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In Country's Country


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In Country's Country

Carthage's Texas Country Music Hall of Fame & Tex Ritter Museum

 

Written by Randy Mallory. Photographs by Randy Mallory.

 

I grew up in a Texas family that does country-western music. The lilt of a fiddle breakdown, the rhythm of a shuffle drum beat, the soulful wail of a steel guitar—these sounds seeped into my pores in the 1950s and ’60s, forevermore setting a button on my internal radio dial to “classic country.”

 

To me, many attributes of Lone Star culture—the sense of place, pride of history, and gift of storytelling—ring truest when experienced alongside a heartfelt country tune. Great stage moments stick with me, like hearing the late Johnny Gimble fiddle a waltz he once played with Bob Wills, the “King of Western Swing.” And in my car, radio “driveway moments” hold me to the last line of a sad story song, like the tearjerker “She Thinks I Still Care,” sung by Saratoga-born crooner George Jones.

 

The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame & Tex Ritter Museum in Carthage puts these legendary musicians, as well as the special musical moments they create, into focus for country music fans. With a $1.5 million addition completed this year, the museum has expanded its exhibition space by 27 percent to 16,500 square feet. Located near downtown, with a bronze statue of Tex Ritter picking guitar out front,Scissors-32x32.pnghttps://www.texashighways.com/culture-lifestyle/item/7965-in-country-s-country

 

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