Howard delivers at Barbecue concert performance
DECATUR — It was all about life in the Natural State, love, and even a nearby professional football team as Arkansas native Blane Howard took center stage for the 68th Decatur Barbecue concert at Veterans Park Aug. 6 in Decatur.
Howard was born and raised in a little town called Hot Springs. From the age of 3, when young Howard stood in front of a TV set singing to an Allen Jackson tune, Howard began a legacy that would lead to achieving his dream of becoming a country music singer/ songwriter. And it showed during his performance to loyal fans and converts alike.
His road to country music stardom began when he performed some of his mentors’ songs, including one by local Rogers boy Joe Nickols. But Howard also showed that he was more than a country singer when he performed Eddie Rabbit’s hit, “I Love A Rainy Night,” and dedicated it to all the truckers who keep supplies flowing throughout this nation.
Howard performed several of his earlier hits, like “Promise to Love Her” which he wrote as a wedding present to his new bride Megan. This song spent 17 weeks on Country Music Television (CMT) 12 Pack Countdown. One of those weeks was at the number one spot.
One of Howard’s earlier works was his hit song, “Arkansas Y’all,” which resonated throughout the Barbecue crowd. He wrote this song and it was selected as a finalist for the Song of Arkansas Contest. He did not win that contest, but this song launched his career in country music when, a year later, it was released as the Razorback Version which paid tribute to the Arkansas Razorbacks sports program. This song brought out a few Razorback calls during the performance.
During the pandemic when the country was shut down, Howard found a way of keeping busy that led to one of his biggest successes. Howard is a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. So in late 2020, he wrote a song entitled “Run It Back.” This song eventually became the Chief ’s theme song during the team’s playoff run.
And it was an instant hit during the Barbecue, sparking some of the area’s Kansas City Chief fans to sing along with Howard.
In spite of the extreme heat, Blane Howard delivered yet another in a long line of outstanding Decatur Barbecue performances and one that will go down among the best performances in event history. Howard takes his place among such notable performers as Hank Thompson Junior, Keith Whitley and Eddie Money who together helped to keep the Decatur Barbecue alive for years to come.
A special thank you goes out to the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored this year’s concert, as well as Pat Austin and Kim Wilkins who worked long hours to find another in a long line of great Barbecue performers.