Little Texas is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

band started in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. The band consists of Porter Howell (lead guitar, vocals), Del Gray (drums), Dwayne O'Brien (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Duane Propes (bass guitar, vocals). They, along with

Tim Rushlow Timothy Ray Rushlow (born October 6, 1966) is an American recording artist. Between 1991 and 1997, Rushlow was lead vocalist of country music group Little Texas, which recorded four albums and a Greatest Hits package, in addition to charting mo ...

(rhythm guitar, vocals) and

Brady Seals Brady Seals (born March 29, 1969) is an American country music artist. He is the cousin of Jim Seals (of Seals & Crofts) and Dan Seals, Johnny Duncan (country singer), Johnny Duncan, the nephew of Troy Seals. Seals made his debut in 1988 as co ...

(keyboards, vocals), formed the band in 1988. Signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

Nashville in 1991, Little Texas released its debut album ''

First Time for Everything ''First Time for Everything'' is the debut studio album by American country music band Little Texas. Released in 1992 on Warner Bros. Records, the album was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies. Five singles were released from i ...

'' that year. The album's lead off single, "

Some Guys Have All the Love "Some Guys Have All the Love" is a debut song recorded by American country music group Little Texas. It was released in September 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, '' First Time for Everything''. It was co-written by the band's lead ...

", reached a peak of No. 8 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts. Little Texas charted thirteen top-40 hits between then and 1995, including the number one " My Love" in 1994. Their debut album earned a gold certification from the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), while 1993's '' Big Time'' was certified double platinum and 1994's ''

Kick a Little ''Kick a Little'' is the third studio album by American country music band Little Texas. Released in 1994 on Warner Bros. Records, it was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of one million copies. Three singles were released from this album: ...

'' was certified platinum. Seals left the band in 1994 and was replaced by Jeff Huskins soon after. After a ''Greatest Hits'' package and a

self-titled An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

fourth studio album, the group disbanded in 1997. Seals went on to record three solo albums and one as the lead singer of

Hot Apple Pie Hot Apple Pie was an American country music band founded in 2002. The band consisted of Brady Seals (lead vocals, keyboards), Keith Horne (bass guitar), Trey Landry (drums), and Mark Matejka (guitar). Matjeka was replaced in 2006 by Kevin Ray. Se ...

, while Rushlow recorded one solo album and one as the lead singer of Rushlow. Gray, Howell, O'Brien, and Propes re-established Little Texas in 2004 with new lead singer Steven Troy, who quickly left the band and resulted in Porter Howell taking over as lead vocalist. Under the four-piece lineup, the band has recorded two albums for Montage Music Group: '' The Very Best of Little Texas: Live and Loud'' and '' Missing Years''.

History

Little Texas was founded in

, in 1988. Prior to the band's formation,

and Dwayne O'Brien began playing together in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

, in 1984. Porter Howell and Duane Propes got together while they were in high school in 1983 and moved to Nashville to attend

Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...

and Del Gray played in the backup band of country music singer Josh Logan. Rushlow, O'Brien, Propes, and Howell first started making music at Opryland as a 1950s show band. With both Rushlow's first wife and Howell's wife, plus two other members, they took the show band on the road, naming their act "The Varsities". When two of the members left to pursue other interests, they contacted their old friends Gray and Seals, whom they had met while playing in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, in hopes of forging a more country/Southern rock sound. All six members eventually moved to

, where they started playing together. The band played at venues across the United States (around 300 dates a year), eventually catching the attention of Nashville's division of

Musical career

1991-1993: ''First Time for Everything''

Warner Bros. signed Little Texas in 1989, and two years later, the band released their debut single "

". This song, which reached No. 8 on the U.S. ''

'' country singles charts, was the first of five singles from their debut album ''

''. After the debut single came the album's title track at No. 13, "

You and Forever and Me "You and Forever and Me" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Texas. It was released in June 1992 as the third single from their debut album ''First Time for Everything''. It was co-written by the band's lead guitarist Porter ...

" at No. 5, "

What Were You Thinkin' "What Were You Thinkin'" is a song recorded by American country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American so ...

" at No. 17 and finally " I'd Rather Miss You" at No. 16. The album was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for shipping 500,000 copies in the US.

