His biography tells a great story about growing up on a chicken farm in Georgia before moving to Nashville to chase a dream in Music City, and he’ll continue his climb in country when he performs this summer at the second annual Dutton Ranch Night.
His name is Noah Hicks, and Ranch Night founder Chris Dutton has made him the fourth performer scheduled for the concert on June 6th at the Dutton Cattle Company. Hicks is a singer/songwriter with tour stops this summer in seven different states, and his shows are high energy and interactive. Since he signed with RED Creative Group about five years ago, Hicks has collected more 60 million streams from across the world.
And the 23-year-old Hicks is the final ingredient to Dutton’s idea of the perfect vibe (ya know, a feel or a rhythm or a groove) that includes Mackenzie Carpenter, Braxton Keith, and country superstar Tracy Byrd.
“It’s such a quaint setting for a show like this, and that makes it’s very genuine and authentic,” Dutton said. “The food is farm to table, it’s a concert, and it’s the beginning of summer here in this area, and that means there’s a lot of excitement about that time of year. So, why not throw into the mix this Texas Honky-Tonk show?
“What really works for us is that 1990s legacy performer, and there’s none better than Tracy Byrd because he’s such an authentic performer,” he explained. “He’s one of the best out there because for 90 minutes he’s going to play on our stage like a jukebox and it’s going to be very up-tempo with an incredible band.”
Byrd, who performed at Jamboree in the Hills in 2004, has recorded three gold albums in his long career. His “Big Love” tour will crisscross the country from April through August
“He and his band are tight, too, and that’s another sign that they’ve been professionals in this business for a long time,” Dutton explained. “To listen to his songs on the family ranch is going to be an awesome thing for me.
“I know the fans are going to enjoy those honky-tonk songs once again on Ranch Night,” he said. “His music is going to be great as the closing act for this summer’s show.”
Where’s the Beef?
The inaugural – and very successful – Ranch Night featured legendary Sammy Kershaw, up-and-comer Bryan Martin, a few local artists, a farm-to-table beef and pork smorgasbord, and warm weather that was perfect for the post-show fireworks.
So, of course, Dutton’s goal for the 2025 show is all-around growth, and that includes the number of Nashville-based artists on the playbill.
“I went to Nashville in the Fall because I wanted to see some of the artists that were playing at those small, corner bars where they would showcase everything they had, and that’s always a fascinating experience because of how much young talent is out there right now,” Dutton described. “That’s how I found Braxton Keith, a young Texas man who is a honky-tonk kind of guy who has a song called ‘Cozy’ that’s out there right now.
“And then I found a young lady by the name of Mackenzie Carpenter who has been writing some songs for other artists but is now writing for herself,” he said. “She’ll lead everything off on Ranch Night and I can’t think of a better way to begin the evening.”
So, Noah Hicks, Mackenzie Carpenter, Braxton Keith, and Tracy Byrd.
“Pound for pound, I think this might be the best lineup I’ve ever put together, and that’s because this is the lineup that I really, really wanted for the second year. I don’t think there could be two better complements to Tracy Byrd than Braxton and Mackenzie,” said Dutton, who started Blame My Roots in 2019 and hosted three weekends at the Valley View Campground. “So, I’m excited about it, too, because I think these performers will make for a wonderful show at the ranch.
“Ever since we announced the lineup, we’ve been busy putting everything else together for the tickets and the website and things like that,” he said. “It’s a lot for some folks that operate a restaurant and a cattle farm, but it’s a lot of fun, too.”
The Dutton Cattle Company sits on 1,200 acres of land that was once stripped mined, then reclaimed to create the cattle ranch. The family business focuses on premium Wagyu beef production, a direction initiated in 2016 with the introduction of the Akaushi breed, and Chris is the only one of four Dutton children who works the farm for a living.
Most often there are more cattle on the Dutton farm than there are people, but that was far from the truth last year, and Dutton admits it was a very anxious feeling.
“Having that many people at the farm was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be. Parking ended up being great and I thought that might be the biggest issue, but having so many people was stressful,” Dutton said with a chuckle. “I didn’t get much sleep the night before because I guess that’s when it started to sink in that more than a thousand people were coming to the ranch.
“But then seeing all of those people in that area where it’s usually just us, the family, and some of our friends. But not a thousand people. Ever. And that was really weird,” he added. “There are some changes we’re going to make this year just to make sure people have plenty of room to enjoy the show and enjoy a really, really unique atmosphere.”
