This weekend’s Briscoe County Celebration & Rodeo will feature music by Lubbock-based Jason Nutt and Highway 70.
Members include Clint Chapman on lead guitar and Jason Nutt on lead vocals and guitar. Brady Rasco plays fiddle, and Tyler Richardson is on drums. The group formed in 2008 and produced two albums: “N. Clinton Ave.” (2010) and “All Kinds of Country” (2011) before taking a break from performing.
Some songs from those albums, such as “Blame It on Me,” generated new fans through local radio play and made it on to the Texas radio charts.
“Music has always been a huge part of my life,” said Nutt, who missed performing for live audiences and made a comeback with the band in 2018.
Since then, the group has played at Cook’s Garage and the Cactus Theater in Lubbock and the Alley in Abernathy, and rang in the new year at Hotel Turkey. They’re popular at rodeos and other events in agricultural communities. Shared interests with Weaver Livestock have taken them to venues in other states.
The cover of the newest album, “Not the Man I Used to Be,” shows Nutt with a “pickle wood” guitar made in Texas with repurposed pickle barrels. The album emphasizes the unique sound of the instrument and an appreciation for the simple things. An original song that resonates with many in this region is about cattle culture. The chorus describes chasing purple banners.
“Gold Buckles and Fond Memories” is also about showing cattle and rodeo life.
“Better Man” is a song Nutt wrote about his children. The band performed Nutt’s original “Family Farm” at Punkin Days in Floydada last October. The song describes “cotton fields and cows for as far as you can see / Corn fields and pumpkins scattered in between.”
“I was born and raised here in Floydada,” said Nutt, whose inspirations include Bob Wills, Marty Robbins and Vince Gill. His cover of “Texas Tornado” with Brady Rasco can be viewed online. Over the years, Nutt has performed with musicians like Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Shooter Jennings and Lloyd Maines.
The band will take the stage at 7 p.m. in Silverton this Saturday during the 129th Briscoe Country Celebration and Rodeo. They will also be playing for the Roaring Springs Reunion in late August and at an upcoming event in Roby. A schedule is available at jasonnuttband.com.