Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival
BOARD OF ADVISORS
We the Founders and Board of Advisors of the Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing are dedicated to the promotion, preservation and heritage of this great genre that was pioneered and developed by the Legends "King" Bob Wills and "Father" Milton Brown during their formative years of 1929 to 1936 in Fort Worth "Cowtown" Texas. This early development of what would become Western Swing is defined as a musical melting pot that represents a diverse group of talented musicians who contributed to the creation, growth, and prosperity of our beloved dance music and distinctive Western way of life that has flourished here in Cowtown for well over a century, and is indeed a fitting legacy for our rich cultural heritage that is shared by everyone who loves Western Swing. We aim to grow the awareness and love of this great music to a younger generation who can embrace the genre and ensure that it lives on for many decades to come. Lastly, our end goal is to eventually build a Birthplace of Western Swing Museum here in Fort Worth that showcases the many past Legends of Western Swing.
MIKE MARKWARDT
Mike Markwardt is the director of the documentary film "The Birth & History of Western Swing" and co-founder of our "Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing" nonprofit organization. He brings a lifelong passion for Fort Worth's proud heritage as the birth of this music from its 1930s inception when Bob Wills and Milton Brown first pioneered this contagious dance genre to uplift depression-weary fans during the depths of the Great Depression and dust-bowl era.
Mike has contributed his time and financial support to many western swing festival events throughout the Southwest, regularly attending reunions, contests, award shows, and musical events. He launched the inaugural Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival in 2021, where a venerable who’s who of legendary musicians and devoted fans gather from across the country each year to celebrate the birth of western swing in Fort Worth, Texas on the second weekend of November. The epic 3-day festival honors the founding pillars of western swing - the Light Crust Doughboys, the Musical Brownies, and the famed Texas Playboys.
A Fort Worth native and first-time filmmaker, Mike has had a successful entrepreneurial business career with over 35 years in the import-export consumer products industry. In addition to managing his nonprofit organization, Mike also provides import-export consulting expertise to local and international clients and continues to invest in private equity startups and real estate properties primarily within the state of Texas.
MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHY
We are extremely honored to have Michael Martin Murphy, legendary American singer-songwriter of western, country, and popular music, join our Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Board of Advisors. A multiple Grammy nominee, Mr. Murphey has six gold albums, including many award-winning Cowboy songs, and the first album of cowboy music to achieve Gold status since Marty Robbins' 1959 Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. He has recorded major hit singles "Wildfire", "Carolina in the Pines", "What's Forever For", "A Long Line of Love", "What She Wants", "Don't Count the Rainy Days", and "Maybe This Time".
Mr. Murphey is also the author of New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment". He has become a prominent musical voice for the Western horseman, rancher, and cowboy, and has a deep-rooted love of jazz, blues, and western swing music. Mr. Murphey also leads a stellar cast of musical stars and historians in our landmark documentary film - The Birth & History of Western Swing.
STEVE MARKWARDT
Steve Markwardt is one of the founding members of our CBWS nonprofit. He currently serves as both a Board Director and Advisor, and also contributed a great deal of creative input to our documentary film - The Birth & History of Western Swing. He is also the CFO of the newly launched Nashville television venture - the American Country Network.
Steve has over 40 years experience in business including international operations and private equity management. From 1982 to 1996, Steve was instrumental in building a family business, Encon Industries. With manufacturing facilities in China and offices worldwide, Encon emerged as a market leader. Upon the sale of Encon in 1996, Steve launched Markwardt Capital, a private equity investment company with a diverse portfolio of companies, many of which have achieved successful exits through acquisition or IPO. Steve is also co-founder of Clarksville Creative Sound (CCS), a successful record label and recording studio based in Clarksville, TN.
Steve’s CCS partner is renowned producer/songwriter/musician, Curt Ryle, and through their partnership, CCS is rapidly emerging as a leading independent music label. Steve has won awards in the music industry as a singer/songwriter including 2020 Academy of Western Artists (AWA) Song of the Year, 2022 CMA of Texas Song of the Year and 2023 CMA of Texas Vocalist of the Year. He has also been a stellar annual performer with his A-List Band at our CBWS Festival.
