There's no doubt you're in Nashville when a free concert by Little Texas, the annual Music City Bowl Battle of the Bands and Zac Brown's Bridgestone Arena performance result in downtown street closures.  That's exactly what's happening Wednesday afternoon, December 29, when 2nd Avenue from Commerce Street to Demonbreun; 1st Avenue from Church Street to Demonbreun and Broadway from 1st to 4th close down in preparation of tonight's triple musical happenings.

Country Music's original boyband, Little Texas kicks things off with a free concert at 5pm.  Following their concert, it's time for the annual Music City Bowl Battle of the Bands when the University of North Carolina Tar Heels' Marching Band faces off against Music City Bowl rivals University of Tennessee Volunteers' Pride of the Southland Marching Band. 

As if that weren't enough action for one night in Nashville, just as the Battle of the Bands winds down, a band of another sort--CMA, ACM, CMT and Grammy-winning country rockers, Zac Brown Band takes over Bridgestone Arena for their latest Music City appearance.

More about Little Texas

Founded in 1988, when most of the members of the group were in their twenties, Little Texas, now comprised of four of their original six members: Del Gray, Porter Howell, Dwayne O'Brien and Duane Propes didn't take long before garnering a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville in 1991.  That same year, their debut album, First Time For Everything came to fruition with a Top Ten hit in the lead single, Some Guys Have All the Love.  Their success continued in 1992 with their first-ever Top Five hit, You and Forever and Me. WIth the 1993 release of their appropriately titled second album, Big Time, Little Texas nabbed three more Top Ten hits, including What Might Have Been, God Bless Texas and their first number one, My Love. 

The first shake-up in the band's line-up came when original member Brady Seals departed the group following the release of their third record, Kick A Little in 1994 to venture out on his own as a solo artist. Little Texas' third album's title track, Kick A Little and its follow-up single, Amy's Back in Austin both landed in the Top Five.

With Seals out, Jeff Huskins joined the line-up in 1994  and after three albums in three years, Little Texas took three years before releasing their fourth studio project, 1997's self-titled Little Texas.  Despite taking more time to release the project, Little Texas, the album, barely broke the Top 50 Country Albums Chart, and failed to produce a hit single. Interestingly, the single Life Goes On from their 1995 Greatest Hits compilation peaked at #5 and their 1997 cover of Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid, included on a side project, The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney, just missed the Top 50 Country Singles Chart, landing at #52.

Following the less-than-stellar performance of their 1997 release, Little Texas disbanded.  By 2004, original members Seals and Rushlow were enjoying new directions in their own careers, Seals, at the time, as frontman for Hot Apple Pie and Rushlow as a solo artist.  

The remaining foursome of original members Del Gray, Porter Howell, Dwayne O'Brien and Duane Propes, along with new lead vocalist Steven Troy took to the road as Little Texas continued to pack honky-tonks and larger venues across the country. Just as they were signed to Nashville indy label Montage Music Group, Troy left the band, turning lead vocal duties over to Howell for 2007's The Very Best of Little Texas: Live and Loud. In addition to the requisite hits, the live project also included confident titles Hello Again and Loud and Proud, as well as live covers of The Beatles' Get Back and the Eagles' Peaceful Easy Feeling.

Not long after the release of their live album, it was back to the studio for Missing Years. In the years since their last studio release, the rockin' country quartet have continued to play across the country with recent gigs everywhere from Nashville, Tennessee to Anaheim, California and all points in-between.  Following their Music City Bowl kick-off Wednesday night, Little Texas heads to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to ring in the New Year at the Grand Resort Hotel. After a little down-time, Little Texas will head to the Big D, Dallas, Texas for an Aces & Angels performance saluting our troops.  The event will be hosted Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed of A&E's Gene Simmons Family Jewels. In addition to Little Texas' concert, Aces & Angels Salute to the Troops will also features performances by Five for Fighting, The Grascals and 4 Troops. There's also a Texas State Poker Championship.

For more information on Little Texas, CLICK HERE. For more on the Music City Bowl, CLICK HERE. For more on Aces & Angels, CLICK HERE.