Country band Little Texas to rock Yuma with summer concert

Southern rock band Little Texas will be in Yuma Saturday with guests Jimmy Wayne and the Doo Wah Riders to bring some Southern-style good times to town.

"They are a party band and absolutely have a good time," said Brittany Conklin, regional manager of Webster & Associates, the event organizer.

"They have been relevant in country music for the last two decades. When I was first getting into country music in the early ’90s, this was the band I remember," Conklin said. "They are fantastic and are a lot of fun. They play upbeat sing-a-long songs and the women get a little crazy ..."

The show will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, 2520 E. 32nd St. Tickets are $35 for adults and $17.50 for ages 6 to 12.

Little Texas was founded in Nashville, Tenn., by Tim Rushlow, Brady Seals, Del Gray, Porter Howell, Dwayne O'Brien and Duane Propes.

They signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1991 and released the album "First Time For Everything," which was certified gold.

During the mid-1990s, the band released the No. 1 single "My Love" and six other Top 10 hits. Their 1993 album "Big Time" was certified double platinum, and 1994's "Kick a Little" was certified platinum.

Other No. 1 hits include "What Might Have Been" and "God Blessed Texas."

Seals left the band in 1994 to pursue a solo career and the group disbanded in 1997. It was resurrected in 2004 by Propes, Gray, Howell and O'Brien.

In 2007, the band signed to independent label Montage Music Group and released the album "The Very Best of Little Texas: Live and Loud." The album "Missing Years" also came out that year.

"The four of us appreciate each other and still have a ball on stage," said Gray. "There is a comfort level that happens to us when we play together that can only happen with 20 years of experience."

According to his biography, Jimmy Wayne survived a turbulent, abusive childhood. His father abandoned the family, his mother went to prison and his stepfather tried to murder him. He was a homeless teen living on the streets.

“I became very independent," he said. "I had to depend on myself. Folks ask me why I don’t drink. It’s because I needed and wanted to be very conscious of what I was doing at all times. That’s what helped me to survive.”

Wayne worked his way through school in a textile mill, then became a North Carolina prison guard before moving to Nashville in 1998.

Wayne has released three albums, the latest of wh.ich is "Sara Smile." His first CD came out in 2003. It had two Top 10 hits: “Stay Gone” and “I Love You This Much.”

His second album, “Do You Believe Me Now,” soared to the top of the country charts and was No. 1 on the charts for three weeks.

“Sometimes it’s just wild the way things work out," Wayne said.

Conklin believes the Yuma show is going to be great.

"This will be the kickoff for summer," she said. "People are going to have a blast. I actually have some friends from Phoenix who are going to Yuma to see the show. Go and see this band and have fun. Don't miss this concert!"

For more information, call 726-4420 or log on to www.littletexasonline.com.

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Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.