Outsider musician and psychobilly pioneer The Legendary Stardust Cowboy was also born in Lubbock. He began his musical career there, playing free shows in various parking lots around town. Since striking it big, however, he has not performed in Lubbock, due to how little support and encouragement the city showed him when he was first starting out. John Denver got his start in Lubbock and as a freshman student at Texas Tech in 1966 could be found playing in the Student Union for free. His father was a colonel in the USAF stationed at Reese Air Force Base west of the city.