Down in The Valley

When the Queen of Latin Pop takes the Dodge Arena stage, in Hidalgo, on July 30, the small border town will have pulled off a musical coup. How often does a big-time performer like Gloria Estefan kick off a national tour in the Rio Grande Valley? Not very. Maybe never. The Live and Re-Wrapped Tour, named in part for the singer’s 2003 CD, Unwrapped, will make its way through Laredo, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas this summer before snaking around the country and ending in Miami, Florida, on September 25. (See pages Laredo: Music El Paso: Music San Antonio: Music Houston: Music Dallas: Music.)

-Katy Vine

 

Music Notes

Hilary Duff is on her first national tour, and as luck would have it, she’ll be performing in Austin, Grand Prairie, and Lubbock this month . . . San Angelo’s Los Lonely Boys, the new wunderband, is on another national tour (sorry, no Texas dates scheduled in August) . . . Willie Nelson is on his millionth national tour (no Texas dates as of yet) but this time with Bob Dylan at—believe it or not—minor league baseball stadiums. (See pages Austin: Music Dallas: Music Lubbock: Music.)

 

Good Company

John Ritter, best known for his role in the TV sitcom Three’s Company, might seem an unlikely dedicatee for this year’s TEXAS COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY, in Carthage. But in fact, the homage makes perfect sense. For years Carthage, which has about 6,700 residents, has celebrated its luminaries, including “Gentleman” Jim Reeves, who warranted a large statue of his likeness at his gravesite, and Woodward Maurice “Tex” Ritter, who was such a presence in town that his family members—including his son John—are no strangers to the locals. But in the nineties the burg really carved out a niche for itself by starting up the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, and over the years, the wildly successful induction ceremonies have drawn the likes of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Tanya Tucker. On August 21 emcee Ralph Emery will induct Johnny Lee, Mac Davis (right), and the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson) into the Hall of Fame, and Lee, Davis, Bill Anderson, Jan Howard, and Little Jimmy Dickens will take the stage. See Carthage: Events

-Katy Vine