red dirt proud news & events

---

 Nov 27 – TRRMA Noms Ends
Nov 28 – Thanksgiving (Thu)
Dec 4 – TRRMA Rd 2 Starts
Dec 10 – Wyoming Day
Dec 21 – Winter Begins
Dec 25 – Christmas Day
Dec 28 – TRRMA Rd 2 Ends
Jan 1 – NewYear’s Day
Jan 6 – TRRMA Rd 3 Starts
Jan 20 – National DJ Day
Jan 20 – Martin Luther King Jr Day
Jan 29 – Kansas Day
Jan 30 – TRRMA Rd 3 Ends
Feb 2 – Ground Hog Day
Feb 2 – Grammy Awards 

The Texas Regional Radio Music Awards has 3 rounds of voting for their 2025 Awards. Nomination round will begin on Nov 9th. Write in your favorite Artists, Singers, Bands, Videos, Songs, Albums, Radio Stations and DJs. Round 2 is the Semi-Finals where you will get to login and vote. There will be up to 10 names in each category. The Final Round of voting will take the Top 5 from Round 2 and that will run from Jan 6-30. You have to be a member to vote but there is FREE MEMBERSHIP. Make sure to head over to https://trrma.net/
 

Long time legendary singer, songwriter and friend to many fans and radio folks Tommy Alverson passed away on Thu, Nov 14thin Ft. Worth, Texas surrounded by most of his family. Tommy was one of those guys that everybody just loved. He held an annual Family gathering with all of his singer buddies and shared a birthday bash with Ed Burleson. Tommy got more radio success in the late 90s, early 2000s with the release of Una Mas Cerveza, a song that George Strait even put on hold and thought about recording some years back.
 

TRIBUTE TO TOMMY ALVERSON – Deryl Dodd and around 14 others artists teamed up after the Big Benefit for Tommy Alverson to write and record a song in honor of their hero Tommy Alverson. The song was crafted with lines and titles from some of Tommy’s biggest songs. This amazing tribute should be coming out this week.
 

Outlaws & Legends 2025 will be March 20-21 in Abilene, Texas and next year’s headliners are Clint Black and Ella Langley. Other artists on hand include Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles), The Wallflowers, Blackhawk, Kevin Fowler, Hayes Carll, Band of Heathens, Roger Creager, Bri Bagwell, Kin Faux, Max Stalling, Zac Wilkerson, Brooklyn Fenn, Ella Powell, Mini Kiss and Mark Powell. Get tickets online at OutlawsandLegends.com. 

#1 Song this week – Sundance Head – Heaven Shine Down On You
1 Year Ago – Curtis Grimes – How The Hurtin Goes
5 Years Ago – Whiskey Myers – Rolling Stone
10 Years Ago – Wade Bowen - When I Woke Up Today
 

Cody Jinks has something new for you. He teamed up with his friend Bobby Robinson to bring fans Jinks by Stacking Bills cologne. They are doing a soft roll out at select locations of Cavender’s Western Wear stores and the stores website. Jinks says that it is appropriately priced for the working man.
 

The TRRMA Texas Regional Radio Music Awards have started taking nominations for their Awards that will be handed out in March. This round runs Nov 9-30. You have to be a member to nominate and/or vote but there is a free membership option. Write in your favorite artists, bands, songs, videos, albums, festivals as well as Radio Stations and remember Red Dirt Proud for Syndicated/Specialty Show. Head over to TRRMA.net for details. The Top 10 nominees come back for Round 2 Dec 4-28 and the Top 5 from Round 2 will be in Round 3 voting Jan 6-30.
 

William Clark Green's "Baker Hotel" artwork received a Grammy nomination. Art directors Sarah and Shauna Dodds created the visual concept. And Charley Crockett was nominated for Best Americana Album for $10 Cowboy. The 2025 Grammy Awards will be held on February 2. 

Cody Johnson's new album, Leather Deluxe, is out now with 13 tracks, including "C'mon Cowgirl," which moved him to tears. This heartfelt song explores the special bond between fathers and daughters, resonating deeply with Johnson as a father of two daughters. The project also includes a song written by Jake Worthington.
 

