Bayou City musicians weathered Covid-19 any way they could.
By
Chris Gray
5/11/2021 at 6:00am
Published in the Spring 2021 issue of
Houstonia
Cover photo:Â Music promoter and musician Allen Hill, who lives across the street from the Continental Club, practices guitar in his neighbor's yard. Photo by Thomas Shea.
Houstonâs musicians are resilient. They have to be. Theyâll play for tips, at weddings, on the sidewalkâwherever thereâs a gig. When the coronavirus pandemic began, thatâs also what made them uniquely vulnerable.
Many ply their trade in dark, poorly ventilated bars and nightclubs, or else in social settings where conditions are ripe to create so-called superspreader events. But many of those places have now been closed for going on a year. Worse, medical experts have singled out singing as a perniciously efficient way of transmitting Covid-19. And forget about any kind of social safety net once these people do get sick.