Amarillo Singer, WT Student McKinney to Help Bring Back KWTS’s Live Lounge Series

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Amarillo country singer and current West Texas A&M University student Nelson McKinney will help revive a concert series.

McKinney will perform at 5 p.m. Feb. 10 for Live Lounge, an on-air concert series for KWTS 91.1 FM, WT's student-run radio station. It also can be heard at wtamu.edu/kwts.

A limited live audience will enjoy the concert, but the focus is on audiences outside the studio.

"I'm excited anytime I get to sing and play for people," said McKinney, a senior business management major from Amarillo. "What makes Live Lounge especially meaningful is that I get to perform not only for my peers, but also over the radio. That's an opportunity I don't get every day, and I'm incredibly grateful for the chance to share my music in that way."

The concert series has been on hiatus since 2022.

"We are very excited to reboot Live Lounge," said Randy Ray, director of broadcast engineering and senior lecturer of media communications. "Radio is a great place to hear music artists live, and we love to create something fun for our listeners to listen to."

McKinney picked up the guitar at age 7 and, by 14, was booking local gigs. He writes and performs traditional country music, committed to the classic sound of his inspirations, including George Strait, Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley and Randy Travis.

KWTS, a noncommercial rock station, officially launched in 1972 and currently features an all-'90s format as well as specialty shows devoted to country music, Tejano, K-pop and more. The station also hosts One Sessions live concerts, posts podcasts, and provides music at tailgate and other on- and off-campus events.

Meeting regional needs by providing noncommercial radio and training future broadcasters and engineers is a key component of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign, which is now winding down, has raised more than $175 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

-WT-