KELLY HURD
We are very honored to have the brilliant marketing mind of Kelly Hurd and the support of her successful Oklahoma ranching husband John Hurd join our CBWS Board of Directors. With a degree in Communication, Kelly has been consulting since 2017 and has worked extensively with destinations, small businesses, event planners, and rural communities to promote tourism, event attendance, and economic development through effective advertising and creative digital marketing strategies.
Known across multiple platforms and states for her creativity, writing ability, podcast productions, and high level of professionalism, Kelly is also a well-known public speaker with an effervescent word of encouragement and visionary insight. We are thrilled to have her articulate gift of public speaking as one of our featured CBWS Festival emcees.
Winner of three Red Bud Awards in Oklahoma for excellence in the tourism industry, former president of the Texas Midwest Community Network, magazine columnist, Texas real estate broker, and former Chamber of Commerce Director in both states, Kelly possesses a wealth of knowledge, a positive attitude, and a track record of success. Rural values with an appreciation for the agricultural industry flow through her veins, along with a passion for seeing both passed down to the next generation.
Kelly and her husband, John, make their home in rural Osage County, Oklahoma and together they are raising horses, cattle, and some of the best Black Mouth Cur dogs in the state! They also love investing in the character and hearts of their 8 grandchildren.
PAULA JUNGMANN
It is with great pride we announce Paula Jungmann as the latest addition to our CBWS Board of Advisors. Paula has been a towering figure in the western swing world, from her groundbreaking Texas legislative accomplishments to her innovative social media marketing for the dance music we all love.
Paula is a native Texan who grew up in San Antonio, home of the Alamo. She now resides with her husband in the nearby Texas Hill Country community of Boerne. Her mother's family were pioneers of Blanco County, having moved there prior to the Civil War. Her maternal grandfather was a rancher who also played fiddle for community gatherings, as well as preaching for traveling tent revivals who frequented his ranch.
Paula's love of music was from an early age. She loved the beat that had led her to dance. Early on she went to dances with her parents and would be drug around the dance floor by her older brother to the music of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell playing on the jukebox. Fast forward to her early teens, rock & roll was on the rise and of course there again was that BEAT... she just had to dance. At age 14 she met the young man who would become her husband. He was also raised on country music and began taking her to country dances. Country music was a bit too much twang for her until George Jones came out with the fast-paced "White Lightning" and "The Race Is On"... she was hooked on country music from then on.
Western Swing came to her heart much later. She of course heard it and danced to it, but didn't have much experience with it until a local area band began playing this contagious Cowboy Jazz dance music at a hall she frequented. The music again had that unmistakable BEAT and called her to the dance floor. She absolutely fell in love with it. But she noticed this wonderful band wasn't drawing much of a crowd, WHY? It wasn't that the band didn't play it well. There had to be another reason. Time and time again, the crowd wasn't there. So she started looking for ways to raise awareness to others to discover this wonderful rebirth of Texas-born Western Swing music. As time went by, Paula found a couple of other bands who played this contagious music. After trying all sorts of things, from inviting strangers to her table to throwing get-togethers at her home, she came upon a bold idea of bringing Western Swing to a statewide audience of recognition. She would seek and eventually secure a Texas State Senate concurrent resolution to officially recognize the genre. In 2008 she began writing her state representatives to make a strong case for Western Swing to become the Official State Music of Texas. Through a grueling effort of trial and error and lobbying with multiple Representatives and Senators, she persevered and achieved success in May of 2011, when the Texas State Senate, led by Senator Jeff Wentworth, voted Western Swing the Official State Music of Texas. The House passed the resolution 3 weeks later, led by Rep. Doug Miller, who in celebration actually went to the podium to sing a western swing tune! Governor Rick Perry signed the concurrent resolution on June 17, 2011. Thanks to Paula's unrelenting effort, Western Swing Music is now a certified symbol of Texas culture, just as the bluebonnet flower and other wonderful symbols and traditions have made our Lone Star State uniquely Texas.
