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The Heart of Texas Country Music Festival in Brady is back, and it’s bigger than ever before. Tracy Pitcox is the festival’s producer and has made this massive musical event a labor of love for decades. And because of that process, the festival has grown considerably.
“We actually started doing this 37 years ago, and it was just a one-day event. And then as the popularity grew, we increased for a couple of days,” Pitcox said. “And we did it primarily over a weekend, and then we added a couple of more days during the week.”
Now it’s grown to 10 days and nights of traditional country music.
“Everything that we do is actually inside. We do most of the performances at the Ed Davenport Civic Center here in Brady, Texas, and then we do some events, a couple of events, jam session was at the heart of Texas Event Center,” he said. “And then we have different free events that we host at the heart of Texas Country Music Museum.”
The traditional country music audience has aged over time. But Pitcox believes in the idea to the point that over time he’s created a 10-day music festival there where country music still reigns. The performance schedule is packed.
The music fest runs from March 19-28.
"We have 10 days, and we do 24 different shows and dances during those 10 days,” Pitcox said.
Unlike many music festivals this one happens entirely indoors, making rain far less a consideration. Pitcox has stayed true to traditional country, and the event continues to grow. It’s evidently a winning combination.
“Every year we bring several different entertainers as a special guest, and this year we have Grand Ole Opry star T. Graham Brown, as well as the Malpass Brothers, who are very popular. Jay Cooker, Darryl McCall and Tony Booth, and many others that are coming to entertain for the festival,” he said.