Hill College Performing Arts Series: Light Crust Doughboys

Press Release:
Hill College’s Phillip H. Lowe Performing Arts Series presents Country and Western Night on the Hill featuring Art Greenhaw and the Light Crust Doughboys
 
Hillsboro, Texas—This fall, the Phillip H. Lowe Performing Arts Series begins its 32nd season by welcoming back one of America’s oldest and beloved western swing bands, the Light Crust Doughboys. Under the direction of Grammy award-winning artist Art Greenhaw, the band will take the stage at the Vara Martin Daniel Performing Arts Center at the Hill County Campus (HCC) on October 7, 2025, at 7 p.m.

Concert: 7:00 pm Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Pre-concert lecture/presentation: 6:15 pm in the PAC Theater at 112 Lamar Drive


 

In 1931, legendary western-swing singer and songwriter Bob Wills brought his band, soon to be known as the Light Crust Doughboys, to the Burrus Mill Flour Company in Fort Worth, Texas, which in addition to being a flour mill was also home to a local radio station. Following years of tremendous success, Wills was fired by general sales manager W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel, who later became governor of the state and a United States senator.
 
In 1983, music prodigy Art Greenhaw, a native of Mesquite, Texas, began working with the Doughboys and by 1993, he became the youngest official member of the band. In 2001, after the passing of the great Marvin “Smokey” Montgomery, Greenhaw became the bandleader. In 2003, Greenhaw would win the band’s first Grammy award for an album he produced—“We Called Him Mr. Gospel Music: The James Blackwood Tribute Album”.
 
Today, 95 years later, the band continues its tradition of sharing the band’s roots in country western music. In addition to the original three-piece string band, the Light Crust Doughboys now perform as a big band with a rhythm section, horns, and additional singers, playing throughout the United States and abroad, paying tribute to their origin by honoring the musical contributions of Bob Wills, Milton Brown, and Marvin “Smokey” Montgomery. Over the years, they have been nominated for eight Grammy awards, a record for the genre. They have also been inducted in over eight halls of fame, including the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Texas Music Hall of Fame, the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, and the Cowtown Society of Western Music Hall of Fame.
 
“The Light Crust Doughboys have a long history as entertainers going back to the early days of western swing, including multiple Grammy nominations (and one win) and many performances as part of the Phillip H. Lowe Performing Arts Series. To kick off our 32nd season, they bring a new incarnation of the band, featuring more instruments and vocal artists to entertain our audience in a truly big way!,” said Professor of Music & Coordinator of Visual & Performing Arts Larry McCord. 
 
The evening will begin with a special presentation about the band’s history at the theater in the Performing Arts Center at 6:15 p.m.
 
The band’s archives are housed at the Hill College Library at the Hill County Campus in Hillsboro, Texas.
 
Become a member of the Phillip H. Lowe Performing Arts Series. Membership levels include: BENEFACTOR ($100), a SUSTAINER ($50), a PATRON ($25), or a SUPPORTER ($10) of the Hill College Performing Arts Series. For a donation of $1,000 or more you can become a LIFETIME BENEFACTOR. Names of donors appear in each program.
 
All supporting donations are charitable contributions. Your donation can be made in person, by calling 254.659.7707, or mailing a check or money order to:
Office of Institutional Advancement
Attn: Kailey Wilkinson
Hill College
112 Lamar Dr.
Hillsboro, Texas 76645
 
All performances are free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served.
For more information on the Phillip H. Lowe Performing Arts Series, please visit https://www.hillcollege.edu/CampusLife/PerformingArts/PASeries.html.