Darrell McCall

Born and raised in Ohio, Darrell McCall began his musical career by landing a slot as a Saturday monring DJ on a local radio station when he was 15 years old. Around the same time, he was playing local dances and events as a musician. After a short stint in the Army, he and childhood friend Johnny Paycheck moved to Nashville in 1958. Eventually, Darrell became a studio harmony vocalist, singing on records by Faron Young, George Jones and Ray Price among others. In a short time, the studio worm metamorphosed into road work, as he played bass and sang harmony for several different touring bands, including those of Young, Price and Hank Williams, Jr.

In 1977, Darrell teamed up with Willie Nelson on the song Lily Dale , which was awarded Best Duet that year by Cash Box magazine.

For more on Darrell McCall: darrellmccallcountry.com

Jake Hooker was born listening to the sounds of traditional country music through his father's West Texas country band. Jake began playing the bass at the age of seven and practiced diligently until he mastered the honky tonk sound. Jake formed his own band at the age of 14 and began performing. By the age of 18, Jake was playing bass and singing full time. Jake moved to the Fort Worth area in 1998 where he quickly became the local favorite.

His love and passion for traditional country music never ceases. There is no doubt that Jake is strongly influenced by the sounds of Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Faron Young, Leon Rausch and Darrell McCall. He spends much of his spare time studying these artist's music in depth. Jake's graceful and professional image on the bandstand, along with his voice and talented band, make his show unbeatable.

Jake Hooker and the Outsiders will be playing Friday night for the Cowgirl's Ball.

For more on Jake Hooker: jakehookermusic.com

Billy Mata and The Texas Tradition w/Floyd Domino

Billy Mata and The Texas Tradition provides entertainment for true country music traditionalists as well as a new generation of Western Swing enthusiasts. Billy has been performing for 30 years for audiences. His followers range from traditional Honky Tonk listeners to Western Swing dancers. No matter who the audience is, all enjoy the energy and spirit of the musical talent of the performance.

The band is made up of some of Texas' strongest professional musicians with a combination of more than 165 years of musical experience. This includes lead vocals by Billy Mata and features true country fiddles, honky tonk steel guitar and true Western Swing style electric guitar. The guitar, bass and drums rhythym section are the "real deal" - making it almost impossible to sit down when you could be dancing.

The style of music played is from Bob Wills, Johnny Bush, Mel Tillis, and Ray Price, as well as the popular sounds of Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen, and many more. Billy has also made several guest appearances with the Texas Playboys at Western Swing Festivals in Nocona and Snyder, Texas and Hobbs and Ruidoso, New Mexico. Some other stage performances include: Asleep at the Wheel, Darryl McCall, Earl Thomas Conley, Eddie Raven, Emilio, John Conley, Johnny Rodriguez, Randy Travis, Ray Price, Rick Trevino and many guest appearances with Leon Rausch, Tommy Allsup and The Texas Playboys.

Billy's cd This is Tommy Duncan, Volume One was the recipient of the 2009 Western Swing CD of the Year by The Academy of Western Artists. He recently released the follow up, This is Tommy Duncan, Volume 2.

For more on Billy Mata: billymata.com

Billy Mata will be joined by 2 time Grammy Award winning keyboard legend Floyd Domino. Floyd has recorded and performed with Merle Haggard, George Strait, The Texas Playboys, Waylon Jennings, jazz guitarist Herb Ellis, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robinson, Monte Warden, Don Walser and others.

His boogie-woogie styling is known to audiences around the world, and has even been heard in outer space by way of George Strait's #1 hit, "Ace In The Hole", which was beamed up to the crew of the space shuttle Columbia in a wake-up call. Floyd joined Asleep at the Wheel at the age of 19, and was featured on their first Grammy winning recording, Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump". Seven years and a million miles later, he went to New York to play in the Broadway hit, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Following that, he recorded and played five years with the Crickets and Waylon Jennings. As a session pianist Floyd has played on several recording, including five albums with George Strait, and won two Grammys. His most recent Grammy was awarded in February 2000 for Best Country Instrumental as a featured performer with Tommy Allsup, Larry Franklin, Vince Gill and Steve Wariner on the Asleep at the Wheel recording, "Ride With Bob".

For more on Floyd Domino: floyddomino.com

Gary P. Nunn

Gary P. Nunn has been TAKING TEXAS TO THE COUNTRY and Texas country to the world for some 40 years now, establishing himself as an icon of Lone Star music. A founding father of the progressive country movement out of Austin in the 1970s that changed the face of popular music, Nunn is also an independent music pioneer who continues to oversee his own record label and song publishing companies, manage his own career (with the help of his wife Ruth), and play most every weekend at top music venues throughout Texas and beyond. His composition “London Homesick Blues” — with its internationally known “I wanna go home with the Armadillo” chorus — is a signature Texas country song that was the theme for the PBS concert TV show “Austin City Limits” for nearly three decades. It’s no wonder that All Music Guide hails him as “a Texas music institution.”

