From Farm to Fame: Stillwater Honors Red Dirt Music's Journey
Proclamation of Red Dirt Music Week highlights genre's growth from local gatherings to national recognition
Stillwater City Council
The City of Stillwater has proclaimed April 7-13, 2025, as Red Dirt Music Week, celebrating the genre's deep roots in the community and its far-reaching influence on American music.
Mayor Will Joyce presented the proclamation Monday night to several Red Dirt music legends, including members of Cross Canadian Ragweed and John Cooper of the Red Dirt Rangers, who were on hand for the special recognition.
"The Red Dirt music genre has been a significant cultural and musical movement rooted in the heart of America, Stillwater, Oklahoma, and is known for its blend of country, rock, folk and blues influencing artists and communities across the country," Joyce reads from the proclamation.
The week-long celebration features concerts Thursday through Sunday with additional events at venues throughout Stillwater. The main event, the Boys From Oklahoma concert series, brings together some of the genre's most influential artists.
Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed shares a deeply personal connection to Stillwater.
"We love this city. I mean, if it wasn't for the city, I wouldn't have anything," Canada said. "I wouldn't have my band or my family or any of my friends. So thank you very much for allowing us to do this."
John Cooper of the Red Dirt Rangers expresses his gratitude for the recognition of a musical movement that began with humble origins.
"This was a music that started here in Stillwater a long time ago. A lot of people put it together and I couldn't be prouder of how far it's come," Cooper said. "We started a little old place out here out west of town called the Farm, with no aspirations of anything other than creating good music for us and our friends to enjoy and have a good time."
Cooper marvels at how the genre has expanded beyond its origins.
"To see how it's grown and how it's gone, not only from Stillwater, throughout the state, around the country, around the world. And this is the biggest moment for our scene," Cooper said.
A message from Visit Stillwater
The original home of Red Dirt Music is ready to boot scoot and boogie this April. Stillwater is filled with outdoor activities, live music festivals, art, and so much more this month!
Red Dirt Music runs deep in Stillwater
Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed shares his deep connection to Stillwater.
"We love this city. I mean, if it wasn't for the city, I wouldn't have anything. I wouldn't have my band or my family or any of my friends," Canada said. "The very first thing that I told everybody when we signed up for this was we're going to do our best to bring a lot of money to local businesses and Stillwater."
Mayor Joyce highlights how Red Dirt music has become an integral part of the community beyond just entertainment and it's recent impact on fundraising efforts for victims of the wildfires that blazed through the southwest neighborhoods in March.
"Cross Canadian Ragweed and the other artists that we're going to have this week have been instrumental in efforts to help raise money for that event, for sure, but also have been sponsoring local businesses and putting out content with local businesses to help engage folks through this concert this week," Joyce said.
The celebration also includes the release of a new book by author Tonya Little. "Dirt & Spirit: A History of the Red Dirt Music Scene" is the first volume in her series "What Is Red Dirt Music Anyway?" and launches during the week-long festivities.
Representatives from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, including Executive Director Tony Corbell and Vice President of the Board Megan Harriman, also attend the proclamation ceremony to show their support.
The city has also partnered with Oklahoma State University and Visit Stillwater to provide a shared text messaging service for event updates and weather notifications. Residents and visitors can text "Boys from OK" to 67283 to enroll in the alert system.
Additional information about the concerts, including maps of road closures, schedules, and parking details, is available at okstate.com/concert or visitstillwater.org/the-boys-from-oklahoma.
Purposeful economic impact
Mayor Joyce anticipates a significant economic impact from the celebration.
"We're really excited about honestly a couple hundred thousand people who are going to be coming to this, many many of those are going to be from outside of Stillwater," Joyce said. "We're excited for the community to welcome our visitors."
With an expected 200,000 visitors, Red Dirt Music Week aims to foster community engagement, promote economic development, and provide opportunities for both established and up-and-coming artists to showcase their talents.
Canada emphasized the economic impact the concert series aims to create.
"The very first thing that I told everybody when we signed up for this was we're going to do our best to bring a lot of money to local businesses in Stillwater," Canada said.
Through performances, festivals, educational events, and community outreach, the celebration highlights the contributions of Red Dirt musicians to the broader music industry while honoring the perseverance, creativity, and dedication of the Red Dirt community.
The proclamation recognizes that Red Dirt music "reflects the spirit and authenticity of the people, celebrating storytelling, deep rooted traditions and a sense of home, all of which have made it a cornerstone of American music."
For Cooper, the recognition validates decades of musical development that began with no commercial aspirations.
"Stillwater was a much different place back then, but to see how it's grown and how it's gone, not only from Stillwater, throughout the state, around the country, around the world. And this is the biggest moment for our scene," Cooper said. "Thank you all for having this day, this proclamation."
📺 Watch the proclamation 👇
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