KATY, TX—Throw on your best cowboy hat and get ready for an unforgettable event that combines the magic of music with the power of healing. Texas Best Music Fest is back, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
Join the community on June 23 at Mo’s Place in Katy for a lively evening of incredible performances, heartfelt tributes, and most importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in need. The proceeds of Texas Best Music Fest offer critical support to a noble cause: the Champions Kids Camp (CKC).
Founded in 2001 by two legendary Fort Bend County residents, award-winning country songwriter duo Bill and Kim Nash, CKC is dedicated to nurturing children who have survived traumatic experiences such as illness, injury or personal loss. For over two decades, CKC has touched the hearts of thousands of at-risk children, helping them overcome emotional scars and regain their confidence and joy.
The inspiring origin story of CKC involves the couple’s oldest son, Billy. In Billy’s childhood, he fell gravely ill. Searching desperately for answers, Bill and Kim, who were pregnant at the time, checked Billy into Texas Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with acute childhood leukemia and given a fifty-fifty chance of survival.
“We went back to the hospital room, held hands and prayed to Jesus Christ to heal his body,” Bill Nash recalled. “They gave him one shot of chemo in his leg… and we came back to the hospital ten days later to do more blood work. The cancer was completely gone.”
“They called it ‘instant remission.’ We call it a miracle of God. This impacted us in such an incredible way.”
This event energized Bill and Kim to open CKC, a Christ-based camp and labor of love, born out of their own journey of resilience and compassion. They understand firsthand the emotional toll that illness, injury or loss can take on a child and their family, and they are determined to provide support and solace to those in need.
The camp’s mission is to “help children get past what they may never get over,” and for twenty-three years, the camp has facilitated tremendous healing in several thousand young lives. Despite what they’ve endured or are currently enduring, for a week, the children at CKC get to put their battles aside and re-experience the thrills of childhood.
The kids participate in activities like boating, ziplining, canoeing and socializing with other children who understand them, and in the process, they work through trauma and forge mutually empathetic and fruitful relationships.
However, in order to continue hosting children in week-long camps, the non-profit organization must raise the nearly $90,000 a year it needs to rent a facility. The Texas Best Music Festival is its answered prayer!
This year, Texas Best Music Fest aims to raise funds for CKC’s new facility near Houston, specially designed to cater to the needs of the children.
The event will also honor the legacy of Texas music and celebrate the achievements of Bill Nash, who is ringing in his 70th year in the music industry and his 80th year on earth. His decades have exemplified the flux nature of life, from heartbreaks to monotony to triumphs—and the wide array of human experiences in between.
From an early age, Bill was captivated by the power of music to connect people and evoke emotion. He was raised in a family music trio in the rural, tiny town of Pharr, Texas, and as Bill’s passion for music grew, so did his aspirations.
A demo session at Columbia Records in New York City, organized by Gene Rayburn of NBC’s smash hit Match Game, became then-13-year-old Bill’s entrance into the world of professional music. Bill and the rest of the Nash Family Trio were personally escorted to the studio by Rayburn in a limousine, with no idea where they were going. When they arrived at the studio, they were casually introduced to groundbreaking jazz musician Dave Brubeck, a glimpse into how drastically their lives would soon change.
That demo session landed the trio a recording contract with Columbia Records, and their first recording on Columbia sparked their national presence as Gospel singers.
In 1967, Bill etched his place in music history as a solo artist when he became the first artist to record a song written by Kris Kristofferson.
Years later, Bill and his wife, Kim, wrote Grammy-nominated and top-charting hits for country titans like Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. A song the duo penned for McEntire, “They Asked About You,” made it onto the singer’s greatest hits album and has been played across the world over a million times—a monumental feat in the songwriting industry.
McEntire, according to Bill, is exactly the same as her character in her television show.
“Reba is a real cowpoke,” Bill laughed.
The couple achieved many notable accolades, including writing for prominent labels like Sony Music. Their songwriting talents were recognized when Diamond Rio recorded their song “In God We Still Trust,” further solidifying their place in the country music scene.
Just last year, Bill and Kim Nash collaborated with the esteemed Fort Bend Boys Choir to produce an Emmy-nominated music video of “This Little Light of Mine.” Bill was then seventy-nine years old, proving age an inconsequential force in the heart of an artist.
Much of Bill’s story is chronicled in his stunning new autobiography, Saint Sinner Singer, which is available now on Amazon.
In addition to Bill and Kim Nash, the rest of the Texas Best Music Fest lineup is nothing short of spectacular, featuring performances by country-soul artist Sundance Head, winner of The Voice in 2016, and a special tribute to Roy Head, the legendary artist and father of Sundance. Attendees will also be treated to sets by Jimmy Nash, an extraordinary artist in his own right, and the son of Bill and Kim Nash.
Texas Best Music Fest is more than just a concert—it’s a chance to make a difference. With every ticket purchased and every donation made, attendees will help send deserving children to CKC this July, where they’ll find healing, hope and the opportunity to embrace life once again.
Save the date, mark your calendars, and join in an unforgettable afternoon of music and meaning at Texas Best Music Fest. Together, let’s build a future where every child has the chance to thrive and shine.
Tickets are available now, so don’t miss out on Katy’s top music bash this summer. Order your $20 general admission ticket today and be a part of something truly special. See you at Texas Best Music Fest!
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 2024
LOCATION: Mo’s Place in Katy @ 21940 Kingsland Blvd, Katy, TX 77450
TIME: Doors open at 2 p.m. First act at 3 p.m.