Paula is the founder and administrator of the immensely popular Western Swing Music of Texas Facebook page and group. At this writing, there are over 19,000 combined followers who come to Paula's group page to discover and enjoy this great music; and find out who, what, and where western swing events are happening. The page utilizes YouTube videos, event posters, and band event postings to engage the audience; and also mixes historical and educational content so people will understand the genre's monumental importance. Paula has strived to make the group page not only a symbol of the music but also a working platform that helps keep the music alive and draws interested dancers to the Official Music of Texas. It is no wonder that she has been humbled, privileged, and honored to be inducted into the Cowtown Society of Western Music Hall of Fame, the Western Swing Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame, the Northwest Western Swing Hall of Fame and the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame.
BILLY BOWLES
Keep Swinging Country DJ
KSSL Radio - Lubbock, Texas
Billy Bowles is a born and bred proud Texan, who has lived a life of respect and admiration for REAL Country music with a special affinity for the Texas-born genre of Western Swing - the Official State Music of Texas. From his humble upbringing in the heart of the oil & ranch country of Sundown, Texas, Billy began a never-ending love of music at a very young age. His major influences during his adolescent years were the music of Hoyle Nix, Bob Wills, and Hank Williams, along with the legendary voices of all-night radio - Bill Mack The Midnight Cowboy from Fort Worth's WBAP, and in later years the great Larry Scott on Shreveport's KWKH.
Billy eventually found his true calling in 2011 when he unexpectedly found himself with an opportunity to begin hosting his own radio program in Lubbock. He named it Billy Bowles' Swinging Country and focused on playing today's Independent Artists who record REAL Country Music and Western Swing. He had never dreamed of hosting such a successful show, and soon realized it was God's hand that created his destiny to be in the right place at the right time.
Billy's many Accolades include --
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Academy Of Western Artist Winner of The Will Rogers Award for Disc Jockey of the Year for 2012.
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Inducted into the Cowtown Society of Western Music, Western Swing Heroes Hall of Fame and Disc Jockey of the Year 2013.
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Inducted into the Northwest Western Swing Music Society Hall of Fame 2014
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Inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame 2015
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Awarded Best Male Radio Presenter 2015 by Fair Play Country Music 2 covering & monitoring Independents World Wide out of Germany.
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Inducted into the 2017 Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame.
KRISTY & KEITH CURTIS
We are thrilled to have one of the finest Western Swing dancers in the State of Texas join our Board of Advisors. Kristy Curtis is the focal heartbeat of every dance she attends with her amazing two-step spins and patterns, polka, waltz, and progressive double two-step skills.
Kristy is a native of Tennessee. She started dancing as a young girl with her dad and moved to Texas in 2001. She already knew how to 2-step but quickly learned the Progressive Double 2-Step, taking lessons from JJ Jackson, the inventor of the dance. As she became more and more immersed in Texas culture, she ran across Jake Hooker at a small rodeo and his Western Swing music. In 2010 she made her first trip to Turkey, TX to Bob Wills Days. She came alone and left with lifelong friends and an addiction to Western Swing music and dancing. Kristy goes to many Western Swing festivals throughout the year all across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. She loves designing her color-coordinated dance outfits, many of which are custom-made.
Kristy graduated from Texas A&M Commerce with a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering. After working in high-speed production plants as a manager for many years, she now works as a designer for Closets By Design. This position allows her the flexibility to attend as many dance festivals as she wants.
Her spare time is spent traveling with her parents, working out, spending time with her dogs, dancing, worshipping at Prestonwood Baptist Church, and packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child for Samaritan's Purse.
MICHAEL & SHERYL HATCHETT
Our nonprofit organization is very honored to have these two distinguished individuals serving on our CBWS Board of Advisors.
Drs. Michael Hatchett and Sheryl Santos-Hatchett were from two different worlds when they met in a dance studio in Lubbock 15 years ago. Mike, a veterinarian and native Texan, and Sheryl, a TTU college dean and native New Yorker, became an instant dancing duo and haven’t slowed down yet. Sheryl’s western swing education began when Mike took her to the now defunct “County Line” on 19th Street to dance to headliners, Chuck Cusimano and Jody Nix; and the rest is history! Ever since that day, they have traveled practically non-stop throughout Texas enjoying many western swing dances and festivals in venues all across the state. “Getting to visit in person with our favorite musicians and making many friends along the way has become a lifestyle that puts a smile on our face with every step.”
