Kam Franklin of The Suffers and Texas “Red Dirt” music star Gary P. Nunn will perform October 24 invitation-only concert for tourism media at Two Times Square in New York City

October 24, 2017

Iliana Storch
Crosswind Media & Public Relations
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Concert performance at the R Lounge at Two Times Square, 714 7th Avenue caps a visit to top national travel media led by Texas state tourism leaders

AUSTIN, Texas — For the first time in their careers, award-winning Texas soul singer Kam Franklin of The Suffers, and Texas “Red Dirt” country singer Gary P. Nunn will be performing together on October 24 at the R Lounge at Two Times Square, 714 7^th Avenue, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The two performers have teamed up with the Texas Travel Industry Association (TTIA) on a New York City media mission to deliver an important message: Hurricane Harvey didn’t keep Texas down.

Accompanying the two performers is TTIA president David Teel and a contingent of Texas travel and tourism executives who will be speaking to the media about the challenges the industry has faced this past year.

With two vastly different musical styles, the two popular singers say those differences tell the story of Texas, which is why TTIA selected them to be the faces of their #WhatILikeAboutTexas campaign this summer.

“It is a wide open state of very diverse people, all of whom are embraced,” Franklin said. “When those differences are combined, it makes for some beautiful music.”

The two have something besides music and performing in common, as both have been affected by Hurricane Harvey. A native of Houston, Franklin helped fellow Houstonians evacuate from their flooded homes, and Nunn has been involved in fundraising efforts to help his friends, family and fans in the devastated areas across Texas.

“In times of crisis, and really in most times, the differences that folks have don’t matter,” said Nunn, the architect of the iconic song, “What I Like About Texas,” that inspired the campaign of the same name.

“What matters is that we’re here for one another. Country boys with boats went in those floodwaters and carried out fellow Texans. They didn’t ask them their politics. They didn’t ask them what music they liked. That’s what makes this performance and this event with Kam so special, because it embodies that essence.”

“We’ve faced some stiff challenges within the Texas travel and tourism industry this past year,” said Teel. “But these businesses have worked hard to help one another. Most have incredible stories of folks who stayed with staff and guests at the height of the hurricane. We have businesses who are keeping employees on their payrolls while they rebuild.

“Most importantly, we are open for business and leisure travel, we welcome all visitors to our state, and those are the messages we’re taking to the Big Apple.”

The “What I Like About Texas” event featuring Franklin and Nunn at the R Lounge will also highlight Texas cooking, and will introduce a unique Texas cocktail made exclusively for the event that features Texas-made Garrison Brothers bourbon.

Franklin and Nunn will be available for media interviews, along with the travel and tourism representatives.

About TTIA

The Texas Travel Industry Association welcomes all visitors to our great state. Visitors are our guests and they are essential to a robust and thriving Texas economy. The essence of who we are as Texans and who we are as an industry is how we treat people, especially our guests. Our industry is the trusted curator of the Texas hospitality brand and provider of the Texas hospitality experience. We are in the business of welcoming and accommodating guests and are driven by a passion to provide a Texas experience that inspires our guests to visit us the first time and to come back again and again. We couldn’t exist without our guests which means we are their advocates. As such, we pursue and protect the freedom to sensibly operate our industry to be inclusive and welcoming, to make our guests feel comfortable and at east, and to value and treat all of our guests with equal opportunity and the respect and dignity they deserve. We believe this makes Life Better in a State of Travel for all of us. For more about TTIA, go to www.ttia.org.