Congratulations to Jake Worthington and his wife Sophie on the arrival of their first baby girl, Whitley Anne, born on Friday, November 1. She weighed 7.7 pounds and measured 20 inches long.
 

Parker McCollum is thankful for the fans this past year that came to his shows, watched his videos and listened to his music. He is also blessed to have welcomed their first child this year. 2025 will be huge for Parker as he is heading into the studio to finish up a new album that will come out next year. He has 5 dates left in the year and will continue his What Kinda Man tour at the end of January.
 

Reckless Kelly has 4 dates left on their tour schedule. Dec 28thReckless will be on Austin City Limits, they will ring in the new year in Houston, Texas and will celebrate the end of their run at The Musicfest in Steamboat at the beginning of January and Mile Zero Fest in Key West, Florida at the end of January.

Reckless Kelly fans will love that the band has added their Reckless Kelly Was Here Live Album to the digital streaming platforms. The album is packed with all of the fan favorites. You can also purchase the Live DVD on their website.
 

Cody Jinks and Ward Davis are teaming up for an acoustic tour. The pair were in Canada last week and this week they are playing Alaska and Hawaii for the first time.
 

Robert Earl Keen mentioned when he was going to retire that he was going to spend more time in Kerrville at his studio doing video production and he has kept his promise. Follow Robert Earl on all of his platforms including TikTok. He is uploading daily content featuring stories about his famous songs and albums.
 

William Clark Green and Josh Abbott spent some time last week down in Corpus Christi, Texas doing some fishing that benefitted the High Cotton Relief Fund. They followed the South Texas fishing trip up with a Southeast Texas Duck Hunt. They had a brief scare with his dog Gumbo got lost in the marsh but they eventually found him.
 

Chop Shop Live, a restaurant-bar in Roanoke co-owned by Randy Rogers of the Randy Rogers Band, is closing after six years in business.
 

Wyatt Flores, raised in FFA, credits his strong work ethic to the values he learned there. He also has a merchandise line with  Sullivan Supply, a longtime partner of ranch life.
 

Hudson Westbrook and Bri Bagwell are gaining international recognition. Westbrook's song "House Again" is featured on Sirius XM's The Highway as their "On the Horizon," while Bagwell's "Don't Tell Daddy" is on the cover of Pandora's country playlist.
 

Hudson Westbrook is celebrating the release of his self-titled EP at Billy Bob's Texas on Thursday, November 21st at 6pm and admission is FREE! The EP comes out Nov 22 featuring his current top 10 single "Two Way Drive" and his hit streaming songs. Hudson said, "Everything that’s happened has been because of y’all. So we’re celebrating, playing acoustic and giving some free merch out. It is completely free. And go watch the new "Two Way Drive" video today
 

While many artists take the end of the year off Casey Donahew is kicking off his Still Chasing A Dream Tour. Casey will be Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado in November. He does slow down in December with a stop at the NFR in Las Vegas and in January he kicks things off in Nashville followed by stops in Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.
 

Flatland Cavalry's Flatland Forever is out now. To promote the new album, murals with the track list representing each era of Flatland Cavalry projects are popping up in different cities. Stop by Amusement Park Studios in Lubbock, TX to see the first mural! Stay tuned to Texas Music Daily Update for more Flatland Cavalry mural locations.

James Lann appeared at Children's Medical Center and said, “It’s a real pleasure to give my time to the kids at Children’s Medical Center for a little fun and music!!! Passing on some knowledge and a little bit of music to the kids is my idea of a great day!! Thank you to Children's Medical Center Dallas and Ryan Seacrest and the The Ryan Foundation for making this possible.” 

