August 25, 2015 - Jake Penrod and his Million-Dollar Cowboys will return to Nacogdoches to perform a concert and dance at Appleby Sand Mercantile Cafe’, 6530 FM 2609, on Saturday, September 12. Doors will open and food service begins at 6pm with music from 7-10pm.
Mr. Penrod’s name is becoming increasingly-familiar with country music fans in Texas and nationally. A relative newcomer, the singer has quickly earned a reputation as a master of honky-tonk music, who not only sings and writes, but can also play just about any instrument you hand him. In 2013, he released an album of original material titled Closer To Me. The album showcases Penrod’s songwriting ability as well as musicianship across an array of different styles of honky-tonk music. He wrote each song on the album and played every instrument in authentic honky-tonk fashion, proving he knows his stuff when it comes to traditional country music, and earning the title of “King of Texas Twang.”
A native of Brownsboro, Texas, he first became interested in country music as a child when he saw a commercial for a Hank Williams record album on television.
Jake attracted national attention as a featured guest on RFDTV’s TruCountry, and was a regular cast member on RuralTV’s Texas Pickin’ Party where he not only sang, but was also the program’s pedal steel guitarist. He has performed as country music icon Hank Williams, Sr. in the off-Broadway play Lost Highway and in his self-penned road show Hank Williams Remembered.
He is a country music traditionalist who believes moving forward doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the past behind. “There were a lot of great ones before me,” he says. “There’s still a lot you can do with what they started. These new guys, they’re creating something new and different, and that’s great, but we can’t forget where we came from. If country music is going to carry on, you have to keep the roots alive.” Jake identifies with fellow Texas Honky-Tonker, Dale Watson, and has embraced the Ameripolitan genre as his own. Jake was nominated in 2014 for “Honky Tonk Male Artist of the Year” for the second annual Ameripolitan Music Awards. (ameripolitan.com)
At an imperially slim 6-feet-two-inches, decked out in a suit and tie, and crowned with his signature Stetson, Jake Penrod even looks like a flashback to country music’s heyday. He gives credit to fellow Texan Ernest Tubb for inspiring his style. “He always looked like a million bucks. His band, too.” Jake was recently featured on a story by CBS News about the Texas Dance Halls and said of his style of country music, “if the kind of music I play is going to survive, this is where it will carry on.”
Jake Penrod and his Million-Dollar Cowboys can be seen regularly in the dance halls and honky-tonks throughout Texas. His hardcore honky tonk band and powerful, Ray-Price-like tenor vocals pierce through the loudest of barrooms and keep dancers on their feet all night. “There’s not a lot of downtime in our shows,” he says. “These people show up to dance.”
Tickets for the event are priced at $15 each and are available at Appleby Sand Mercantile Cafe’. A buffet will be available for $10 beginning at 6pm. For information, please phone 936.554.5822 or 936.559.5151.
