RUIDOSO DOWNS RACE TRACK ANNOUNCES SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM – March 15, 2022 – Ruidoso Downs Race Track will once again feature a series of summer concerts as part of the 47-day race meet that begins Memorial Day weekend, May 27.

This year’s concerts will be held inside the new Santa Fe Furniture Events Center which will be located just outside Billy The Kid Casino. The concerts will each be held on four consecutive Saturday evenings in July and begin at 7 p.m. following the races. The shows will be produced by Liberty Inc., a Roswell-based concert production company that has produced many top shows throughout New Mexico and the southwest.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale April 1 at www.raceruidoso.com. There will be various general admission pricing for the concerts, along with VIP reserved seating.

Here are the scheduled concerts:

Saturday, July 9: Jason Boland & The Stragglers/Tanner Usrey

For the past twenty years, Jason Boland and the Stragglers have dazzled audiences all over the country as one of the leading ambassadors of the Oklahoma-Texas music movement. The band has produced ten albums with 500,000 albums sold, and continues to tour to large audiences.

Tanner Usrey is a singer storyteller with a unique vocal styling. The release of his first EP titled, “Medicine Man” in 2019 has helped him build a strong following across streaming platforms with over 25 million streams and growing. Tanner has opened for several notable artists and more recently was honored by having his song “The Light” featured in the Season four finale of Paramount Network’s hit TV show “Yellowstone.”

Saturday, July 16: Stoney LaRue

Over a nearly a twenty-year music career, the Lone Star-born and Oklahoma-raised LaRue has transformed himself into an unlikely Renaissance man. LaRue is an accomplished songwriter, informed traveler and self-aware philosopher. LaRue converses just as easily about Indian yogis and gurus as he does about Texas barbecue and dance halls, and highlights all facets of his complex persona on the inspiring new album titled “Onward”.

Saturday, July 23: Josh Abbott Band

When fans of Texas-bred Josh Abbott Band hear the four-track EP “Catching Fire”, they’re likely to reconnect with a sound from the not-so-distant past. Fans will hear songs of positivity built on solid country textures and unified by Abbott’s congenial-but-experienced voice. The seven-piece group cut its teeth as a hard-touring act with hooky melodies that deliver real-world stories. Led by true-to-life cycles in Abbott’s life, JAB explored new territory with its last two albums—documenting the dissolution of a marriage in “Front Row” and adding strings with a horn section to “Until My Voice Goes Out”. The new JAB release “Catching Fire” captures a sense of personal renewal. Texas Tech Alumni weekend will be held at Ruidoso Downs in conjunction with the performance.

Saturday, July 30: Jake Hooker & The Outsiders/Will Banister

A Ruidoso Downs fan favorite, Jake Hooker & The Outsiders returns to highlight an evening of western swing that remains a traditional summertime sound. Hooker’s musical roots began with his father’s west Texas country band where he began playing bass at the age of 17. Hooker’s band is considered one of the most sought-after in Texas with regular dates—he played the All American CowboyFest at Ruidoso Downs last October and continues to entertainment the crowds.

Will Banister is a Portales, New Mexico native that has played western swing music throughout the region, U.K. and Europe. His latest album “Everything Burns” which consists of eleven songs, ten of which were written or co-written by Banister, received a 5-star review and was announced as “Album of the Month” in the March edition of the U.K. publication Country Music People Magazine. Will recently has dabbled in the film making industry by recording the opening song, “Find a New Home” in the 2021 Clint Eastwood-produced film “Cry Macho”. Banister performed last October at the All American CowboyFest at Ruidoso Downs.

The summer concert series is part of the new Santa Fe Furniture Events Center, which will also feature vendors for shopping during the day and evening. New and traditional festivals and activties are being planned to coincide with the races every weekend of the summer racing season. Vendors who wish to participate by having a commercial booth this summer are encouraged to call 575-378-4140.