1993-1994: ''Big Time''

Little Texas' second album, '' Big Time'', was issued in 1993. Their most successful album, it was certified 2×Platinum by the RIAA and gold by the

CRIA A ''cria'' (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. Etymology The term comes from the Spanish word , meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, ''crya'' (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explored Chil ...

. It also produced a minor crossover hit in leadoff single "

What Might Have Been "What Might Have Been" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Texas. It was released in May 1993 as the lead-off single from their second (and breakthrough) album, ''Big Time (Little Texas album), Big Time''. It was written by ...

", a No. 2 country hit that also reached No. 74 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 16 on

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

. After it came " God Blessed Texas" and their only number 1 hit on ''Billboard'', " My Love", both of which were also minor Hot 100 entries. The latter also featured Seals on lead vocals. Finishing off ''Big Time'' was the No. 14 "

Stop on a Dime "Stop on a Dime" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Texas. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth and final single from their second album '' Big Time''. It was written by the band's lead guitarist Porter Howell, keyboar ...

". In late 1993, the band contributed a cover of the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

' "

Peaceful Easy Feeling "Peaceful Easy Feeling" is a song written by Jack Tempchin and recorded by the Eagles. It was the third single from the band's 1972 debut album ''Eagles''. The single reached No. 22 on the charts and is one of the band's most popular songs. Gle ...

" to the multi-artist compilation album '' Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles''. The rendition featured O'Brien on lead vocals, with Denny Dadmun-Bixby of

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

on bass guitar and no involvement from Seals. The rendition peaked at number 73 on the country charts.

1994-1996: ''Kick a Little'' and ''Greatest Hits''

'', the band's third album, was certified platinum by the RIAA. Leading off this album was its No. 5

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

, followed by the No. 4 "

Amy's Back in Austin "Amy's Back in Austin" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Texas. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from their third album ''Kick a Little''. The song was written by the band's keyboardist and co-lead voca ...

" and No. 27 " Southern Grace". After the album's release, however, Seals left for a solo career on

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

, and was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Huskins, a former backing musician for

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles ...

, for their tour to promote the album. Huskins made his first appearance on " Life Goes On" and "Country Crazy", two new tracks that the band recorded for their 1995 ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

''. Both of these songs were released as singles. The former became their final Top 40 hit with a peak of No. 5, while "Country Crazy" stopped at No. 44. Also in 1995, the band sang on the track "Party All Night", a musical track which featured snippets from a

Jeff Foxworthy Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy (born September 6, 1958) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and radio and television host. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, with Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and formerly Ron White. Known f ...

sketch and a sung chorus by the band. This song reached No. 53, and later appeared on Foxworthy's 1996 album '' Crank It Up: The Music Album''.

1997-1998: ''Little Texas''

Little Texas' fourth album was

. Lead-off single "Bad for Us" peaked at No. 45, followed by their two lowest-charting singles, "Your Mama Won't Let Me" and "The Call" at No. 64 and No. 71 respectively. The band also charted that year with a cover of "

Kiss the Girl "Kiss the Girl" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989). Originally recorded by American actor Samuel Wright in his film role as Sebastian, "Kiss ...

", a song from the Disney film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'' which they recorded on ''

The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney ''The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney'' is an album featuring country music artists singing Disney songs. It was released on September 10, 1996 by Walt Disney Records. The album peaked at number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums ...

''. Seals also charted his only Top 40 solo hit that year, the No. 32 "

Another You, Another Me "Another You, Another Me" is the debut solo song recorded by American country music artist Brady Seals. It was released in September 1996 as the first single from the album ''The Truth (Brady Seals album), The Truth''. The song reached No. 32 on t ...

". Seals would record a total of three albums between then and 2003. After ''Little Texas'', the band broke up.

Hiatus and status of former members

During the band's hiatus, Del Gray co-wrote

Trace Adkins Tracy Darrell Adkins (born January 13, 1962) known professionally as Trace Adkins, is an American country music singer and actor. Adkins made his debut in 1996 with the album ''Dreamin' Out Loud'', released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since t ...

' 2000 single "

More More may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka Shade, ...

". Former frontman Tim Rushlow signed to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

as a solo artist that same year, releasing a self-titled album. Although it accounted for four singles, including the No. 8 " She Misses Him", Atlantic closed its country music division in 2001. Rushlow then founded a second band, Rushlow, whose members included his cousin Doni Harris. Rushlow released two singles and one album ('' Right Now'') on

Lyric Street Records Lyric Street Records was the Disney Music Group's country music record label, founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly of RCA Records. Other artists w ...

