Let’s talk again about Merle Haggard and this time we’re giving some proper respect to Big City, one of the finest albums ever cut by a guy who actually knew what a hard day’s work felt like. First reason: his past—no fairy tales, just facts.Haggard was born in Bakersfield in 1937, and his early life […]
Alright, you want the real, ranked brisket tour of Houston and you want Luling Bar-B-Q on Richmond included. I’ll give it to you straight—no fluff, no tourist traps. Numbers don’t lie. Alright, that’s your Houston brisket hit list. If you try them all, congratulations and you just had a graduate-level course in brisket and you […]
Alright, let’s talk about Alan Jackson—yeah, that guy. The one who didn’t need fireworks, skinny jeans or a PR team of twelve to prove he belonged. You wanna know why he’s on the Mount Rushmore of country music? I’ll tell you, because while everybody else was chasing trends, he was busy being country. What a […]
Alright, let’s not kid ourselves, you remember exactly where you were when Garth Brooks showed up in ’89. Don’t look at me like that—you had hair, your knees didn’t creak, and suddenly country music had a guy who acted like he drank rocket fuel for breakfast. The album? Garth Brooks. Yeah, that one. Came out […]
The Pasadena Strawberry Festival is back May 14–17, 2026—and this year’s lineup isn’t just good… it’s a straight-up throwdown of crowd-pleasing hitmakers, road warriors and legends who know how to light up a stage. Let’s talk names. Front and center, you’ve got country heavyweights like Tracy Lawrence, Neal McCoy, and Diamond Rio artists who dominated […]
Alright brother, pull up a lawn chair and crack something cold, we’re stepping into a smoky showdown between Texas and Kansas City barbecue . Two heavyweights. Two attitudes. One meat-sweat decision. TEXAS BBQ: BEEF, FIRE, ATTITUDEIn Texas, barbecue isn’t cute. It’s not fancy. It’s primal.Brisket is king. Period. Salt. Black pepper. Post oak smoke. That’s […]
When it comes to the Houston Rodeo, country may pay the bills — but rock stars have burned the paint off the rafters. Inside NRG Stadium (and the old Astrodome before it), these seven shows didn’t just play. They detonated. Elvis Presley – 1970The King in a rhinestone jumpsuit at the Houston Livestock Show and […]
If you’re a red-blooded, fire-loving, Saturday-afternoon kind of man, brisket isn’t just dinner, it’s a declaration. The perfect beef brisket? That’s backyard legend status. First rule: buy the right cut. Go with a full packer brisket, 12–15 pounds, USDA Choice or Prime. You want that thick flat and fatty point together. Don’t fear the fat, […]
THE HIGHS: OUTLAW KING Waylon didn’t just sing country, he rebelled against it. In the early ’70s, he flipped Nashville the bird and helped create the “Outlaw Country” movement alongside Willie Nelson. Albums like Honky Tonk Heroes and Dreaming My Dreams made him a hero to guys who liked their music loud, their whiskey strong […]
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest didn’t start as the monster meat circus it is today. Like most great Texas traditions, it began smaller, rougher and fueled by bragging rights, smoke and beer. The cookoff fired up in 1974, back when the Houston Rodeo wanted something that felt more Texas than […]
“The 7 Great Country Stars,” several country legends and modern stars are famously associated with the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo in Texas. The event, which celebrated its 76th anniversary in 2025, has a long-standing reputation for hosting artists early in their careers or as they reached superstar status. The following artists are most frequently cited for […]
If you’re wondering whether 69 year old Dwight Yoakam can still bring it at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the short answer is this: absolutely — and he won’t care if you think otherwise.