Brady, Texas

Everything Brady is known for

4 songs mention this city 2 artists from here

Music in Brady

Songs About Brady

back to brady
case hardin
81%
Coke Stevenson
Joe Piket
50%
The Center of Texas
Dirty Texans
44%
"To the center of Tex"
bright lights of brady
walt wilkins
37%

Artists From Brady

J
Justin Haigh
country
A
Aaron McBee
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Brady

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Brady.

Texas State Highway 71 2 songs San Saba River 2 songs Texas Colorado River 6 songs Kickapoo Creek 4 songs

Musical Heritage

Brady, Texas RoadyGoat

Brady took its name from the creek — nothing grander than that. Henry and Nancy Fulcher handed over the land in the mid-1870s, and the town was named McCulloch County's seat before the ink dried. By 1930 it had close to four thousand people, a three-story hotel, a movie house, a newspaper, a school, churches. But here's what Brady really runs on: goat. Since 1974 they've thrown the World Championship Barbecue Goat Cook Off, and the smoke hasn't cleared since. Two country music festivals a year — one in March, one in August — plus a July Jubilee for Independence Day, a music museum in town, and a record label with the town's name on it. Long before any of that, this was Apache and Comanche ground. Brady never forgot who came through first.

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Heart of Texas Country Music Festival and Honky Tonk Festival RoadyGoat

Tracy Pitcox doesn't just keep a museum in Brady — twice a year, he throws the town a party. The Heart of Texas Country Music Festival lands in March. The Honky Tonk Festival comes around in August, the fourteenth through the seventeenth, with the Justin Trevino Band and Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys on the bill. And if you can't get to town, Pitcox is on the radio at ninety-five point three FM, spinning the traditional country most stations quit playing years ago. Lineups and dates live over at hillbilly hits dot com. Think about it — one man runs the label, runs the museum, runs the festivals, and hosts the show. Brady doesn't just remember old-school country. Somebody here keeps it on the air.

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Heart of Texas Country Music Museum RoadyGoat

Out in Brady, right in the middle of the state, there's a museum with a hundred stage outfits behind glass — Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, the real cloth they wore under the lights. The man behind it is Tracy Pitcox, who also runs Heart of Texas Records out of the same love for the stuff. And parked right out front? Jim Reeves' tour bus — said to be the only one Gentleman Jim ever rode. Tours of the bus and the museum won't cost you a dime. Pull the RV in at the Heart of Texas park south of town and you're a short walk from the whole collection — and from a plate at Mac's Bar-B-Que. Free country music history, barbecue down the road. Hard to beat that combination.

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TruCountry Inn (former Hotel Brady) RoadyGoat

The building on this corner went up in 1923, and it has worn a lot of hats. A grocery store once. And it held Brady's very first telephone switchboard. These days it's the TruCountry Inn, and the woman who converted it is country singer Heather Myles. She named the rooms for country stars. Downstairs you'll find a grill, a bar, a game room, and a music hall called the Bluebonnet Ballroom. Rooms start around sixty dollars a night. So you can sleep in a room named for a legend, catch a show in the ballroom, and hang your hat in a spot that once ran every phone call in town through a single board. Not your average roadside motel.

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History of Brady

The Heart of Texas RoadyGoat

You'll see signs and slogans all over town calling Brady the 'Heart of Texas,' and it's more than just a nickname. It's a geographic claim to fame. Brady is the closest town of any size to the actual geographic center of the state of Texas — the point whose coordinates split Texas into four equal quadrants. That exact spot sits on a private ranch north of town, off Highway 377, so you can't go stand on it. Instead, the state put a historical marker in a roadside park about two miles south of Mercury, northeast of here on 377, marking the approximate location. Brady, being the nearest town, proudly adopted the title. It's a powerful piece of branding for a town built on the idea of being central—first as the center of the county, and now, in spirit, as the center of the entire state. It gives residents a unique identity and reminds every traveler passing through that they are, in a very real way, in the middle of it all.

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The World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off RoadyGoat

Every Labor Day weekend, Brady’s population swells as thousands of people descend on the town for a truly unique Texas festival: the World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off. Started in 1974, the event is a direct tribute to Brady’s history as a major center for the Angora goat and mohair industry. What began as a local celebration has turned into a massive, multi-day affair. Teams with secret recipes and elaborate rigs compete for the title, and the smell of barbecue fills the air. But it’s more than just food. There’s a parade, live music, arts and crafts, and a goat-roping contest. It’s a quirky, fun, and authentic event that you won’t find anywhere else. If you happen to be driving through on Labor Day weekend, you can’t miss it. It’s the moment when Brady’s past as a goat-ranching capital becomes a delicious, smoky, and unforgettable party.

