Bob Childers’ Gypsy Café, Oklahoma’s largest homegrown songwriter festival featuring 70 artists returns to Stillwater, Okla. for its 12th year on Sunday, May 7. In addition to moving the fest from a Wednesday to a Sunday, new stage venues are being added along with a “White Buffalo Brunch” to kick off the day of music with a set dedicated entirely to Bob Childers’ songs. This year’s festival lineup includes five Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductees, a Grammy nominee and two Jimmy LaFave Songwriting contest winners. The pairings schedule by venue will be announced in mid April. Learn more.
The festival benefits Red Dirt Relief Fund, Oklahoma’s music industry safety net that has granted more than $687,000 in emergency aid to music creators statewide over the past decade.
Start the day off with a Bob Childers Tribute set from Red Dirt Rangers with Randy Crouch and Friends! Ticket includes a buffet from local favorite, Good Little Eater, and two drink tickets from Stonecloud Brewing–plus general admission to the festival. Limited tickets available!
Make a day of Gypsy Cafe and plan to stay overnight on May 7th with our partner hotel fan rate at Home2Suites by Hilton in Stillwater!
Show fans your brand supports Oklahoma music!
Sponsorships start small and expand into exclusive partnerships available with stage-naming rights and and custom activations.
Contact Katie Dale to learn more!
From an emotional presentation of the Restless Spirit Award to Chad Sullins’ family to a stirring performance from Branjae as the Jimmy LaFave Songwriting Contest winner, beautiful sights and sounds were all around. Did we mention the 60 Oklahoma songwriters who blew us away?!
Thanks to our committee, sponsors, venues, artists, volunteers and everyone who came out to make #gypsycafe possible! Check out the video from Tony Thompson Productions (above) and photos by Tom Harris (below) capturing the day.
The Red Dirt Relief Fund’s annual award was presented in memory of Chad Sullins to his daughter, Presley, alongside many loving relatives on April 27, 2022. Front man of Chad Sullins and the Lost Call Coalition from 2009-2016, Sullins often said it was a “rock band that played country music.” The band played 200+ shows a year touring across the country. Sullins was a prolific writer and penned songs for 5 albums and an EP, both with the band and as a solo act. He was a longtime friend of the Red Dirt Relief Fund—Sullins played his first Bob Childers’ Gypsy Café in 2012 and played every one in person after that. In a video taken at the Farm in Stillwater in 2014, he said, “playing music gets in your soul, and once you want to do it for a living, the chances of you doing anything else are pretty slim.” Sullins passed away June 27, 2021, from a recurring heart condition.
The Restless Spirit Award is given by Red Dirt Relief Fund in recognition of a musician who has impacted the Oklahoma music community in a spirit akin to Bob Childers, a prolific songwriter and the so-called godfather of red dirt music. Previous honorees include Jimmy LaFave (2017), Brandon Jenkins (2018), Randy Crouch (2019) and Steve Ripley (2020) and Jim Paul Blair (2021).
Shown: Chad Sullins guitar painted by artist, Nathan McCray, was auctioned live from the Grand Casino Main Stage at Eskimo Joe’s.
The Restless Spirit Award is given by Red Dirt Relief Fund in recognition of a musician who has impacted the Oklahoma music community in a spirit akin to Bob Childers, a prolific songwriter and the so-called godfather of red dirt music. Previous honorees include Jimmy LaFave (2017), Brandon Jenkins (2018), Randy Crouch (2019) and Steve Ripley (2020) and Jim Paul Blair (2021).
Take a trip down memory lane and check out some of our past festivals and their highlights.
