Texas Music News — July 17, 2026
Hudson Westbrook just announced his biggest headline tour yet, kicking off at Fort Worth’s Billy Bob’s Texas. The Stephenville, Texas, native spent his teenage years building fences and halter-breaking bulls on a cattle ranch. Then the pandemic hit, and he taught himself guitar between chores. Now his name headlines a 24-city run, and it all starts back home in Cowtown.
Westbrook could have picked any arena for this launch, but he chose the honky-tonk that raised him. Billy Bob’s Texas bills itself as the World’s Largest Honky Tonk. Still, it has hosted nearly every major country star who passed through Cowtown. Launching a national run from that stage is like a boxer choosing his hometown ring for a title fight. So the crowd already knows every word before he even opens his mouth.
Hudson Westbrook: From Cattle Ranch to Cowtown Headliner
The tour takes its name from his newest single, “Hits Me,” and the trek runs 24 dates through Dec. 5. Next, Westbrook will headline Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York, and Boston for the first time in his career. Kenny Whitmire and Ethan Burdick will open every stop along the way. Meanwhile, tickets went on sale Friday morning, and early demand already looks strong.
Hudson Westbrook dropped out of Texas Tech University a few years ago to chase this dream full-time. He wrote “House Again” about his parents’ divorce. That ballad then cracked the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 47. He built his career from TikTok clips, church solos, and long nights on the road. Now a kid who once halter-broke bulls for a living becomes the headliner Fort Worth turns out for.
Details at The Music Universe.
More Texas Music News
Fort Worth’s own Matthew McNeal just won the first-ever Jambaloo Music Prize. His album HIGHLONESOME earned him $20,000 and a session with four-time Grammy winner Tre Nagella at Luminous Sound. McNeal has written and performed since age 14, and this is his fifth studio album. Details at D Magazine.
Bowling for Soup might tour without their favorite photographer this year. British photographer Amy Russell has shot the band’s last several tours. But her U.S. work visa remains stuck in process. Still, frontman Jaret Reddick says no one else has “crushed the job” like she does. Details at D Magazine.
The Texas Country Music Association hands out its industry awards next Thursday. The 2026 ceremony lands July 23 at Rhinestone Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Afterward, TCMA member Clay Hollis follows the awards with a concert. Details at Texas Country Music Association.
Deep Ellum just hosted its first Music & Literature Festival, blending books and bands. The inaugural event ran July 10-12 across eleven venues in the neighborhood. Poet Hanif Abdurraqib and musician-poet Jamila Woods headlined, with Dallas artist DAMOYEE opening for Woods. Meanwhile, organizer Will Evans said the festival honors “the musical and cultural heritage of the neighborhood.” Details at D Magazine.