Event to boost country music in Beaumont
Published 11:35 am Thursday, January 31, 2019
By Ken Stickney
A fledgling organization to boost traditional country music around Beaumont and Southeast Texas will host its first fund-raising musical event Feb. 17 at the Jefferson Theatre in Beaumont, organizer Don Meehan said.
Tickets for County Music Fest 2019 go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday on Ticketmaster, Meehan said.
Holly Tucker, who performed on Season No. 4 of “The Voice” as a member of country singer Blake Shelton’s team, will be featured among a host of other musical acts that include Wild Fire and David Dillon.
A Texas native, Tucker studied music at Baylor University and has five albums to her name.
Meehan said Tucker, 26, turned all four chairs at her 2012 audition on “The Voice,” and Shelton described her as “the most effortless, accurate and powerful voice he’s ever heard.”
Doors open at 2; entertainment begins at 2:30.
Meehan, formerly of Beaumont, worked with some of the biggest entertainment names of the past half-century, during a long career that included work in recording engineering and mixing. They include Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand and Simon & Garfunkel.
But his own musical roots have run to country music since the 1940s, when he used to compete on Beaumont radio talent shows against George Jones. Meehan was honored for his contributions to music by induction into the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
Meehan’s name appears on at least 40 RIAA awarded Multi Platinum albums as recording engineer-mixer with some of the biggest names in music.
He has been leading the non-profit Global Country Music Association since 2018 to promote traditional country music and boost recognition of female country singers. The GCMA board includes 13 others, including some Southeast Texans accomplished in country music.
Meehan said he believes Beaumont and Southeast Texas, home to some of the biggest names in country music, can establish itself as a major center for traditional country music.
Membership in the GCMA costs $60 for a family of four; $50 a couple; $35 for individuals; and $25 for veterans. People can join on the GCMA Facebook page and there will be a table set up for members at the Feb. 17 event.
For more information, call Keilah McDonald at 409-651-6698 or Meehan at 215-410-2053.
