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2023 Festival Darrell McCall
The 34th Heart of Texas Country Music Festival ended its ten day run on April 1, in Brady, Texas, and featured twenty shows, dances, performances and the Darrell McCall and Friends Golf Tournament with over 30 traditional country music artists.
The festival was a big success with fans attending from 22 different states as well as Canada, Scotland, Australia and Spain as well as a group of eleven from Sweden this year.
The ticket count totaled 3,989 ticket sales throughout the festival with the Gene Watson concert being the most attended event with over 500 fans taking part in his show. It was the fourth time that Watson helped to headline the Traditional Country Music festival. Three of the other days were at sell out levels with tickets selling briskly throughout the week.
A ground breaking was also held at the Heart of Texas Country Music Museum for a new expansion that will soon begin with many of the entertainers taking part in the ceremony.
“I’ve never heard this much great Country Music in my entire life,” Gene Griffin from Water Robins, Georgia said. “Although we have been hearing about the event for years, this is our first time to visit Brady. Anybody that wants to hear great classic Texas Country Music, just come to Brady, Texas, and I will guarantee that you will hear it here. We can’t wait to come back and we are so happy that the Heart of Texas Country Music Festival is keeping it alive.”
Country Music Entertainers featured this year includes Gene Watson, Gary P. Nunn, The Malpass Brothers, Darrell McCall, Tony Booth, Jeannie C. Riley, Dottsy, Justin Trevino, Brady Honeycutt, Jake Hooker and the Outsiders, Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys, Mary Lou Turner, Landon Dodd, Amber Digby, Heather Myles, Rocky King, Jeff Woolsey and the Dance Hall Kings, Frankie Miller, Mona McCall, Kaye Tolson, Tommy Horton, Rance Norton, Tommy Hooker, The Kenastons, Dennis Stroughmatt and Texas Road and the Heart of Texas Band.
The Heart of Texas Country Music Festival grew from the Hillbilly Hits radio show featured on KNEL FM 95.3. During the last several years, the event has become a destination event for Traditional Country Music fans from across the country and many foreign areas as well.
“The 34th Heart of Texas Country Music was another big success,” event organizer Tracy Pitcox said. “We are seeing more of our foreign visitors return and look forward to even more coming next year. The event helps to secure our Heart of Texas Country Music Museum financing for the year as well as helping out our local economy. It also allows many people to see our community that may never visit here for any other reason.”