, but disbanded by 2004. Seals founded the band

, which released a self-titled album and three singles in 2005, while Rushlow and Harris founded the duo Rushlow Harris a year later. In addition, Howell recorded one album in the band Hilljack, which also included former solo artist

Paul Jefferson Paul Jefferson (born August 15, 1958) is an American country music artist. Managed by Steven McClintock and McJames Music from 1993 through 1999 and then by Anastasia Pruit. Jefferson has released one studio album on Almo Sounds produced by Ga ...

Reunion

Duane Propes, Del Gray, Porter Howell, and Dwayne O'Brien decided to reunite Little Texas in 2004. When Little Texas reunited, Rushlow and Huskins made a legal attempt to keep their ex-bandmates from using the Little Texas name. As the other four members felt uncomfortable singing lead vocals in Rushlow's and Seals's absence, they recruited Steven Troy as new lead vocalist. However, O'Brien was critical of Troy's performance as lead singer, stating that it "just didn't feel authentic"; as a result, he exited the band in 2006. By the time the band had signed to Montage Music Group in 2007, producers for the label had suggested that Howell take over on lead vocals instead. Their first Montage Music release was the live album '' The Very Best of Little Texas: Live and Loud''. They promoted this album on the Triple Threat Tour that year, which included both

Restless Heart Restless Heart was an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band's longest-tenured lineup consisted of Larry Stewart (singer), Larry Stewart (lead vocals), John Dittrich (drums, vocals), Paul Gregg (bass guitar, vocals), Dav ...

and

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urubitinga'' * Mangrove black hawk, ''Buteogallus (anthracinus) s ...

; touring guitarist Mark Sutton accompanied the band on both the tour and the live album. This was followed one month later by the studio album '' Missing Years''. This album produced three singles, although only one — the title track — made the country charts, peaking at No. 45. Another studio album with Howell on lead vocals, ''Young for a Long Time'', followed in 2015.

2004-present

Little Texas has continued to tour constantly averaging 65 shows a year. In 2022, they are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of their debut album, ''First Time For Everything''.

Members

*Del Gray – drums *Porter Howell – lead vocals , lead guitar, background vocals *Dwayne O'Brien – rhythm guitar, lead vocals, background vocals *Duane Propes – bass guitar, background vocals

Former members

*Jeff Huskins – background vocals, fiddle, keyboards *

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, background vocals *

– lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, background vocals *Steven Troy – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Discography

* ''

'' (1992) * '' Big Time'' (1993) * ''

'' (1994) * ''

Little Texas Little Texas is an American country music band started in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Porter Howell (lead guitar, vocals), Del Gray (drums), Dwayne O'Brien (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Duane Propes (bass guitar, vocals). They, alo ...

'' (1997) * '' Missing Years'' (2007) * ''Young for a Long Time'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

, - ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, " God Blessed Texas" , rowspan=2,

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded from 1970 to 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1970 the award was known as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group * From 1971 to ...

, , - ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, "

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1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, ''Hope: Country Music's Quest for a Cure'' (with John Berry,

Terri Clark Terri Lynn Sauson, known professionally as Terri Clark (born August 5, 1968) is a Canadian country music singer who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that ...

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American Country music, country singer. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide ...

Tracy Lawrence Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 19 ...

Neal McCoy Hubert Neal McGaughey Jr. (born July 30, 1958), known professionally as Neal McCoy and previously as Neal McGoy, is an American country music singer. He has released 10 studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio ...

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. ...

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music, country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before be ...

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In t ...

, and

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...

) ,

Best Country Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to quality country music collaborations for artists who do ...

American Music Awards

, - ,

, rowspan=2, Little Texas , rowspan=2, Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group , , - ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

Academy of Country Music Awards

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1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

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" , Video of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , - , '' Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles'' , Album of the Year , , - ,

, Little Texas , Top Vocal Group of the Year ,

Country Music Association Awards

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, '' Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles'' , Album of the Year , , - , " God Blessed Texas" , Video of the Year , , - , Little Texas , Vocal Group of the Year ,

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Country music groups from Texas Country music groups from Tennessee Warner Records artists Montage Music Group artists Musical groups established in 1988 1988 establishments in Texas Musical groups reestablished in 2004