The Waco-based show, known for spotlighting future Grammy winners and preserving thousands of hours of Texas music, is moving back to where it first launched in 1997
WACO, Texas — Waco’s first nationally syndicated television show is returning to its roots.
Texas Music Café is celebrating 29 years by moving back to its original home on Franklin Avenue in Waco, where it launched in 1997.
A small group of musicians created the show to give artists a place to be heard.
“It was started with the mission of helping artists of all different types — just fertile soil for artists to gather and create something,” said Chris Ermoian, executive director of Texas Music Café.
What began as a single pilot episode quickly expanded, eventually reaching 94 million homes nationwide.
Over the years, more than 5,000 artists have taken the stage, including several who later won Grammy Awards.
“We were the first people to put Pat Green on television — some of the first to put Ruthie Foster on,” Ermoian said. “About five Grammy Award winners this last year have graced this stage at some point.”
Now operating as a nonprofit, Texas Music Café has also become a historic archive, preserving nearly 10,000 hours of Texas music performances.
“A lot of those musicians are dead and gone, so we’ve become an important historic archive in the state of Texas,” Ermoian said.
Ermoian said the venue’s atmosphere sets it apart.
“This really feels like a big living room,” he said. “All the chairs face forward. There are no distractions. It’s purely about the music.”
Next year marks the organization’s 30th anniversary. Plans are underway for a reunion concert and a transition to the next generation of leadership.
“It’s always original, always handcrafted, always unique — and it’s always from the heart,” Ermoian said.
Weekly performances continue in an intimate listening-room setting on Franklin Avenue. Shows run from 8 to 10 p.m.
More information can be found at this link.