Upcoming Album Releases

Nov 1 - Cody Johnson - Leather Deluxe Edition
  Willie Nelson - Last Leaf On the Tree
Nov 9 - Flatland Cavalry - Flatland Forever
Nov 15 – Hudson Westbrook – Hudson Westbrook
  Red Clay Strays – Live At The Ryman
Dec ?? – Cody Jinks – Lefty Frizzell Tribute

Get To Know Finis Smith:
- Finis has a new song out “You’re Only Lonely” that was produced by Deryl Dodd
- The song was originally done and released in 1979 by JD Souther and was his only Top 10 hit. The song featured a double beat snare throughout the song. Derry Dodd took that out of the song but he did put it back in at the very end as a tribute to JD. Finis went into the studio on a Wednesday to record the song, they tweaked it Wednesday night, had it mastered on Thursday and it was sent to radio on Friday.
- Finis recently got engaged. He popped the question to his girlfriend while hiking in Big Bend, she said yes and they plan to get married October 4, 2025. Finis and Kylee met while attending Tarleton State University. Both of them had scholarships to run track and Kylee’s dad was the one who recruited Finis.
- Finis has taken over the Bar Double Diamond Ranch after his father Dean Smith passed away. The ranch is located between Breckenridge and Graham, Texas.
- Finis’ father Dean Smith passed away June 24 2023 at the age of 91. Dean graduated from the University of Texas, won a Gold Medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland for the 4x100 relay, was an actor alongside John Wayne, a noted stuntman, appeared in numerous films and TV shows, played football for the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams, won championships in Bareback Bronc Riding and Calf Roping and hosted Celebrity Rodeos.
- Finis is a working cowboy and ranch hand that says he doesn’t wake up real early but does get up around 5 or 5:30am.
- Finis has been modeling for Cavender’s Western Wear for over 3 years. They reached out to him after wanting to find authentic ranchers and cowboys that they could use as models for their jeans, shirts, hats and boots.
- What is in store for Finis in 2025? He will join Deryl Dodd back in the studio in December to record more music that will come out in 2025. He also signed a deal with the same company that is helping Jamie Richards with social media content and videos for upcoming music.
 

2024 Texas Country Music Association Awards
Entertainer of the Year – The Great Divide
Male Artist – Josh Ward
Female Artist – Sarah Hobbs
Country Band – Chad Cooke Band
Roots/Alternative Arist – Two Tons of Steel
Tejano Artist – Sunny Sauceda
Western Swing Artist – Jake Hooker & The Outsiders
Live Music Venue – Gruene Hall
Country Album – Kolton Moore – Kolton Moore
Trailblazer Award – Jason Boland
Country Single – Will Carter Band – Had Me At Goodbye
Christian Country Artist – Curtis Grimes
Young Artist – Payton Riley
Terrestrial Radio Station – 95.9 KFWR The Ranch
Broadcast Personality – Shayne Hollinger
Internet Radio Station – Texas Red Hot Radio
Moe Bandy ICON Award – Larry Joe Taylor
Steel Guitarist – Wyatt Wilson
Fiddle Player – Brady Black (Randy Rogers Band)
Bass Player – Andrew Carrell
Keyboard/Piano Player – Todd Stewart
Drummer – Avery Castro
Guitar Player – Dallas McGilberry
Songwriter Contest Winner – Ryder Grimes – In My Boots
Christian Songwriter Winner – Aaron Loy, Michelle Henegar & Jim Hawkins – Pew For You 

 
Larry Joe Taylor and Melody Mountain Ranch have a bunch of events coming up
Nov 1 – Trick or Treaty Oak with Treaty Oak Revival
Nov 9 – Justin Monk 5K Rugged Run
Dec 12-14 – Buck Fuffalo’s Family Christmas
Jan 5-12 – Larry Joe Taylor Songwriter Cruise
Apr 21-26 – 36th Annual Larry Joe Taylor Texas Music Festival
Get details at LarryJoeTaylor.com

The San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo will run Feb 6 thru Feb 22 and they have released most of their artist lineup for next year including Texas Red Dirt Acts like Koe Wetzel, Eli Young Band, Zach Top and Whiskey Myers. Check out SARodeo.com for complete details.
 

