The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame: Carthage, TX
The Piney Woods region of Texas is home to several amazing destinations. Visitors can get a railway view of the beauty of East Texas when riding the rails of the Texas State Railroad between Rusk and Palestine. If you are an outdoors type, there is no better place for camping, canoeing, hiking and fishing than the Big Thicket National Preserve. While there are so many different locations to visit, one destination any lover of Texas Music must stop is the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in beautiful Carthage, Texas. The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame / Tex Ritter Museum opened in August 2002 in a $2.5 million state-of-the-art facility. Since that date, over 30,000 country music fans have stepped back in time to re-live great moments in country music history.
Fans have come from every state as well as numerous foreign countries including England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, India, Sri Lanka, The Netherlands, Germany and Australia. The museum started in 1993 as the Tex Ritter Museum and expanded to include friends of Tex and other Texas-born country music legends. In August 2004, the museum expanded to add a significant Jim Reeves display which features the radio equipment from Jim's radio station KGRI in Henderson.
A museum, a large multi-purpose room, and a gift shop comprise the major areas of interest within the facility. The museum contains information panels that cover each inductee's career and accomplishments through text, photographs, and various artifacts. In the center of the exhibit area, a replica of a 1930s theater marquee reminds visitors of the role of country music in film. A juke box nearby allows visitors to select the country songs that they wish to hear played while touring the museum.
Artists such as Kenny Rogers, Clint Black, Tracy Byrd, Mickey Gilley, Moe Bandy, Johnny Lee, Waylon Jennings, Ernest Tubb, Hank Thompson, Gene Autry, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Tanya Tucker, Kris Kristofferson, Lefty Frizzell, Roger Miller, Billy Joe Shaver, The Gatlin Brothers, Buck Owens, Linda Davis, Michael Martin Murphey, George Jones, Tex Ritter, and so many more of your favorite Texas born artists have displays highlighting their amazing careers.
A native of Panola County, Ritter was one of the first singers inducted into the hall of fame when it was established in 1998. Ritter starred on Broadway and worked as a radio star on shows such as The Lone Ranger, Tex Ritter's Campfire, and Death Valley Days. Later he starred in movies for three motion picture industries. Some of his hits include: "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle." "I'm Wastin' My Tears On You," "There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder," "Jealous Heart," (1944) "You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often," (1945) "You Will Have to Pay," "Christmas Carols by the Old Corral," (1945), "Rye Whiskey" and "Deck of Cards" (1948).
Ritter's recording career was significantly less successful than his film, radio, and television career. For seven years, Ritter was ranked among the top ten money-making stars in Hollywood. In all, he made 78 films between 1936 and 1948 for such studios as Columbia, Monogram, and Universal. Ritter joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in 1965 and remained a member until his death on January 2, 1974. His son, John Ritter, became a highly successful actor after Tex's death.
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame / Tex Ritter Museum is located at 310 W. Panola, Carthage, TX 75633. Hours of operation are Monday – Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
