Red Dirt (music) - Musicians and Festivals

Musicians and Festivals

Stillwater resident Bob Childers, who died in April 2008, was known as the Godfather of Red Dirt Music. Five years prior to his death, Childers was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Awards Red Dirt Hall of Fame along with Steve Ripley and Tom Skinner. The three awardees performed at the ceremony for the First Annual Red Dirt Music Awards held on Sunday, November 9, 2003 at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. Other performers at the awards ceremony included The Red Dirt Rangers, Amanda Cunningham, the Great Divide, Susan Gibson, Wade Bowen, T.J. McFarland and the Revolvers, Brandon Jenkins, Gus Michaels, the South 40 Band, Stoney LaRue, the Mike McClure Band, Jason Boland, Cody Canada, Susan Herndon and others.

Many music festivals include representatives of the Red Dirt sound. These include FarmFest, WoodyFest, Calffry, Shrinefest, and others. In 2007, Cross Canadian Ragweed's Red Dirt Round Up in Fort Worth, Texas had 15,000 in attendance. In August 2008, the 4th annual Red Dirt Festival was held at the Grape Ranch Winery in Okemah, Oklahoma. The festival brings together wine tasting, camping and Red Dirt music. The winery teamed up with the Red Dirt Rangers to present the festival.

In addition to Cain's Ballroom, Red Dirt musicians can be heard at other venues in Oklahoma including Mercury Lounge (Tulsa), the Blue Door (Oklahoma City), Copper Penny (Stillwater), the Tumbleweed (Stillwater), Cross-Eyed Cricket (Stillwater), Willie's (Stillwater), The Crowbar (Tahlequah), Wormy Dog (Oklahoma City), Libby's (Goldsby), Wallstreet (Duncan), T-Bones (Tahlequah), and Roxie's Roost (Tahlequah).