T-Bone Tom’s brings the region’s hottest country acts with their full bands under the largest palapa in Texas on Country-Fried Sundays. The music starts at 6 p.m. in “Tom’s Backyard” at 707 Hwy 146 in Kemah. Get there early for a great seat and enjoy the Smoked Barbeque Chicken plate with T-Bone Tom’s sausage and an Armadillo Egg (jalapeños stuffed with brisket and deep fried) for $12.49. Performing this month are Jody Booth, Thom Shepard, Josh Fuller and Davin James.

Music is a family tradition for Jody Booth from Livingston, Texas, who is making his musical debut at T-Bone Tom’s on August 4. His mom taught him to play the guitar when he was just 8 years old, and he joined his first band while he was still in high school. Now, Booth is playing an average of 15 shows a month across Texas and while he doesn’t like to “drop names,” he modestly admits to opening for the likes of Willie Nelson and Tracy Lawrence.

Booth’s music is pure and heartfelt with a gritty edge. His writing forged by a life lived in the trenches of responsibility with the lyrical vulnerability is startling in its honesty. “I’m a good observer of the human condition and I think it shows in my songs,” he said.

His new album is “Heaven and Hell” and features the singles “Gold Digger” and “Jesus Loves Me.” The song “Gold Digger” is a honky-tonkin’ tribute to high-maintenance women that I wrote in 10 minutes flat,” Booth says with a laugh. “It’s a real-life story that makes for a pretty good country song.”

Thom Shepherd is an Austin-based touring artist performing on August 11. Most people are first introduced to Shepherd by one of the long list of songs that he has written, but were recorded and released by other artists. He is the writer of the #1 singles “Redneck Yacht Club” and “Riding with Private Malone.” He wrote the #1 Josh Abbott and Pat Green single, “My Texas,” and the #1 Kevin Fowler song “Beer Season.” He also wrote the title track of Tracy Lawrence’s Grammy nominated album “The Rock.”

In total, the two-time cancer survivor and father of two has more than 10 singles and had over 90 songs recorded by artists including George Jones and Montgomery Gentry.  “It’s always exciting when someone else records one of my songs, but there is no greater feeling than connecting with an audience,” Shepherd said. His own recent single "Simplify" was a Top 10 on both the Texas Regional Radio Report and the Texas Music Chart. He has been on nine tours performing for our military in 17 countries. “As songwriters, we have no idea how our songs are going to affect people,” said Shepherd. "I met a soldier in Qatar who told me he joined the military because of ‘Private Malone.’”

Inspired by the musical storytellers of his youth, Josh Fuller is carrying on the tradition of writing songs that are real, with a unique and sometimes humorous perspective on the southern way of life.  Raised on a dairy farm in New Waverly, Texas, his dad bought him a guitar when he was 18 and over the next few years, he taught himself how to play and started writing songs while he was working as a corrections officer.

Fuller and his Dirt & Diesel band are an all-star cast of talent and will be at T-Bone Tom’s on August 18. The shows are high-energy, interactive, and will surely leave you talking about it long after you have seen one.  Their debut album is also named Dirt & Diesel with the single “Road Trip” being released this month.

As of press time, Fuller and his band were nominated for six Houston Press Music awards, including Best Country Band and Best Male Vocalist categories. He is sponsored by Rebecca Creek Whiskey/Enchanted Rock Vodka and by nationally syndicated talk show host Michael Berry.

Davin James' music is more "black water" than “red dirt.” That's probably because he grew up watching his father play guitar on lake banks in North Louisiana and South Arkansas. He came to Kingwood, Texas, in 1978, at age 13 and was prompted to play guitar by his father with a $100 bribe. He got his first electric guitar with that money.

Through the ’80s, he played honky-tonks, covering Hank Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as Top 40 country songs.  With a little credibility, James started running with other notable songwriter/entertainers as he puts it, “We helped the Texas Music scene get kick started from a dead ’80s market.”

Since that time, James has seven CDs under his belt, has songs in movies, TV, and advertising campaigns, sang jingles, produced many other projects, hosts Puffabelly’s Songwriter Showcase in Spring, Texas weekly (for 10 years now), and performs over 100 shows a year. And now, T-Bone Tom’s will host his show on August 25, so mark your calendars.

T-Bone Tom’s hosts live music 6 days a week. Stay tuned to The SCENE Magazine and view their ad for a complete entertainment line-up, daily specials, and more.

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