NASHVILLE RECORDING ARTIST AND FORMER PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDER AUSTIN WAHLERT TO PERFORM AT RFD-TV’S THE AMERICAN IN AT&T STADIUM ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Known as one of the world’s richest one-day rodeos, The American, which gives $2,000,000 in prize money on Sunday for the Finals and $1,000,000 in prize money at Semi-Finals, will begin with Semi-Finals on Wednesday through Friday at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards and conclude with Finals on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. RFD-TV’s The American is dedicating the entire week prior to the event to military and first responders by bringing the Wall that Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Wall, to the stockyards. The processional of the wall will begin on Tuesday, February 14 and will remain in the stockyards until Saturday, February 18 when the museum portion of the wall will move to the plaza at AT&T Stadium. Along with the wall, free tickets have been offered to active military and first responders at various bases, along with discounts.

“Playing my song ‘Thin Blue Line’ to honor first responders and military at an event called The American in Cowboys Stadium, it doesn’t get more patriotic than that!” says the Colorado-native and Rocky Mountain CMA Songwriter of the Year, who is playing his second rodeo performance of 2017 after he performed as the first entertainment act at the National Western Stock Show in January. 

Wahlert, who also performed at the 10th Round at the Wrangler’s National Finals Rodeo in 2014 and the Mandalay Bay Stage in December of 2016, has had great success in both America and Europe, where his song “Long Live Cowboys” hit #7 on the international chart and broke the top 100 on the pop chart. His latest album I WILL WIN has been described by Real American Cowboy Magazine as a “ballsy album with songs that challenge your realities and make you swell inside, some even make you re-commit to things that you’ve left behind.” The album can be purchased here.

Event Details:

Who: Austin Wahlert
What: Live at Semi-Finals FanZone and Live at RFD-TV’s The American
When: Friday, February 17 and Sunday, February 19
Where: Fort Worth Stockyards and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
Tickets: For more ticketing information, click here.

Please contact us if you would be interested in either pre-coverage in the
form of a phone or in-person interview or if you wish to attend the performance for on-site
coverage and interviews.

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Originally from Northern Colorado, singer-songwriter Austin Wahlert grew up in the world of rodeo, participating as a collegiate and professional bull rider. Inspired at the age of 16 by his grandfather who served in the Korean War, where he also entertained the troops playing USO concerts, Wahlert began writing his own songs. While attending Odessa College in West Texas on a bull riding scholarship, he also found success in the small bars and honky-tonks of Texas playing his music. The next few years brought Wahlert a combination of tragedy, love, and excitement, which became the inspiration behind his songwriting, from losing his grandfather to Parkinson’s, to marrying his wife, Justine, then the birth of his children who later had health complications. Still touring Texas and other parts of the country, including an opening performance at the 10th Round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2014, Wahlert has turned his focus to the national stage, while also working on his songwriting in Nashville. In a short time, the 2016 Rocky Mountain CMA Songwriter of the Year has garnered respect from established Music Row songwriters and industry executives, helping to guide his promising career from the bucking chutes to the stage in the arena.

About RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN Presented by Polaris RANGER:

Taking place at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium  on Feb. 19, 2017, RFD-TV’s The American is the richest single-day event in the history of rodeo. With $2 million on the line, the best athletes in the world will gather in Dallas to battle for the biggest single paycheck of their lives. The American invites the top athletes from the 2016 PRCA, ERA, WPRA and PBR world standings and pits them against underdogs who advance from the American Semi-Finals, held Feb. 14-17 in Fort Worth. If a nationally ranked athlete wins, the prize is $100,000, but if a qualifier from the Semi-Finals – or an athlete who earned an exemption – wins THE AMERICAN, that contestant shares in a $1 million bonus pool. For more information, please visit:www.americanrodeo.com and www.RFDTV.com. Follow us on Twitter @RFDTVAMERICAN and find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RFDTVTheAMERICAN.