Nominees for the 2024 Texas Country Music Awards have been announced and a Montgomery County radio station and several local performers are on the list.
Five finalists were selected in each category and the public can vote on the awards through Aug. 15 at the Texas Country Music Association website.
Winners will be announced Nov. 10 at Billy Bob’s Texas in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The top fan and industry-voted awards are in 26 categories related to Texas Country music and Christian Country music as organized by the Texas Country Music Association.
Here’s what to know about the Montgomery County nominees:
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KVST K-Star Country 99.7 FM
The radio station based in Montgomery County with a headquarters near Lake Conroe has been nominated for Terrestrial Radio Station of the Year.
The station has a 25-year plus history in the community providing local information along with a mix of new Country, classic Country and Texas/Red Dirt country.
Mary McCoy and Larry Galla host “The Larry and Mary Show” with classic Country from 10 a.m. to noon weekdays.
McCoy, 86, is the Guinness World Records title holder for the longest female radio DJ. She’s been on the air in Conroe for 73 years. Another fan favorite is the Funny Farm from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays with Lisa Christi and Producer Josh.
Other K-Star on-air personalities include Brad Witt, Dave Horton, Cindy Bell, Kelly McClain and Doc who works the weekend airwaves.
“K-STAR Country is proud to be nominated as the radio station of the year for the Texas Country Music Awards,” Christi said. “We sincerely appreciate all of the listeners that nominated us and we’re also extremely happy to see many of our local favorites on the list too. I’m so blessed that our station is independently owned and they allow us to share Texas music in regular rotation with our community. We truly do appreciate the support.”
Payton Riley
After winning Young Artist of the Year in the younger than 18 category in 2023, Conroe native Payton Riley is up for the honor again in 2024.
She started singing at age 7 and wrote her first song at age 9, performing it on the Dosey Doe Big Barn stage in The Woodlands. To kick off 2024, she is now performing with a band and had the Conroe venue Table at Madeley’s first sold out show in January.
Earlier this year, she appeared on the television show “American Idol.” She sang her original song “Fireflies.” She did not move on to the next round, but the judges were impressed and want to see her keep growing as an artist and return in a few years.
“I am honored to be named a finalist for the TCMA Young Artist of the Year,” she said. “(Fan support) would mean the world to me as I strive to win this prestigious award at the upcoming TCMA Award Show at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth. Thank you for recognizing all the hard work and dedication I have put into my music.”
Payton Howie
Payton Howie’s bio says she’s leading the next generation of redneck women. The singer/songwriter with ties to Willis is up for “Female Artist of the Year.”
In 2023, she was named Texas Country Music Awards Emerging Artist of the Year.
Her debut EP, “Youngblood” — a nickname for her hanging around seasoned musicians — has been streamed more than 2 million times on Spotify.
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Josh Ward
In 2020, singer/songwriter Josh Ward, of Montgomery, brought home “Entertainer of The Year” and “Country Album of The Year” for “Live at Billy Bob’s.”
This year he’s up for Male Artist of the Year.
Ward grew up in Montgomery and competed in bareback bronc riding in high school. But he also liked playing guitar and the country music legends.
With encouragement from his friends, he soon figured out he was better at singing and playing guitar than on the rodeo circuit and his music career was launched.
Now he plays across Texas and has shows booked in Arkansas, Nashville and Alabama later this summer.
Worth a mention
While not from Montgomery County, these artists often play in Conroe including Johnny Falstaff, the Will Carter Band, Curtis Grimes and Tionna Campbell and are also nominated for awards.
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