Thu, Feb 6 – Scotty McCreery
Fri, Feb 7 – Koe Wetzel
Sat, Feb 8 – Keith Urban 12 Noon and 7:30pm
Sun, Feb 9 – LeAnn Rimes 12 Noon
Sun, Feb 9 – Bellamy Brothers 7:30pm
Mon, Feb 10 – Mark Chesnutt
Tue, Feb 11 – Eli Young Band
Wed, Feb 12 – TBA
Thu, Feb 13 – Muscadine Bloodline
Fri, Feb 14 – Tyler Hubbard
Sat, Feb 15 – TBA 12 Noon
Sat, Feb 15 – TBA 7:30pm
Sun, Feb 16 – Zach Top 12 Noon
Sun, Feb 16 – TBA 7:30pm
Mon, Feb 17 – Diamond Rio
Tue, Feb 18 – TBA
Wed, Feb 19 – Whiskey Myers
Thu, Feb 20 – Sammy Hagar
Fri, Feb 21 – Nelly
Sat, Feb 22 – Nate Smith 12 Noon
Sat, Feb 22 – Dwight Yoakam – 7:30pm

UPCOMING EVENTS

Randall King’s King Fest will be Nov 2nd at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas featuring Randall, Josh Ward, Kin Faux, Wynn Williams and the winner of the songwriter competition.
 

2024 TCMA Awards will be Nov 10th at Billy Bob’s Texas in Ft. Worth. Get your Tickets and sponsorships at TexasCountryMusic.org

Larry Joe Taylor’s Coastin’ & Cruisin’ Music Cruise is set for Jan 5-12, 2025 sailing from Galveston to Roatan, Cozumel and Puerto Costa Maya and featuring Live Music from Larry Joe Taylor and all of his friends. Get info at LarryJoeTaylor.com
 

The Musicfest at Steamboat in Steamboat Springs, Colorado is set for Jan 6-11, 2025. This is a bucket list dream trip that you need to go to. Get details at TheMusicfest.com
 

Mile Zero Fest Jan 21-25 in Key West, FL. Featuring Wade & Randy, Red Clay Strays, Shane Smith & The Saints, Reckless Kelly, Steve Earle, over 50 acts.
 

San Antonio Rodeo will be held Feb 6-22 and will feature many Texas Red Dirt Artists like Koe Wetzel, Zach Top, Eli Young Band and Whiskey Myers. There are still a few artists that have not been released yet. Get details at SARodeo.com
 

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be held March 4-23. Keep an eye out for them to release the all-star lineup of artists that will perform in 2025 at RodeoHouston.com
 

Outlaws & Legends 2025 moved up a week to Mar 21-22 at the Backporch of Texas (Abilene, Tx). Presale tickets and more on sale now at discounted prices. OutlawsAndLegends.com
 

The 15th Annual T3R Music & Radio Awards will be March 23-24 at Texas Live in Arlington, Texas. The T3R Awards have 3 rounds in their voting process. The Nomination Round should start at the beginning of November. TRRMA.net
 

Two Step Inn is back for 2025 April 5-6 in Georgetown, Texas featuring tons of Country, Classic Rock and Texas Red Dirt acts like Flatland, Randall Kind, Eli Young, Hudson Westbrook, Sturgill Simpsin, Alan Jackson, Miranda, Shane Smith & The Saints, Treaty Oak Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tanner Usrey, Baxton Keith and many more.
 

Cattle Country Festival will take place April 10-12 in Gonzales, Texas with Parker McCollum, Tanya Tucker, Clint Black, Wyatt Flores, Chase Rice, Clay Walker, Reckless Kelly, Aaron Watson, Pecos & The Rooftops, 49 Winchester, Wade Bowen, Shenandoah, Tyler Halverson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Josh Ward and many more acts. Get tickets and info at Cattlecountryfesttx.com 

The Boys From Oklahoma event featuring Cross Canadian Ragweed, Turnpike Troubadours, The Great Divide, Jason Boland & The Stragglers and Stone Larue will take place over 4 days in Stillwater, Oklahoma. All 4 days, April 10-13, sold out in record time. TheBoysFromOklahoma.com
 

36th Annual Larry Joe Taylor Texas Music Festival April 21-26. Tickets available Dec 2, 2024. Returning Campers can purchase November 4, 2024. LarryJoeTaylor.com
 

Casey Donahew’s Boots On The Beach 2025 will be held June 15-19, July 6-10 and July 27-31. BootsOnTheBeach.net

Big Cabo Fest  June 8-12 with Roger Creager, Kevin Fowler, Jake Worthington, Wynn Williams, Django Walker, Matt Skinner, Doug Moreland, and more TBA! https://www.bigcabofest.com