Frontmen of Country headline 14th Annual Gulf Coast Gala

PORT ARTHUR – The Frontmen of Country, a trio of popular country music lead singers, will headline the 14th Annual Gulf Coast Gala at Lamar State College Port Arthur.

The Frontmen of Country, fresh off a performance at the Presidential Inaugural Concert, will perform on Saturday, April 29, at 7 p.m. at the Carl Parker Multipurpose Center on the campus of LSCPA, 1800 Lakeshore Drive, Port Arthur.

The Frontmen of Country is made up of Larry Stewart of the group Restless Heart, Tim Rushlow of Little Texas and solo star Billy Dean. Together, these performers have scored 67 country/pop hits, 34 Top 10 hits, and eight national No. 1 songs.

The black-tie event includes a formal meal preceding the night’s entertainment and, as always, proceeds benefit the College and the Museum of the Gulf Coast.

“The Gulf Coast Gala is always a great night of entertainment each spring but to have a group of entertainers like the Frontmen of Country is particularly exciting,” LSCPA President Dr. Betty Reynard said. “The years of performance and the success these three entertainers represent is remarkable.”

Larry Stewart, Restless Heart

Restless Heart became a reality in 1984 and from the beginning, Stewart was the defining voice of the group. The band released five albums during Stewart’s time with the band, hitting with six No. 1 hits and nine other Top 10 entries on the country music chart.

Among the No. 1 hits featuring Stewart are “The Bluest Eyes in Texas”, “Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right)”, “I’ll Still Be Loving You”, and “That Rock Won’t Roll”.

Their album “Wheels” hit No. 1 on the charts, reaching a Gold certification in 1987. It was one of four Gold albums produced by Restless Heart.

Stewart left Restless Heart in 1991 to pursue a solo career. Over the next eight years, he released four albums and hit the Top 10 again with “Alright Already”.

Tim Rushlow, Little Texas

In the 1990s, if you turned on a country music radio station, you’d likely hear the sounds of Little Texas knocking out on of their more than 15 top hits.

Rushlow led Little Texas from 1991 to 1997 when the band produced a quartet of albums that spawned No. 1 hits like “God Blessed Texas”, “What Might Have Been”, and their No. 1 hit, “My Love”.

After Little Texas disbanded in 1997, Rushlow began a solo career. In 2000, after signing with Atlantic Records, he landed a Top 10 single on the country charts, “She Misses Him”.

Billy Dean

Dean produced eight albums, five compilation albums and 28 singles during a career that took off in 1990 with the release of the album “Young Man”, which was the first of four U.S. Gold albums.

His highest-charting solo singles in the U.S. all peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country charts: “Only Here for a Little While”, “Somewhere in My Broken Heart”, and “If There Hadn’t Been You”.

While his debut album reached No. 12 on the country charts, his 1993 release “Fire in the Dark” hit No. 14, featuring the Top 10 single “We Just Disagree”.

Tickets, tables available

Various levels of sponsorships are available to help the efforts of the college with individual tickets and tables available for purchase. For sponsorships, tickets or information, call 409-999-6281.

The first gala was developed in 2004 to benefit cultural and visual arts at the Museum of the Gulf Coast, and to provide support for scholarships as well as campus and community programs.