"The Big Rich"

”The Epic Story Of How Texas Oil Transformed Wealth And Power In America, Told Through The Interweaving Sagas Of The Industry’s Four Greatest Fortunes”

Just finished reading this book, written by Bryan Burrough. As riveting as the blurb is, I must make a couple of disclaimers first. #1 - I spent 15 years in Texas, and most of my family still lives in Dallas or Houston. #2 – Bryan Burrough co-authored “Barbarians at the Gate” one of my all-time favorite books. So I was very much prepared to love this book, and I was not at all disappointed. And, come to find out, Bryan is a native Texan.

”The Big Rich” is about the wealthiest families in the Texas oil business – Cullen, Hunt, Murchison and Bass. It’s ironic that most people are familiar with Murchison as the original owner of the Dallas Cowboys. As for the Hunt brothers, that depends on which ones you’re talking about. Lamar for owning the Kansas City Chiefs, and for coining the term “Super Bowl.” (Then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call it the "Big One.”) Bunker’s and Nelson’s notoriety is more infamous than famous, for their attempt to corner the silver market back in the late ‘70s,culminating in it's own day of infamy on Wall Street - "Silver Thursday" - March 27, 1980.

Roy Cullen donated lavishly to my nephew's alma mater, the University of Houston, and Sid Bass parlayed a small fortune into a spectacular fortune through smart Wall Street investments, including the move that brought Michael Eisner to the Walt Disney Company.

Sid Richardson, who has a fairly well-known suburb of Dallas named after him, did not make it into “The Big Rich” club, but he is Sid Bass’ uncle, which I did not know. Clint Murchison also has a town named after him in East Texas, right next to Athens, where he was born and raised. My first job out of college was working as a newspaper reporter for the Athens Daily Review.

These guys were all colorful characters – some more so than others – and parts of their lives read like a soap opera. I’m not usually much of a biography fan, but since there are a cast of characters, it’s an entertaining read. LBJ, John Connally and the Bush family all play a part in the saga as well.

Even if you don’t have Texas ties, and have never read Bryan Burrough before, this is a highly recommended read.