Rhythm-and-blues/soul singer and musician Chris Walker may have been born and raised in Houston, but his appearance with Regina Belle on Wednesday at the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo marks the first time he’s performed in Waco. That it comes on the first Black Heritage Night for the fair only heightens the occasion, which teams Walker with Grammy Award-winning Belle, the mellow songstress who nudged Walker from being an instrumentalist to a singer in his own right. The heritage night, which also will feature a fashion show and performance by Waco’s DJ Precyse, is a new addition to the fair and rodeo, which opens its 10-day run on Friday, 11-day if one adds Thursday’s ride preview.
Last year’s fair drew some 223,000 people to the Extraco Events Center grounds with its mix of carnival rides, livestock shows, rodeo performances, market shopping, agriculture demonstrations and live entertainment. Dustin Lynch Country music rules for five nights on the Ziegenbock Music Stage with Texas country star Randy Rogers and his band on Friday, Tennessee native Dustin Lynch (nine No. 1 radio hits) on Saturday, then up-and-coming Austin Snell (“Excuse the Mess”), country veteran Gary Allan and Texas icon Clint Black for the fair’s second weekend.
Regional Mexican band Conjunto Rio Grande headlines Sunday’s live music with Norteño band Secretto winding up the fair’s live music on Oct. 13. Conjunto Rio Grande Walker, 56, grew up performing in his family’s gospel group, t.