Houston author and journalist John Nova Lomax, known for his sharp, authoritative focus on Texas life, the Bayou City, and music, died May 22, 2023. He was 53. Cause of death was not announced by his family. 

A Houston native, Lomax was a frequent contributor to a wide range of publications, including the Houston Press, where he was both music editor and a staff writer over a twelve-year span. Other outlets included Houstonia Magazine, Texas Highways, Spin, the New York Times, the Village Voice, and L.A. Weekly. From 2015 to 2019, Lomax also wrote for Texas Monthly and was a senior editor. 

He was a scion of the famed Lomax family of American folklorists and musicians and spent part of his childhood in Nashville, where his father managed some well-known performers including Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Both Earle and Van Zandt sometimes watched over young Lomax as surrogate "big brothers," Robert K. Oermann reported in MusicRow. 

Musicians frequently were a focus in Lomax's articles. But he also wrote about food, sports, and a range of other topics. His published books include Murder and Mayhem in Houston: Historic Bayou City Crime (written with Mike Vance) and Houston's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the Bayou City. He authored a blog titled "Sole of Houston," which focused on his observations and thoughts while walking, in company with a local musician, David Beebe, through various parts of Texas's biggest city. The blog also was published as a series in the Houston Press. Shortly before he died, Lomax told friends he was working on creating a new book from his blog posts. 

"Death was the only thing that could stop John Lomax from telling stories," Houston author, journalist, and editor Mimi Swartz noted in her recent tribute to him in Texas Monthly.  

Survivors include: his father, John Lomax III; his stepfather, Chip Phillips; a sister, Mandy; a son, John Henry; and a daughter, Harriett Rose.  

A private family service was planned, and John Lomax III told Houston Press staff writer Margaret Downing that "a memorial celebration with music" might also be held.

Check here for more information: https://www.josephjearthman.com/john-nova-lomax.