Mike and Sheryl married in Las Vegas in 2009 in an Elvis chapel. Now retired, they moved to Dallas to enjoy all that big city life has to offer and to be close to Fort Worth, The Birthplace of Western Swing.
KEVAN JAMES
Please join us in welcoming our very first international CBWS Board Advisor. Kevan James resides in Norwich, England, an historic city 100 miles north of London. He has been listening to and collecting western swing music for over 20 years – and says of himself, “I’m not an expert, I’m just a knowledgeable amateur!”
Kevan has been a regular traveller to Texas for music festivals for the last 15 years, including four years at the Legends of Western Swing in Wichita Falls and the last three years at the Birthplace of Western Swing. It was only covid and a ban on flights to America that kept him away from the first one! Kevan says, “I well remember meeting Michael Markwardt for the first time at the 2019 Legends of Western Swing Festival. There was no hard sell needed for me to attend the first Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival … their excitement and commitment was infectious! I really couldn’t wait to be there with them!”
Kevan has worked extensively in healthcare management. He spent ten years in senior management roles in nursing care establishments before moving into a GP Practice Manager role, and also worked for a major private healthcare provider in a local prison for two years. He attained an MBA at the University of Brighton in 2001, and recently graduated from the University of East Anglia (UAE) with a distinguished MA in American Studies.
Kevan is currently a UAE Postgraduate Researcher, working on a PhD research project encompassing the history of American Square Dance in the United Kingdom. This project stems from an interest in how the US military bases in and around Norwich during World War II impacted the growth of this beloved American dance genre. We are excited and quite confident that Kevan will contribute an immense level of knowledge to keep our organization centered on the history of western swing music, and keep us fully informed to hire potential American Roots music bands from Europe to perform at our annual CBWS Festival.
PAULA LISTER
We are thrilled to announce Paula Lister as a new member of our CBWS Board of Advisors. Raised in a strong musical family tradition, Paula was exposed to and thoroughly enjoyed her father's boogie-woogie performances on their family’s upright piano. Her household was filled with the sounds of such renowned artists as Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, and Tex Williams, among others. She still maintains her father's prized “vintage” vinyl collection! Since her early twenties, she attended countless live concerts and dances… a priority she continues to this day.
Throughout her business career, Paula’s had the pleasure of working in the incentive and meeting planning sector, first for a prominent financial firm, and subsequently establishing and managing her own brokerage firm, where she successfully collaborated with numerous financial institutions. She is proud to say the firm still thrives today, albeit under different management.
Paula’s recent retirement allows her the time to attend and help plan even more live events… especially her beloved genre of Western Swing, where she’s established many meaningful connections with fellow music fans and musicians alike.
Our CBWS Board is deeply grateful to utilize the talented skills and valued experience Paula Lister can contribute from her lifelong journey of incredible friendships as a devoted fan of traditional Country & Western Swing music.
CONSTANTINE DANIELS
Join us in welcoming our newest CBWS Board Advisor - Constantine Daniels. Constantine grew up in the heart of Ohio's Amish country. At the age of 12 he started collecting antique cylinder and 78rpm phonograph records with his allowance money. The genres he collected were exclusively from the first half of the 20th century: ragtime, vaudeville, Dixieland jazz, and big band. He discovered western swing by coming across some old Bob Wills and Leon McAuliffe 78s in the moldy basement of an antique store and has been in love with the genre ever since.
After a brief career in welding and opera in western Colorado, he decided to move to Levelland, Texas so he could hear live western swing music on a year-round basis. He is currently studying the saxophone and steel guitar at South Plains College in Levelland and is a member of SPC's famed Western Swing band. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in Audiovisual Archiving. Constantine is also the social media manager of Robert Huston's famous band from Arkansas - Western Swing RULES.
