Cross Canadian Ragweed Reunites For A Legendary Night In Waco

A red dirt band from back in the day re-appears in central Texas.

The Boys from Oklahoma Tour

Cross Canadian Ragweed reunited for a sold-out show in Waco this past Saturday. The native Oklahomans were joined by special guests Shane Smith and the Saints, Wade Bowen and American Aquarium.

A Look Back

CCR formed in Yukon, Oklahoma in 1994 and based its name on the names of the guys in the band: Cross- Grady Cross, Canadian- Cody Canada, Rag- Randy Ragsdale, Weed- Matt Wiedemann. The group released five studio albums and three live albums from 1994 until 2010. The band was a major player in the red dirt music scene in Oklahoma and Texas in the early 2000s. The group took a break in 2010, but in September 2024, the guys announced a reunion.

Oklahoma’s Role In Country Music

Oklahoma has produced a slew of popular country music artists. Here are a few.

Toby Keith

Toby Keith was much more than a country singer. He was also a songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman. Keith released his debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy", in 1993. Keith's breakthrough single, "How Do You Like Me Now?!", was the title track to his 1999 album How Do You Like Me Now?!

Vince Gill

Vince Gill had a music career before he became a part of the country music scene. From 1978 to 1982, Gill was lead singer of the soft rock band Pure Prairie League. His solo career in country music began in 1984 with his breakthrough album When I Call Your Name.

Reba McIntire

Reba Nell McEntire is often referred to as "The Queen of Country", selling more than 75 million records worldwide. Her number-one singles include "One Promise Too Late", "The Last One to Know", and the Grammy Award-winning "Whoever's in New England".

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's first single, "Inside Your Heaven" made her the first country artist to debut atop the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats" were huge hits for Underwood.

Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks was the first country artist to combine country music with a rock concert presentation. Brooks is the only artist in music history to release nine albums that went on to be certified Diamond. The Beatles only had six. Brooks first single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)", made it into the country top 10 . It was followed by Brooks' first number-one single on the Hot Country Songs chart, "If Tomorrow Never Comes".

Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton is singer, songwriter and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin" which spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Austin was followed by "All Over Me" and "Ol' Red".

Roy Clark

One of my all-time favorite guitarists is Oklahoma native, Roy Clark. Many know Clark for his host role on Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show that ran from 1969 to 1997. Clark was also highly skilled with the banjo and fiddle and could play practically any genre: Classical guitar, country music, Latin music, bluegrass, and pop.

Ronnie Dunn

Dunn began his musical career as a solo artist before partnering with Kix Brooks in 1990. In 1991, Brooks and Dunn released their first album, Brand New Man, which was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA. Brooks & Dunn released 12 studio albums, two greatest-hits albums, and a Christmas album.

Keith Anderson

Keith Anderson found success as a songwriter before making it as a singer. Anderson was one of several co-writers on the George Jones/Garth Brooks duet "Beer Run". After signing with Arista Nashville, Anderson released an album in 2004 with  "Pickin' Wildflowers" as the first release. My personal favorite is "Every time I Hear Your Name".  Anderson co-wrote Big & Rich's single "Lost in This Moment", a Number One hit on the country music charts in mid-2007.