A passion for music runs deep throughout the entire Clawson family with a long tradition of talented performers bringing smiles to the faces of loyal fans and clients alike.
A catchy advertising slogan warns, “Don’t drink the coffee,” alongside a staunch commitment to their faith in God and emphasis on the importance of family. The Clawsons remain busy managing a thriving, family-owned business for more than four decades.
The beginnings of a musical empire started innocently in 1964, when Bob Clawson noticed his wife, Barbara, was garnering many new students at their home for guitar lessons.
“She was born with a natural affinity for making music,” Bob, 75, recalls. “I knew we had the makings of a successful business, so Clawson’s Music opened its doors in 1964 at the Westwood Shopping Center in Annaville.”
The students kept coming and the Clawsons stayed busy. Working all day at a local refinery, then working evenings at the music store took its toll after one year, so Bob decided it was time to devote all his time to the family business.
Simultaneously, Barbara’s country-western music career was flourishing. Soon, she was touring around the country performing her Billboard Top 100 hit “One Bud Wiser” and other favorites. She performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and on the popular television musical variety show “Hee Haw.” Barbara also toured with country music legends Roy Clark and Buck Owens.
Born in Waco but raised in Corpus Christi, Barbara met her future husband when the two were just teenagers.
“We got married in 1952 and will be celebrating 58 years of marriage this year,” she says with a smile.
Bob explains that the story behind their infamous tag line in their advertising about their bad coffee happened by accident.
“I had just been to Whataburger and about to dive into my burger when a customer walked into the shop. I didn’t want my burger to get cold, so I kept it warm inside the coffee maker,” he says. “We got busy and I forgot about my burger. A few hours later someone decided to make some coffee and it tasted awful. You could actually taste the pickles and then I realized it was Whataburger-flavored coffee!”
But the real story occurred when local radio DJs who were in the music store at that time went back to their stations and started talking about the awful batch of java Bob had inadvertently made.
“We couldn’t get the DJs to stop talking about ‘Clawson’s Music’ on-air,” marvels Bob. “Soon, we capitalized on that with television commercials featuring a bubbly brew of coffee. People still stop us on the street today and ask us about our coffee.”
Hurricane Celia totally leveled the store down to the concrete foundation in 1970 and everything was lost. Rebuilding wasn’t easy, but the family persevered and a new Clawson’s Music re-opened at its current location on South Padre Island Drive.
Meanwhile, the Clawson’s only child, Bubba, was thriving as a talented young musician.
“I learned how to play the guitar around 5 years old. I was selling guitars at the store when I was 10 and teaching guitar part time by the time I was 16. Music has always been a part of me,” Bubba says.
He also had the pleasure of helping famous customers visiting the store, such as Eddie Van Halen, Willie Nelson and George Lopez.
“There is nothing else in the world that can make you happy and sad within a few short minutes. I can get totally lost in music. Sometimes, I can play the same song for an hour and love doing it, too,” says Bubba, now 55.
When he graduated from high school, he made the decision to tour the country with his solo act. The 1970s was an immensely popular time for live music, Bubba says.
“Live music was everywhere, literally,” he says. “Just across the street from our store there were five clubs right next to each other that featured live music every night. I wanted to be on the road and play, so I was a single act playing country-western music and some blues.”
Ten years later, he returned home after touring and decided running the family business was where he belonged.
“I love talking to people about their own passion for music. Helping people who play for their own personal enjoyment is the most fulfilling part of my job,” Bubba says. “Playing a music instrument is such a good hobby to have. It provides a great source of relaxation and is my personal ideal way of passing the time.”
More than 250 students take music lessons at Clawson’s Music, from guitar to drums, woodwind and brass instruments, to piano and violin. Age has no bearing on a person’s ability to have fun with music, Bubba adds.
“It’s important that people know you are never too old to learn a musical instrument. Our youngest student is just 5 years old and our oldest is 82,” he says.
Now, the next generation is poised to take the reins of the store someday. Bubba’s 24-year-old son, Bobby, works at the store.
“I started hanging out at the store around 9, basically doing whatever my grandfather and dad told me to do, whether it was sweeping the floor or emptying a trash can,” Bobby says with a shy laugh. “I love working here. Music is my passion. My favorite memories of growing up here at the store are our family jam sessions, which are truly amazing.”
Bubba says the weak national economy had slowed things down a bit at the store, but business has picked up recently.
“Our core base of musicians is so varied. We don’t just serve professional musicians, but also people whose hobby is music, from all walks of life,” he says. “We also have the largest inventory of music instruments and supplies in the city, including sound systems and musical instruments.”
For now, Bob and Barbara have no plans to retire. They tried retiring once in the 1990s and failed miserably.
“This is where I belong. My son is here. My grandson is here. It’s a family operation and it works for us. I don’t ever plan on retiring again,” Bob says with a self-assured smile. “Our faith in the Lord has always and will continue to sustain us.”
