 If you missed Willie's Fourth of July picnic in Ft. Worth and are saddened by your loss - take heart. The summer season heats up with great Texas music regardless which direction you're headed in the Lone Star State.
You'll find everything from grand concerts to neighborhood music jams, concerts in the park to fantasy music festivals. That's because Texas has a musical heritage as varied and proud as any on the planet. In Texas, we call it Texas music, a special brand of somewhat conflicting music styles that meld into a colloquial identity consisting of one part blues, one part country, equal parts of jazz, rock, rockabilly and classical - respectively.
After all, rock-n-roll wouldn't be the same without Buddy Holly, ZZ Top, Don Henley or Stevie Ray Vaughn. Can you imagine country music without Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Don Gibson, Ray Price, Bob Wills, or Tex Ritter. Imagine blues without Albert Collins, Freddie King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown or T-Bone Walker. What would the music world be like without Selena, Freddie Fender, Nora Jones, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank Thompson, Lefty Frizzell, or Van Clineburn.
Summer is a time of great musical revelry across Texas with festivals and events held all across the state. Dig in!
Lubbock - May-Sept 7
Check out the Summer Showcase Concert Series in the beautiful and historic Depot District of Lubbock. The Buddy Holly Center is located in the historic Ft. Worth & Denver Depot, which now serves as a multipurpose
facility featuring a wide variety of programs encompassing music, music history, the visual arts, and the Summer Showcase Concert Series. The series highlights original and unique Texas made music and are free to the public. Performances are scheduled every Thursday evening 5:30 - 7:30pm. Visiting the Buddy Holly Gallery which is a permanent exhibit there is also a must.
Addison - July-Aug.
Addison is a playground for the Dallas Metroplex and while it may be a small community, the entire town is like a fine entertainment district with over 170 restaurants, 22 hotels, and many high quality shopping venues. On Saturdays through Aug. visitors will be treated to excellent musical concerts from well known Jazz artists, and the elegant sounds of the Dallas Wind Symphony. Don't miss these high quality performances all summer long.
El Paso -All Summer
This concert series takes place in the Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso's National Park. Music Under the Stars World Festival is now in it's 22nd year and is a summer partnership with the City of El Paso Arts and Culture Department. The sounds of jazz, salsa, Latin romantic, big band, swing, Mariachi, oldies and Texas Swing fill the night air as Chamizal National Memorial's staff works hand-in-hand with City Arts and Culture personnel to produce these quality events. Each summer, the park and NPS reach over 90,000 visitors during the Music Under the Stars World Festival.
This is not your typical campfire sing along. Get ready to step back in time when cowboys came together at the end of a hard day's work to tell tales and sing trail songs. Visitors will be entertained by some of the very best traditional and contemporary western artists in America. Entertainment is provided by cowboys who reenact American Western history through music, poetry and story telling. This is a great musical event for history buffs and the entire family.
Kemah/All Summer
Visitors to this concert series will find themselves in one of Texas top 10 entertainment districts. The Kemah Boardwalk is a 14-acre outdoor entertainment complex that offers a waterfront concert series every Thursday evening all summer long. The musical acts include local and Texas bands whose formats range from blues and country to rock and zydeco. Patrons can also enjoy shopping, fine dining and amusement attractions, making it a full day adventure.
Midland, July 28 - 29
The Rock the Desert Concert is a Contemporary Christian music and recreational event that in previous years has featured some of the top acts from the Christian music scene, like Toby Mac, Jeremy Camp, Third Day, Mercy Me and the Casting Pearls. The event also features dynamic speakers and the popular Livin It Skateboard Demo. There are also an interactive sports area for young people to enjoy.
Kerrville, Sept 1-3
Each year over the Labor Day Weekend wine lovers and music enthusiasts gather at Quiet Valley Ranch (9 miles south of Kerrville on TX Hwy 16) to celebrate the art of song writing and winemaking. This Texas Hill Country setting is perfect for introducing visitors to the newest and best wines that Texas has to offer in addition to musical performances by dozens of the worlds best songwriters. The Kerrville Wine & Music Festival features three, 6-hour evening concerts and two, 2-hour afternoon concerts by two dozen singer-songwriters. During the evening concerts only, Texas ’ top winemakers will have booths set up and will offer tastes, glasses, or bottles of their current vintage wines.
The Austin City Limits Television show has spawned more unknown talent of every style of music into the spotlight than any other music show in the world, with the possible exception of the Ed Sullivan show in the 60's. It is only fitting that the producers of the show hold one of the best music festivals in the world. The show will take place in Austin's Zilker Park Sept. 15-17. This year's lineup consists of musical giants like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, String Cheese Incident, and 100 other bands to entertain the masses on eight stages throughout the park.
With so many music festivals and events to choose from, who can say no to Texas music?
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Rio Grande Valley
