Little Texas Brings Iconic Sound and Deep East Texas Roots Back Home to Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball
Thirty-five years after their debut single first hit country radio, Little Texas is still doing what they have always done best, delivering high-energy performances, timeless country hits, and the unmistakable sound that helped define an era.
And for East Texas audiences, this year’s performance carries a little extra hometown pride. Two founding members of the band, Porter Howell and Duane Propes, both hail from nearby Longview, making the concert more than just another tour stop. It is a true homecoming for musicians who helped shape one of the most successful country bands of the 1990s.
Howell, in particular, holds a special place in Texas music history as co-writer of “God Blessed Texas,” the band’s signature anthem that remains one of the most recognizable songs ever written about the Lone Star State. More than three decades after its release, the song still ignites crowds and has become woven into the fabric of Texas culture.
“I co-wrote ‘God Blessed Texas,’ so that’s going to be something that people know my name from,” Howell says. Yet, looking past the accolades, he hopes his legacy is rooted in his character. “That’s not the important stuff. Hopefully, they know me as a friend, somebody they can trust, somebody who’s honest. I’m just a fun person who enjoys my life sober. I’ve been sober for almost 30 years. That’s a big part of how I conduct myself.”
Finding the Sound in the Lone Star State
Before the chart-topping hits, Howell’s musical journey began right in East Texas. “Playing guitar in local bands and for a school group called PT Express,” he recalls of his early days, crediting the director of PT Express, Luann Neely of Marshall, for steering his path. “She recommended Belmont College in Nashville. I attended for a couple of years, majoring in guitar. That is where I met some of the Little Texas band members, along with a place where some of us worked at Opryland USA. We later wound up with a deal on Warner Bros with a young band eventually called Little Texas.”
Little Texas first burst onto the national scene in 1991 with “Some Guys Have All the Love,” a Top 10 hit that introduced audiences to a band unlike many of their contemporaries. While much of country music at the time relied heavily on outside songwriters and studio musicians, Little Texas built its reputation on authenticity. The band wrote much of its own material and played on its own records, creating a guitar-driven sound layered with soaring harmonies and rock-influenced energy.
Though the band formed in Nashville, Howell notes that their musical DNA remained distinctly Texan.“I think a lot of our sound came from many of us growing up in Texas,” Howell explains. “We ended up going back to Texas from Nashville to learn how to be the band we became. We played a lot in the DFW area and places like Borrowed Money in Plano. We did our 10,000 hours in Texas and then went back to Nashville. I believe playing in the upscale, cool clubs like Borrowed Money, where we became kind of a house band on the circuit, truly helped form what we did.”
Overwhelming Success and Lasting Influence
That grounded, hard-earned approach resonated with fans across the country. Over the next several years, the group produced 12 Top 20 singles, including three consecutive No. 1 hits: “My Love,” “What Might Have Been,” and “God Blessed Texas.” Along the way, Little Texas sold more than 7 million albums and became one of the hardest-touring acts of the decade.
Their breakthrough sophomore album, Big Time, achieved double-platinum status and earned Grammy, CMA, and ACM nominations. In 1994, the band received the Academy of Country Music’s Top Vocal Group award, cementing its place among the premier country acts of the era.
The influence of Little Texas continues to stretch well beyond the 1990s. In 2024, Billboard named “God Blessed Texas” the No. 1 Best Country Song Featuring Texas in the Title, reaffirming the song’s enduring popularity. That same year, Lainey Wilson opened the ACM Awards with a crowd-pleasing rendition of the track, introducing the anthem to a new generation of country fans.
Also in 2024, some of Texas’ biggest names in country and Red Dirt music came together for the tribute project A Lone Star Salute to Little Texas. The album featured reinterpretations of the band’s biggest songs by artists including Randy Rogers Band, Pat Green, Casey Donahew, Aaron Watson, Rodney Crowell, Josh Abbott Band, Kevin Fowler, Eli Young Band, and George Birge.
For many of those artists, Little Texas was not just a successful band; it was a blueprint.
“This song made me proud to be from Texas… this is a full-circle moment for me,” Randy Rogers said of participating in the tribute project. (Billboard) Mike Eli of Eli Young Band echoed that sentiment, noting, “Little Texas had a huge impact on the development of our band… their songs shaped our own sound.” (People)Deep Connections and Heading Home
While life has taken Howell to Tennessee, his heart remains firmly planted in East Texas soil, finding peace in the memory of quiet country mornings.
“I will always love quiet country mornings because of how I grew up,” Howell shares. “I live in Franklin, Tennessee, now, but growing up, my family owned 2500 acres between Longview and Kilgore. So, I grew up trudging around in the river bottoms, fishing the Sabine River and Rabbit Creek, and I still call that home even though I’ve been in Tennessee for over 40 years. I even wrote a song called, ‘Still Call it Home’ about that place. We still own 500 acres out past the airport of really pretty, non-flood land, and I get there as often as I can. I try to make it back there at least two times a year.”
Those outdoor traditions remain a massive part of his life today. “I love fishing,” Howell says. “We have over 14 bodies of water on our land counting Rabbit Creek and the Sabine. I sometimes go down there just to fish. I have taken songwriting friends from Nashville down there, and we can catch up to 150 fish a day out of those ponds.”
Beyond the music and the local roots, the band’s appearance at events like the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball carries a profound, deeply emotional meaning. The fight against cancer is not an abstract cause for the group; it is a battle they watched one of their own fight.
“We have a very, very close personal connection to the fight against cancer,” Howell reveals. “Our drummer, Del Gray, was diagnosed with cancer four or five years ago. He had one hell of a fight for almost three years just from the operations and everything he went through. He is cancer-free now, and he has been back with us for the last two years. So we are all painfully familiar with what patients go through, and we are just very thankful he is still with us, one of our brothers.”
Today, Little Texas continues to tour nationwide, bringing the same musicianship, energy, and unmistakable Texas spirit that made them country music staples more than three decades ago. When the band takes the stage in Tyler, East Texas fans will have even more reason to celebrate because they will be welcoming home two musicians whose roots, memories, and families run just down the road.