PAUL GONZALES
Paul Gonzales joins our CBWS Board of Advisors with an experienced entrepreneurial background. He owns and operates his current thriving business - Paul Gonzales Handyman Services and Remodeling. With his reputation in the Northwest area of Dallas, he stays fully booked with referrals from his existing customers and steady repeat business. He specializes in kitchen and bath remodels and can fix almost anything.
Paul was born and raised in Kerrville, TX. He is grateful to be following in the footsteps of his parents who loved to dance and enrolled him and his twin sister in Folklorico School of Dancing. He first developed his love of Western Swing music during his junior high days listening to Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, and Bob Wills on 8 track tapes in his daddy's truck. His first dance floor was the backyard and his first dancehall was Longbranch in Kerrville, where a young upstart by the name of George Strait opened up the first night.
Paul spends his free time dancing, playing poker, bowling, traveling to Western Swing festivals, and attending Dallas Cowboys home football games. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus and Elks Lodge. He continues to help his dad and spends time with his family. He also donates his time and resources to build ramps for special needs children, remodelings for police department breakrooms/weight rooms, and Habitat for Humanity projects through Home Depot. Our CBWS Festival is very thankful for Paul's fully donated design and build-out of our eye-catching huge 4-foot high x 14-foot wide "COWTOWN" illuminated marquee barnyard wood letters that will front the dance floor stage at National Hall.
MARK YOUNG
Mark Young joins our Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Board of Advisors with an impressive business résumé and devotion to Western Swing music.
Mark was born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1960 and grew up in Hurst, graduating from LD Bell High School in 1979. He started his business career with Delta Airlines in 1983 and retired from the airline industry in 2006 to pursue an entreprenurial career in oil & gas as a Landman and Right of Way Agent. Mark specializes as a land professional with legal expertise in property rights for both private and governmental third-party entities. He engages in the field to assist with land acquisition and the legal aspects of a variety of projects and acts as a liaison between multiple parties. His outstanding ability to negotiate and deal with strategic issues is invaluable to our Board.
Mark grew up loving country music and especially Western Swing. His passion for Texas-born music grew more intense the older he got. He began following the BBQ cook-offs all over Texas, which were often accompanied by Western Swing Festivals and street dances. Even as a young man, Mark and his cousin would enter Red Fish tournaments on the coast of Texas for the adventure of not only deep sea fishing, but the many Western Swing and Traditional Country music stops they made to numerous small town dancehalls and honky-tonks in south Texas.
Mark has worked on numerous major pipeline projects all over the great state of Texas and as far north as Minot, North Dakota. His travels have given him the wonderful opportunity to visit nearly every historic Texas dancehall in existence. His love for the music and the twirling two-step swing/shuffle dancing continues to this day. Mark enjoys being around people and making new friends while engaging in the great tradition of Texas dancehall music.
Mark says with great admiration, "I have been very blessed to have developed and maintained a lifetime of deeply rooted friendships in the country swing music world: Reggie Ruffer - Charlie Pride's fiddle player for many years, Derek Spigener - Charlie Pride's drummer and the many talented local Western Swing Artists in the Fort Worth area like Jake Hooker and his father Tommy Hooker, Gary Carpenter, Landon Dodd, Danny Naccarato, Jerry Max Lane and his wife Jennnie Max Lane, along with many others".
BARU FORELL
We are honored to have Baru Forell bring her talented Western skills and sharp business acumen to our Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Board of Advisors.
Baru has had a lifelong love affair with horses and Western music. She competes with several associations that offer ranch and cow horse events. She is an accomplished Western silversmith and bit maker, participating in numerous juried events and shows.
Baru is an active member of the Stock Horse of Texas, American Quarter Horse Association and Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. She is also a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
PETER J CARTA
Our Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing organization is very proud to announce the newest member of our valued Board of Advisors - Peter J. Corta from Stephenville, Texas.
Peter's family, on the Corta Ranch in far northeastern Nevada, introduced him to the music of Western Swing at an early age. Indeed, his maternal grandparents constantly played old Bob Wills 78 and 45 rpm records from their past travels to Texas. They instilled in him a reverence and love for what they called "musical history lessons" in all of Bob's legendary songs. More than sixty years later Peter still looks forward to every Western Swing dance he attends, just as he did when he was only six years old.