Born in Oklahoma, Gary P. Nunn found his heart’s true home in the Lone Star State after his family moved to West Texas when he was in sixth grade. In the town of Brownfield just outside of Lubbock, he was an honors student, excelled in athletics, and started his first band soon after arriving. When he landed in Austin in 1967 to study pharmacy at the University of Texas, he presaged the “cosmic cowboy” movement to come with one of Austin’s favorite bands, The Lavender Hill Express, with the late Rusty Weir. After Willie Nelson, Michael Murphey and Jerry Jeff Walker all moved to town, Nunn was such a pivotal figure on the scene that at one point he was playing bass with all three artists. His talents on keyboards and vocals were also heard on many of the legendary albums from that era.

And now, more than half a century since he first started playing music, Nunn enthuses, “I’m having more fun now than ever. It just feels good. When you have a great band behind you and the audience is out there on the dance floor, you just say, ‘Yeah! This the reason I got into this in the first place.’ I love it more than ever.”

For more on Gary P. Nunn: garypnunn.com

Jody Nix

Jody Nix, a well established artist in the great State of Texas gives Glory and Thanks to God for the talent, and the ability to use it to play music that he dearly loves. A true Traditional Country Music and Western Swing artist, he has been in the business 50 years. He has played dances and shows all over Texas and parts of the southwest. He leads one of the finest dance bands in Texas, they fill the floor on every song.

Jody "grew up" in music, started playing drums in his Father Hoyle Nix's band at age 8 in 1960 playing 5 nights a week all over West Texas. Jody started playing the fiddle at age 11, started singing at age 16, recorded with Bob Wills at age 21 on the 1973 "Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys For The Last Time" as a guest artist and sang 3 songs.

Jody has 9 albums of his own to his credit, and was a guest artist on both of Asleep At The Wheel's Tribute to Bob Wills albums. Jody and The Texas Cowboys played for the Black Tie and Boots Ball in 1989 in Washington DC for then President George H. W. Bush. Jody has played the Bob Wills Day Celebration in Turkey, Texas for 35 years..10 with his Daddy, and 25 on his own, and he played the TCR rodeo dances in Stamford, Texas for 21 years, the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion And Rodeo for 21 years, has been a part of all the Western Swing Festivals in Canton, Texarkana, Snyder and Wichita Falls for over 22 years, and also the Boys Ranch Ball in San Angelo for 15 years, the Western Heritage Classic Ranch Rodeo in Abilene for 15 years. Jody was also a guest artist with Asleep At The Wheel in the original play of "A Ride With Bob" in 2005.

In 1996 Jody was inducted into the Western Swing Society Hall of Fame in Sacramento, California. In May of 2009, Jody and the Texas Cowboys were inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall Of Fame in San Marcos, Texas. Jody has worked with Bob Wills, Ray Price, Marty Robbins, George Strait, Moe Bandy, Red Steagall, Asleep At The Wheel, Johnny Bush, Frenchie Burke, Tony Booth....and many many others. The band works 100-115 dates a year.

For more on Jody Nix: jodynix.com

Landon Dodd

A true dyed-in-the-wool traditional country music act, featuring five talented and hand selected young musicians who are as true to thier craft as a rancher is to his horses. They go to great lengths to replicate their vintage country sound with fiddle, steel guitar and the lost art of three part vocal harmonies behind the award winning voice of Landon Dodd.

This band was assembled with Texas dancehall dancers in mind. You will hear some of the best, timeless classic country shuffles, waltzes and ballads ever recorded by some the greats like Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Buck Owens and Faron Young with a little Bob Wills Texas swing music in the mix just for fun.  These guys are consummate professionals, who bring talent, energy, dedication and just good old fashioned Texas spirit to any and every event.

Tony Booth

Tony Booth is a true Texas Music legend.  He started out early by winning a national singing contest at the age of 14. He was voted the Academy of Country Music's Most Promising Male Artist of 1971 and was a nominee for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1973.  The Tony Booth Band won Band of the Year from the ACM in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

Tony has worked with a Who's Who of country music artists including Buck Ownes, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Gene Watson, Johnny Bush, Leona Williams, Jake Hooker, Bobby Flores and a multitude of others.