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Trucountry Inn (formerly Hotel Brady) RoadyGoat

Right in the middle of the state — Brady calls itself the Heart of Texas — there's a hotel that went up in 1923. A honky-tonk singer named Heather Myles owns it now, and she spent seven years bringing it back with her own hands: new plumbing, new wiring, and under all the grime, the original black-and-white tile in a Greek key pattern. Every room's got a theme. One of them is the Bonnie and Clyde room — and that's where the stories start. Local legend, passed down from folks' grandparents, says the outlaws hid out here more than once; there's even a tale about Bonnie's own cousin working the switchboard. What isn't a story: Brady sits about an hour from Rowena, where Bonnie Parker was born in 1910. And up in the Gambler's Suite, there are bullet holes in the wall. Nobody living can tell you who put them there.

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General Ben McCulloch, C.S.A.

1836

(1811-1862) Distinguished Ranger, frontier surveyor, Indian fighter, lawman, statesman and military commander. Born in Tennessee. Followed David Crockett to Texas to fight in War for Independence. Commanded one of the "Twin Sisters" cannon in the Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. Served in the Congress of the Republic of Texas. In 1846, during war with Mexico, led Ranger company in successful scouting mission 100 miles behind enemy lines. During 1849 California gold rush was sheriff of Sacramento County. Home again in 1852 became U.S. Marshal, Eastern District of Texas. Led Texas volunteers in San Antonio Feb. 16, 1861, when U.S. arsenal was surrounded and its surrender demanded--an encounter in a charged atmosphere that could have become the first armed conflict of the Civil War, although it ended without the firing of a shot, and with U.S. troops leaving the state. President Jefferson Davis offered him first General Staff Commission in the Civil War. Made a Brigadier General on May 14, 1861, he had charge of troops in Arkansas and Indian territory. Was the Confederate Commander in victory at Wilson Creek, Mo., 1861. Was killed in Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark. (1964)

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McCulloch County

1856

Created Aug. 27, 1856. One of 128 counties formed from Bexar County that extended from the Rio Grande to the Panhandle, and as far west as El Paso. Named for Texas hero, Ben McCulloch, who fought in Texas Revolution, Indian, Mexican and Civil Wars. Indian and frontier hazards made growth slow and 20 years passed before buffalo were hunted off and ranches established. Organized Aug. 4, 1876 with Brady, county seat. Became ranch, farm, recreation center. Site of geographical center of Texas and 1831 Calf Creek Battle, where James Bowie, Alamo hero, defeated 100 Indians.

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Brady, Peter Rainsford

1847

Peter Rainsford Brady, surveyor, soldier, and public servant, was born on August 4, 1825, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., the son of Peter and Ann (Rainsford) Brady. He entered Georgetown College at the age of twelve and served in the United States Navy (1844–46) and on the United States Coast Survey before moving to San Antonio, Texas. In 1847 he joined the surveying party of J. J. Giddings and surveyed part of the Fisher-Miller Land Grant designated Giddings District 3, which included almost all of what is now McCulloch County and parts of Concho, Menard, and San Saba counties. According to Thomas Brown, a member of the party, Brady mistakenly identified a creek as the Concho River during the survey, and when the error was discovered the creek was designated "Brady's Creek" (now Brady Creek ). According to family legend, however, Brady found the creek when the party was searching for water, and the stream was named in his honor. Over a quarter of a century passed before McCulloch County was organized and its county seat named Brady City. Brady was recruited by Lt. Col. Peter Hansbrough Bell in November 1847 and served in the companies of William B. Crump and Samuel Highsmith protecting the western frontier of Texas. He was discharged on September 30, 1848, and after joining the California gold rush returned to Texas to serve as first lieutenant in Capt. W. A. A. (Bigfoot) Wallace 's company of Texas Rangers in 1850–51. In 1853 he joined the surveying party of Andrew B. Gray , formed to survey for a route from Texas to California for the Thirty-second Parallel Railroad Company. When the expedition ended in 1854, Brady formed the Arizona Mining and Trading Company and settled in Arizona, then a part of New Mexico Territory. With the advent of the Civil War he found himself a minority in his allegiance to the Union and moved to Sonora, Mexico. From there he traveled, engaging in intelligence activities and locating supplies for the Union forces. During the years following the war he served in many public offices, including treasurer and sheriff of Pima County, Arizona; sheriff, treasurer, school trustee, and surveyor of Pinal County, Arizona; chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the State Prison System at Yuma; special agent of the United States Private Court of Claims; and member of the Eighth, Sixteenth and Nineteenth assemblies of the Arizona Territorial legislature, from which he retired in 1898 as the oldest member at age seventy-three. In addition to his many years of public service Brady was a pioneer in the development of the Arizona mining and cattle industries and, as a charter member and officer of the Arizona Pioneers Historical Society (formed in 1884), was active in preserving the area's heritage. Brady married Juana Mendivil (Mendibles), and they had four sons and a daughter. Later widowed, he married María Antonia Ochóa, and they had three sons and a daughter. Bearing his name are not only Brady Creek and the city of Brady but Brady Lake, Brady Mountains, and the Brady Bend of the Colorado River in Concho County. He died on May 3, 1902, ten years before Arizona became the forty-eighth state. On July 3, 1993, artist Frederick Hambly presented portraits of Peter R. Brady (his great-great grandfather) and Ben McCulloch to the Heart of Texas Museum at the Heritage Days celebration in Brady.

