Art&Seek presents This Week in Texas Music History. Every week, we’ll spotlight a different moment and the musician who made it. This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll go slippin’ around with a honky-tonk legend.

You can also hear This Week in Texas Music History on Sunday at precisely 6:04 p.m. on KERA radio. But subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss an episode. And our thanks to KUT public radio in Austin for helping us bring this segment to you. And if you’re a music lover, be sure to check out Track by Track, the bi-weekly podcast from Paul Slavens, host of KXT’s The Paul Slavens Show, heard Sunday night’s at 8.

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On Dec. 17, 1939, the College of Music at the University of North Texas in Denton received its accreditation. Music had been in the university’s curriculum since 1890, but this national recognition helped the College of Music grow into one of the most prestigious music programs in the country. By the 1940s, UNT offered several music degrees and had a number of student bands performing in concerts and on radio. In 1947, UNT became the first university in the country to offer a degree in jazz. The school’s jazz program is home to the famed One O’Clock Lab Band, which has toured internationally and won Grammy nominations for its recordings.

Ranked among the top 15 music schools in the nation, the College of Music at the University of North Texas counts among its distinguished alumni such popular artists as Herb Ellis and Norah Jones.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet a television host who entertained and educated his audience.