Saturday Night @ 6pm

Jake Hooker

Friday Night @ 8pm

Saturday @ 4pm & 8pm

Saturday @ 3pm & 9pm

Saturday @ 1pm & 4pm

Friday Night @ 6pm

Saturday @ 6pm

Jill Jones provides the powerful lead vocals and award-winning yodeling as she lays down an energetic rhythm on guitar (and occasional harmonica). She was the founder and lead singer of the Hays County Gals, She was a member of the Hays County Gals, along with Joanne Rothelle, Ginger Evans, Greg Lowry, and Mike Fowler when they won the Academy of Western Artists Award for Cowboy Group of the Year for 1996 and 1997.
 

Jill won the 1994 Western Music Association Grand National Yodeling Championship and the 1998 Academy of Western Artists Yodeling Award. She's been featured on "Texas Country Reporter" and appeared with Willie Nelson on TNN's "Legends of Country Music." Nominated for 1998 Female Artists, Jill has been called "the voice of the prairie." Her professional career as a musician has taken her from California to Florida over the past 20 years.

Jill will be joining K.R. Woods for a reunion of the Hays County Gals & Pals.

Jill Jones

Saturday @ 11am & 5pm

K.R. Wood is a native Texan, Singer, Songwriter and Historian. He has performed through out Texas for the past decade with an emphasis on Texas history music. K.R. has performed at the Texas State Capitol, The Alamo, The Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, The Hyatt Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, elementary and middle schools state wide and many other recognized state and community events.

He performs performs extensively through out Texas at Public and Private Schools teaching Texas History through song and narration based on his "Fathers of Texas" CD series and teaching guides. He brings along a historical chuck wagon and performs his "Camp Cookie" review and other western shows. Educators and students rave about his ability to bring History to Life!"

K.R. Wood's Fathers of Texas CD Series was recognized by the Texas State Senate resolution #73 in 1997as a "beautifully written and recorded educational album".

The Fathers of Texas CD was offered to Texas Schools by Harcourt Publishing and Holt Rinehart and Winston for the 4th and 7th grade Texas History Curriculum.

K.R. Wood

Saturday @ 10am

Liz Talley

Liz Talley’s debut CD “Road to You” created quite a stir in the music scene. The 1st single “Texas in Your Swing” penned by Liz and country legend Leona Williams opened many doors for the petite Texan. “Radio just went crazy over it and before I knew it, the song was getting airplay everywhere, even landing on Willies Place/XM Radio. I think people were excited to hear something different” Talley says. The song was nominated for several awards and Liz won “Western Swing-Female Vocalist” at the Academy of Western Artists Awards. The song is also featured in a commercial for Gabbys Barbeque. Another highlight on the CD was a duet with Billy Yates “It’s Time to Cross That Bridge” which was nominated for several awards and is still a favorite among the fans.

Liz Talley has released a brand new CD “More Than Satisfied” and it’s getting a lot of attention. It’s a continuation of that traditional country sound with everything from Western Swing to heart wrenching ballads, including a remake of Asleep at the Wheel’s “Bump Bounce Boogie” and a bouncy tongue-in-cheek tune “ Johnny’s Getting Out of Jail BBQ!” In choosing material for the new CD Liz says she went to songwriters with a similar style to hers. She comments “I listen to a lot of songs, it has to hit a nerve or an emotion, it has to talk to me in the 1st few lines or it goes in the “no” pile. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad song, just not be for me. I like all kinds of music, but I record what fits me as a country singer.” Listeners can expect pure country music, honkytonk through and through with some great Texas shuffles! Songwriting credits include Becky Hobbs, Leona Williams, Melba Montgomery, Bob Mc Dill, Billy Yates. This Texas gal is the real deal and is on her way to carving a name for herself in country music!

For more on Liz Talley: liztalleymusic.com

Friday @ 9pm

bestlittlecowboygathering@yahoo.com

Dottsy

Dottsy began singing in public at the age of ten. She began to play the guitar and work often with bands around Seguin. Dottsy met Happy Shahan in 1972. At that time, he was managing Johnny Rodriguez. Shahan took her to Nashville and began pitching the young singer to various record labels.

"We picked five songs after listening to 500," Dottsy recalls. "RCA record executive Roy Dea put the songs on and turned around and looked at me. He offered me a recording contract that very day."

That association would produce four top ten singles including Storms Never Last, After Sweet Memories, Play Born to Lose Again, I'll Be Your San Antonio Rose, and Trying to Satisfy You.

Dottsy began opening for some of country music's biggest artists including Johnny Rodriguez, Tammy Wynette, Asleep At The Wheel, Ronnie Milsap, Charlie Pride, Cal Smith and Don Gibson. She toured extensively across the United States, Scotland, Holland, England and Canada. Dottsy was also featured on television programs such as "Hee Haw", "Pop Goes The Country", "That Nashville Music", "Bill Mack Show" and made three appearances on the "Grand Ole Opry".

Dottsy signed with Heart of Texas Records in 2011 and has her newly recorded CD titled Meet Me In Texas.

Friday @ 9pm