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Heart of Texas Country Music Museum

2000

The Heart of Texas Country Music Museum, located at 1701 South Bridge Street in Brady, Texas, opened in 2000 and features artifacts from hundreds of country music artists. The collection includes photographs, stage costumes, posters, instruments, and other memorabilia illustrating the history of country music . Special features include pieces designed by such tailors as Nudie, Harvey Krantz, and Nathan Turk. Other artifacts include a wax figure of Bob Wills , as well as one of his fiddles, and “Big Blue”—the first tour bus owned by singer Jim Reeves . The Heart of Texas Country Music Museum collection started with the acquisition of a Rose Maddox gold and rhinestone dress made by Nathan Turk. KNEL disc jockey Tracy Pitcox then began collecting other items related to the history of country music, and the museum was originally housed in the office of KNEL. Approximately 80 percent of the museum’s collections have come directly from the artists or their families. Other pieces come from estate purchases. These include the Jim Reeves tour bus and a variety of other items from Reeves, Minnie Pearl, Patsy Cline, Faron Young, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans , Dottie West, Roy Acuff, Johnny Horton , the Wilburn Brothers, Ernest Tubb , Speck Rhodes, and Grandpa Jones. The museum is staffed entirely by volunteers from the Heart of Texas Country Music Association. The association, devoted to preserving traditional country music, began in 1989 and has aided in raising money for construction of a museum building through bake sales, memorial brick sales, and other fundraising activities. As the number of artifacts grew over the years, the Heart of Texas Country Music Association built a new facility for the museum. Local businessman Billy Jackson donated a lot on South Bridge Street in Brady in memory of his wife Peggy Jackson. The community collected contributions to fund construction of the 1,200-square-foot limestone structure, which officially opened on August 5, 2000. In 2009 the association celebrated its twentieth anniversary with an expansion of the museum in order to accommodate such new items as George Strait’s Resistol straw hat, boots worn by Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Mel Tillis, and Johnny Bush, one of Minnie Pearl’s trademark hats, and colorful costumes worn by Patti Page, Kay Starr, Margo Smith, Dale Evans, and Dottsy. By that time, the museum complex also included access to a nearby studio. The association produces a record label known as Heart of Texas Records which began as a fundraising project in 1999 with a CD featuring various artists that had performed in the area. Entertainer and longtime supporter Leona Williams suggested the idea, and the CD, titled Heart of Texas Country , featured twenty-one artists who each contributed one song. Building on the success of this project, the association launched the record label, which features artists who no longer have contracts with major labels. Recording projects have involved Floyd Tillman , Johnny Bush, Darrell McCall, Johnny Rodriguez, Hank Thompson , and Ferlin Husky. In 2010 the museum association had more than 1,000 members. Additionally, the Heart of Texas Country Music Association continued its longtime sponsorship of area oprys such as the Marble Falls Opry and Llano Country Opry, as well as musical events in Brady. Live acoustic shows at the museum have included performances by Johnny Bush, Leona Williams, Justin Trevino, George Hamilton IV, and others. Disc jockey Tracy Pitcox has remained at the forefront of activities and acquisitions at the museum, which celebrated its tenth anniversary on August 28, 2010, with concerts by The Survivors (Darrell McCall, Tony Booth, and Curtis Potter), along with special guests Georgette Jones, Mona McCall, Frankie Miller, Justin Treviño, Rance Norton, Kimberly Murray, and Landon Dodd. The museum is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays or by appointment, and group and bus tours are welcome.

