Wichita Falls has been popping off so many new places for local cuisine and entertainment lately. It’s becoming difficult to keep up with everything that is happening and all the new places to check out. Well, you must know that in a town with as many talented individuals as Wichita Falls has that someone is bound to step up and fix the problem. Musician and illustrator, Gerald English, has created a map of The Falls. And not just any map, but a map that is as colorful and original as WF herself. Gerald English has created maps before. In fact, he created maps before you could Google your way across town. “I used to draw everything on vellum paper with a mechanical pencil,” he recalls. He shared the process that included going to Kinkos and having his drawings scanned in like blueprints, then taking them and hand coloring them with markers. As you can imagine, there were mistakes made. With no “control/ command Z” (undo button), English would literally have to go back to the drawing board to fix the mistakes. This was the early 90’s and Photoshop was not quite a household name.
All the patience and practice has served Gerald well. The new map of Wichita Falls is excellent. The detail, coupled with the amusement park vibe, keeps your interest and encourages you to keep looking. This is great for the local businesses that have opted to be on the map. English has printed 10,000 copies and have distributed them around town, including the hotels, allowing both locals and visitors the opportunity to locate and visit locally owned businesses. Surely it was helpful to the countless thousands of visitors and hotel patrons that trekked to WF for the Hotter’n Hell Hundred.
Not only has Gerald blessed Wichita Falls with a proper map, he also performs music on a regular basis. Whether it be with his brothers as The English Brothers, with his wife Tiffany as The Englishes, or just singing solo, he stays busy performing tracks that include
Johnny Cash, John Denver, James Taylor, and many classic favorites. He began his musical career at the age of 13 when he learned to play standup bass. It was during his high school years that he picked up guitar to broaden his opportunities.
