon, challenging the Mexican soldiers to "Come and Take It". Fighting broke out, becoming the last straw in the relationship between Texas and the Mexican government of Santa Anna. This tiny skirmish would set Texas on the road to independence. The flag they fought under would inspire this revolution as well as this podcast.

For most of Texas' early history, the Comanche people were the most powerful Indian tribe in the state and the Southern Plains, and the great fear of Texan settlers was that they would join together and strike deep into the heart of the state. In 1840, conflict with the Republic of Texas would see the Comanche and their allies do just that, as they launched the largest raid against European settlement in US history, a raid all the way from the Panhandle to the Gulf. Today on Come and Take It, we discuss The Great Raid of 1840 and the history of the Comanche in Texas.

After the fall of the Alamo and the massacre at Goliad, Texans fled east to stay one step ahead of Santa Anna's pursuit. The Runaway Scrape, as it came to be known, would have a lasting legacy in the history of the Lone Star State, and would lead to one of the most stunning reversals of fortune in all of history, the Battle of San Jacinto, where Texans turned and faced Santa Anna and won their independence.

Dutch Nobleman? American businessman? Embezzler? Con Man? Colonizer? Despite a complicated and contradictory history, what's clear is that no one played a greater role in helping the Austin family establish the first Anglo colony in Texas. This week we look at the complicated life of the self-styled Baron de Bastrop!

He's the velvet-voiced country legend whose voice has become iconic to generations. He came to define an entire era of smooth country and adult contemporary music. This week, we're talking about the Gambler himself, the legendary Kenny Rogers.

Famous for having once killed a man just because he snored, the man's self-promoted legend was no doubt larger than the man himself. There is no denying that he was a remorseless and deadly killer with the blood of dozens of men on his hands. He was in many ways a personification of Texas’ tumultuous and tragic years after the Civil War. This week we look at the short and deadly life of John Wesley Hardin.

Long before the arrival of Europeans, the land that eventually became Texas was occupied by a diverse array of native people. The interactions of these people with the Europeans shaped both the culture and history of the state. In this episode, we look at some of the tribes that predominated the eastern half of Texas.

This week we begin a multi-part series examining in more depth some of the many stories of Texas in the Civil War. First up: the chain of events that led to Texas seceding from the Union.

On this show, we look at the life and legend of Jean Lafitte, the last great pirate of the Caribbean. We examine the mysteries and contradictions of his life and death, the legacy he left, and what he means to Texas and Texans.