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Curtis Airfield

1940

Named for Harry Lamar Curtis, mayor of Brady who instigated offer of this field to the United States government during World War II. Born 1903 in Dallas, H.L. Curtis was educated at the University of Dallas, Southern Methodist University, and Texas A&M. He married (1929) Marjorie McCall of Brady and moved here after business successes in Dallas. Served on City Council 1936 to 1940 and as Mayor 1940 to 1944. In 1940 Mayor Curtis obtained designation of Brady Airfield as a national defense airport, with funding for enlargement and hard-surfacing. Small old field was relinquished and this larger tract provided. City paid about $40,000; federal grant was $141,631. Brady's clear skies, dry climate, and freedom from commercial air traffic made it a favored site. A contract school moved here from Love Field, Dallas, on March 16, 1941, and became Brady Aviation School, Ltd. Mayor Curtis led the city to grant free use of the field for ten years, with one dollar a year charged for utilities. Over 10,000 cadets trained here before the school closed in Aug. 1944. This was final duty for a few: 21 cadets, six instructors, a personnel officer lost their lives in accidents. This was one of 17 Texas civilian fields training military pilots during World War II. (1972)

Historical Marker → · 3.5 mi away

Brady, TX

1875

Brady, the county seat of McCulloch County, is located on U.S. highways 87, 283, and 190, 115 miles northwest of Austin, near the geographic center of Texas. When the area was settled in the 1870s, the community was named Brady City after Brady Creek, which runs through town. The name was shortened to Brady when the town was incorporated in 1906. In 1787-88 Spanish explorer José Mares crossed the creek near the site of present Brady. Henry and Nancy Fulcher, the first settlers on Brady Creek, donated land for the townsite in the mid-1870s. Allison Ogden and his father-in-law, Ben Henton, built a store in 1875. A post office opened in 1876. After residents of McCulloch County chose Brady as county seat on May 15, 1876, the town grew fairly quickly. Brady had about fifty residents in 1877, and a stone courthouse was completed in 1878. Thomas Maples began weekly publication of the Brady Sentinel in 1880; by 1884 Brady had two churches, a district school, three stores, two hotels, and 300 residents. Stock raising was the primary occupation in the Brady area before 1900. In the 1870s and 1880s local ranchers drove their cattle to markets in Kansas. Most other trade was with Brownwood and Lampasas. The number of farms and fences increased with the influx of immigrants in the late 1880s and 1890s. Poultry, sheep, goats, cotton, and pecans joined cattle as important sources of income for area residents. When the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway arrived in 1903, Brady became a principal shipping point for Central Texas. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe came to Brady in 1912. By 1914 the town had grown to include four churches, two schools, two banks, several processing plants, manufacturing and supply outlets, and 2,669 residents. In 1926 Brady residents celebrated the building of forty-two-acre Richards Park by holding a two-day barbecue on the Fourth of July weekend; it was such a success that the celebration was labeled the "July Jubilee" and became an annual event. Curtis Field opened just north of Brady in 1942 as a pilot-training school. Also during World War II a German prisoner-of-war camp was built three miles east of the town; it housed more than 300 Germans, most of them members of Rommel's Afrika Korps ( see GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR ). Brady grew slowly from the 1920s through the 1950s, with population estimates reaching a peak of 6,800 in 1958. In 1959 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway abandoned the section of track between Brownwood and Brady, thereby reducing Brady's access to outside markets. The population fell to 5,338 by 1961 and subsequently stabilized. Brady Reservoir was completed in 1963 for flood control, municipal and industrial water needs, and recreation. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe abandoned the track between Brady and Eden in 1972, leaving the town with only a branch track to connect it with the main line at Lometa, in Lampasas County. Brady had 5,925 residents and 142 businesses in 1988. It was principally a farming and ranching community. Its industry included a mohair-combing plant and sand-mining operations. The Francis King Art Gallery and Museum houses works by King, a painter and sculptor, and a collection of restored antique cars. Brady celebrates an annual band festival and goat cook-off every Labor Day. The stone courthouse, built in 1900, was renovated in 1974. In 1989 G. Rollie White Downs, one of the first horse racetracks in Texas after the passage of pari-mutuel laws in 1989, operated briefly in Brady but was unprofitable and closed by 1990. Brady's population in 1990 was 5,946, but dropped to 5,523 in 2000.

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Things to Do in Brady

quirky 20.7 mi away
Geographic Center of Texas Marker

A 1963 highway-department roadside marker on US Highway 377 northeast of Brady noting the geographic center of Texas which actually lies about five miles away…
day trip
Day Trip to Brady 🎸 (FULL EPISODE) S11 E7

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Brady

47 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Brady on the Map
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