By Logan Hawkes Corpus Christi -- it's not your typical gin joint. Sure, you can find a few seaside towns that offer the same balmy summer nights, the smell of a fresh ocean breeze teasing the clouds that waft gently by the moon, its reflection off the water shining in the tall glass windows of the bayfront hotels and businesses.  And sure you can find a lot of towns famous for their music, places like Austin, New Orleans, Memphis, Lubbock, St. Louis, Miami, Seattle. In Corpus, like a lot of places, there are a fair share of clubs and bars and speak easy joints where you can park your self in a shadowed corner and tap your foot to the livid tunes of homegrown live music drifting endlessly on the night breezes. But in Corpus, it's different. In this city, overcharged music lovers pay tribute to not only the great and famous connected with the city, but to the unsung heroes, those local and talented music makers and performers who pay their due in the small joints and even smaller venues where they ply their South Texas brand of rhythm and beat with unwavering regularity and great skill. Corpus is not Austin, with music on every corner. But live music certainly lives, especially in downtown Corpus Christi. Favorite venues include The Executive Surf Club, Dr. Rockit’s Blues Bar and House of Rock. Between the three there are choices every night. Just a few blocks away, near Whataburger Field, the outdoor stage at Brewster Street pumps tunes from Texas’ biggest bands into the night air, and Concrete Street frequently hosts major rock concerts. National touring acts regularly stop at Selena Auditorium and the American Bank Center and, Harrison’s Landing, in the middle of the Marina, features weekend shows from local singer/songwriters. Corpus Christi is a true music town, the heart of a musical region, a place that has produced more than a few accomplished music artists and songwriters; a place where live music can be spontaneous and wonderful, a place where the very best are honored and immortalized in a local attraction known as the South Texas Music Walk of Fame, and where others aspire to be included in such a high place of honor. Located in WaterStreet Market just off Shoreline Drive, the Square is the gateway to Corpus Christi's downtown entertainment district. Tourists and visitors flock here for the taste of expertly prepared Texas Gulf seafood. But when the sun goes down and the shadows begin to fall, the night comes alive with live music originating from multiple stages up and down the street. If nothing else, the music of Corpus Christi and South Texas is diverse, most often original and always entertaining. From the Latin rhythms of salsa and rumba and Tejano to Afro-Cuban jazz, down home Texas blues, Zydeco back country, reggae, Texas country and swing, hard rock, rockabilly, pop, jazz, alternative and grunge, Corpus offers its own sound with a thousand different faces, and more and more are discovering that the Texas Coastal Bend and South Texas may well be one of the best kept musical secrets in the nation. Believe it or not, not a lot of people know that the Coastal Bend and South Texas are home (or have been home) to some of the biggest names and trend setters in music: Stevie Ray Vaughan is connected to the city through his famous drummer, legend Chris Layton. It is said a young Stevie was inspired to write songs by the bay. Also calling the region home are Guy Clark, Don Williams, Selena, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Layton, Flaco Jimenez, Sunny Ozuna, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Rusty Weir, Michael Nesmith, Doug Sahm, Auggie Meyers, Freddy Fender, Rocky Benton, Terri Hendrix, Rosie Flores, the Reverend Horton Heat, the Kumbia Kings, Bill Haley, Roger Kreager, Helen Donath, Ponty Bone, Sam Neely, Max Stalling, and others. But the secret is getting out, thanks in large part to the South Texas Music Walk of Fame. Always open and always free, the South Texas Music Walk of Fame honors the many talented musicians who call the region their home. Beautiful, ceramic tile stars wander through the scenic courtyards of the very popular WaterStreet Market.   Each ceramic tile star is a work of art in itself, created by the artisans of Aloe Tile.   Texas flags fly on quarter notes in each point and the name of a Texas musician fills the center. Freddy Fender cut the ribbon on the first six stars in 2004.  Forty-nine stars now make up this attraction, including such diverse talent as Kris Kristofferson, Selena, Bubble Puppy, Terri Hendrix, and The Reverend Horton Heat.  Each year, on the first Saturday in June, six new stars are added.  A 10 AM Ribbon Cutting Ceremony unveils the new honorees.  Concerts take place on both Friday and Saturday nights and afternoon activities fill Surf Club Records.   For more information, contact Surf Club Records, (361) 882-2364. This lovely tribute is located just one block from the bay at 300 N. Water Street.  Volunteer led and privately funded, the Walk is a gift to all of South Texas from the family of the very popular WaterStreet Restaurants and Executive Surf Club.