Songs on Main

FiestaJAM returns this Saturday, Oct. 1, with Songs on Main at Old Oak Square in my hometown of Marble Falls, Texas. FiestaJAM was born a few years back to bring awareness to the needs of youth music education and to to create music related festivals and events that heighten that awareness. We created a 501(c)3 by the same name as an entitiy to host these shows. City leaders persuaded us to turn it over to our local chamber of commerce, but the pandemic and other demands pushed it to a back burner. Our mayor, city manager, and other communty leaders persuaded our founding board members, Robert Linder, former Dean of Fine Arts at Houston Baptist University, and nationally acclaimed conductor, Rick Naber, wine grower and founder of Flat Creek Estate Winery, Tim Stallard, owner of Prolink, and myself to rekindle Fiesta JAM with Songs on Main. Go to www.songsonmain.com for tickets.

If you live in the Austin to San Antonio region or in the Texas Hill Country near Marble Falls please join me and my longtime compadre, cowriter and collaborator Mike Blakely, Helen Darling, Walt Wilkins, and Kostas for a special evening under the star on Main Street USA. I promise to do some of the songs from my forthcoming new album, Three White Spanish Horses, which will soon be mixed by Rex Schnelle in Nashville, as well as some of your favorites. Here's a little more about the special guests.

Kostas was discovered by producer Tony Brown, as he searched for songs for singer Patty Loveless. Loveless recorded and released "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", which soared to number one on the Billboard country charts. She released three more Kostas songs as singles: "The Lonely Side of Love" (1989), "On Down the Line" (1990), and "Blame It On Your Heart" (1993). "Blame It on Your Heart" earned BMI's "Country Song of the Year" for the most performed single of 1994. Dwight Yoakam also recorded several songs by Kostas, including "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose", and "Send a Message to My Heart" (a duet with Loveless), all from the 1990 album If There Was a Way, and "Ain't That Lonely Yet,” from his album This Time. The latter earned Yoakam the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1994. Other Kostas hits include "Going Out Of My Mind" and "Love On The Loose Heart On The Run" by McBride & The Ride, "Lord Have Mercy On The Working Man" by Travis Tritt, "I Can Love You Better" by the Dixie Chicks, "Life #9" by Martina McBride and "What A Crying Shame" by The Mavericks.

Helen Darling scored a crossover #1 hit with her song “Bring On The Rain,” recorded by Jo Dee Messina and Tim McGraw. The song was nominated for a Grammy, an ACM and a CMA award. Reba McEntire, Little Big Town and others have also recorded songs by the former MCA/Decca artist. Darling was honored by NSAI members with a superior creativity award and by BMI with a citation of achievement award for “Bring On The Rain.”

Walt Wilkins is synonymous with singer-songwriter. His songs, recordings, and production are ever present on Texas radio. Before returning home to Texas, Wilkins spent ten years in the Nashville furrows creating art recorded by artist he admired like "Seven Hillsides," by Ricky Skaggs, on a record that won a bluegrass-gospel Grammy, "Big Hopes" by Ty Herndon, the title track for his 3rd Sony album, plus a dozen or more major-label cuts. But Pat Green deserves some credit for making Wilkins’ name known, in Texas and beyond. The Wilkins & Green collaboration “Carry On” is a Texas anthem.

Mike Blakely has released 14 albums, performed all over the U.S. and has made 16 tours to Europe. His songs have been recorded by Alan Jackson, Gary P. Nunn, Red Steagall, Flaco Jimenez and Raul Malo, Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros, john Arthur martinez, Randy Brown, Geronimo Trevino III and Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Bush, and others. As an author, he has published 19 books with major New York City publishers. He won the Spur Award for Best Western Novel awarded by Western Writers of America and was nominated for 2019 Album of the Year by Academy of Western Artists.