Texas Country

Robert Earl Keen is one of the names synonymous with Texas Country or Red Dirt, but his appeal is wide ranging from traditional country listeners all the way across the board to adult alternative lovers.Robert Earl Keen is mostly known for his songwriting with every Texas/Red dirt artist pitching his name around like a baseball. Popular is an understatement.

Jamie Richards music is described as traditional, honest, downright real country music. Taking his cues from greats like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Waylon, and Keith Whitley, Jamie Richards brings it all together creating country music with deep connections to the past...

Sean McConnell may well be one of the busiest artists in the Texas country music scene. He's been touring hard for the last year and a half in support of his latest record Saints, Thieves and Liars. As busy as he stays though, he was still able to sit down and chat with us at 99.5 The Bear, before his performance at The Blue Light on July 30, and catch up on how the last year has been.

Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward proudly release the follow-up to last year's The Apology Part 1 EP with a new live album appropriately entitled Live in the Living Room. On it, the Denton, TX-based sextet touch on material from not only that EP, but also their two previous full-length studio efforts, 2005's Blow The Soot Out and their highly-lauded 2008 release The Lonesome Dirge, as well as pre

I had the chance to sit down with the legendary James McMurtry, on July 28th, before his sound check at The Blue Light here in Lubbock. McMurtry and his band, the Heartless Bastards, have been touring the country hard for many years and this year is no exception. James took a few minutes out of his busy tour to sit down and discuss everything from his new album, "Live in Europe," to backlash over "We Can't Make It Here."

Texas country star Jake Kellen was born and raised right here on the South Plains. Kellen was born in Littlefield but spent his childhood growing up in the small town of Olton. He started his musical career right here in Lubbock and it was the Hub City he returned to on Saturday July 23rd, for a show at Wild West with Bart Crow. It was the first show for him in Lubbock in a few months and it’s one place he loves coming back to.

Ace Crayton from Thieving Birds dropped by the 99.5 The Bear studio on Wednesday afternoon, July 26th, to talk about the new album and play a song for our fine listeners at home. Ace and the rest of the boys have been working hard and keeping busy thanks to the release of their new self titled debut.

I had the opportunity to sit down and pick the brain of Texas country star Bart Crow before his show at Wild West in Lubbock on July 23rd. Bart talked everything from live on the road, live now as a father, country music today and all in between. Here is the interview, in its near entirety, from that day.

Born and raised along the outreaches of Dallas in Maypearl, Texas, Bart Crow grew up like millions of us…passionately in love with music. And also like million of us Crow bounced around his adolescent world like a racket ball, quick and rough and in many different directions...

James Lann played Wild West Lubbock on July 16th. I had the opportunity to catch up with James before the show and see how 2011 and the road was treating him. The interview, while unconventional, was the funnest this writer has had the privilege of doing over the past few years. Here is the interview, in its entirety, with James Lann.

One of the things that we fail to appreciate the most in the business of radio is the amount of folks you meet on a daily basis, and especially the new music that just falls into your lap. It's impossible to listen to all the music that comes across my desk daily...

Jerry Jeff Walker, born in 1942 and probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles." Here in Texas he is one of the forefathers of the musical movement we have come to know as Red Dirt. One of Jerry Jeff's songs was heard in almost every bar or night club in Lubbock during the mid to late 70's...