Vinyl Is Alive and Well

The 9 best record stores in Dallas-Fort Worth to celebrate Record Store Day

If you keep up with trend, you may be under the impression that record stores, along with records, have gone the way of the Dodo bird. Not necessarily.

Vinyl especially is experiencing a reemergence. According to Vinylhunt.com, global vinyl sales are at their highest since 1997: $151 million of vinyl sold last year, up more than 50 percent from 2011. Really, if you love collecting music, take a look at the list of special releases from artists of all sizes, shapes, flavors and eras, in honor of upcoming Record Store Day on Saturday, April 20.

Whether new sounds, inexpensive old ones or rare collectibles, much of the inventory in these top Dallas-Fort Worth record stores won’t be available for very long beyond this Saturday. So get some fresh air and expand your music selection — without clicking.

Good Records
Every day is Record Store Day at Good Records on Greenville Avenue. Owned by Tripping Daisy/Polyphonic Spree/Preteen Zenith frontman Tim Delaughter, Good Records is to Dallas what Amoeba Music is to Los Angeles: a music mecca, with a delicious selection of limited-edition vinyl, box sets and fascinating used stuff. Inside, acoustic stage “Live from the Astroturf” hosts 12 hours of live music. Store opens at 7 am Saturday for the collector rush.

Ernest Tubb Record Shop
Ernest’s original shop opened in Nashville in the ’40s and is nothing short of legendary in the world of traditional country. In Fort Worth, Ernest Tubb Record Shop owner Jerry Kay Weeks has been at it more than 20 years at this location. The shop specializes in traditional country, honky tonk, swing, Texas Red Dirt country and gospel, with hundreds of vinyl titles for $1 and special collectibles. For Record Store Day, Weeks is giving away red 45’s by Dale Watson, singing “I Lie When I Drink” and “Thanks To Tequila,” while supplies last. Oh, and live music from the Brazos Valley Boys from 1-4 pm.

Mad World Records
Record stores in Denton are part of the lifeblood of the town. Mad World is well-known and smartly stocked. Live music starts up at 5 pm Saturday, with Spooky Folk, Kurt Baker and more.

Recycled Books Denton
The music collection at Recycled Book in Denton is also regionally famous, and the stores hosts live music Saturday from noon-5 pm, starring well-known RTB2 frontman Ryan Thomas Becker, Tony Ferraro and local spice faves Mariachi Quetzal. For Record Store Day, everything in the store is 15 percent off — books too.

Cloud 8 Records
Tucked inside Dolly Python on Haskell Avenue is collector (and Eight Track Museum curator) Bucks Burnett’s operation, Cloud 8 Records. Burnett counts Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads fame among his close friends, and Burnett was recently Pete Townshend’s special guest on The Who’s Quadrophenia Anniversary U.S. Tour. There are some magnificent finds hidden at Cloud 8.

Bill’s Records
Bill’s Records has been a Texas institution for more than three decades. His original location at Spring Valley Road was a bit larger, but it still has all the great idiosyncrasies, a music stage in the back and, most important, Bill himself behind the counter damn near every day. Fittingly, Bill celebrates his birthday on Record Store Day with 12 hours — and 26 bands’ worth — of live music.

Forever Young Records
At 11,000 square feet, Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie claims to be the third largest independent record store in the country. It’s an impressive experience: It’s structured entirely to resemble a huge jukebox (including a full Wurlitzer replica entryway), and the vinyl inventory comprises around 30 percent of its total stock. At roughly 5:30 am Saturday, collectors can line up outside to get a lottery number good for dibs on the most wanted limited-edition stuff. Among the hot items: an orange and red 7” vinyl of Iggy Pop’s “No Fun,” with the Black Keys on the flip side covering the same song. Only 7,000 exist, exclusively for Record Store Day 2013.

CD Source
CD Source celebrates its 20th this winter and touts an inventory of 125,000 CDs and 11,000 vinyl titles. On Saturday, the store hosts 12 hours of live music, starting with the songbird voice of Becky Middleton at 9 am, followed by local biggies Fox and the Bird, Home By Hovercraft, Dead Flowers and many more. Along with music, we hear free food will also be in abundance. The store opens at 7 am Saturday, and owner Lance Price also tells us he’s getting in “double the quantity of special releases we got in last year.”

Movie Trading Co
Although not every metro location of Movie Trading Co is participating in Record Store Day, the one on Greenville Avenue has a fine music selection, and it is offering “buy two get one free” on all used CDs and vinyl, as well as special-order editions released for Saturday.

Mad World Records in Denton is well-known and smartly stocked.

Mad World Records Facebook

Mad World Records in Denton is well-known and smartly stocked.

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Big Tex Wrap-Up

State Fair of Texas bounces back with 2.1 million attendees in 2026

Crowds around Big Tex at 2026 State Fair of Texas

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

Almost 2.1 people attended the 2026 State Fair of Texas, up from 2025.

After experiencing its lowest total attendance numbers in seven years in 2025, the State Fair of Texas bounced back in 2026, welcoming nearly 2.1 million visitors, according to an official release.

That represents a slight bump up from the 2,020,064 that came through the gates in 2025. Both numbers are still down significantly from the highs of 2019 and 2022, when more than 2.5 million people attended the State Fair.

The uptick in attendance could be attributed to the concerted effort to make the Fair more affordable this year, including lowering ticket prices, making games and rides cheaper, expanding days for free student tickets, and offering a free day of parking.

As usual, the busiest day of the State Fair was Saturday, October 10, the date of the annual Texas-Oklahoma football game, with more than 203,000 fairgoers in attendance, including the 92,100 fans in the Cotton Bowl.

The average attendance for the other 23 days of the fair was around 82,500.

“We are grateful to every fairgoer who joined us this year, as well as the team members, vendors, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this season possible," said State Fair of Texas President Mitchell Glieber in a statement. "As a nonprofit organization, a successful Fair helps fuel our work throughout the year, and we are proud of the impact we continue to make through agriculture, education, and community.”

Other notable numbers from the 2026 State Fair of Texas include:

An all-new look for Big Tex, standing 55 feet tall, sporting a 95-gallon Resistol cowboy hat, a Cavender’s shirt measuring 245 by 192 inches, Levi’s 501 jeans measuring 380 inches wide by 290 inches long, size 96 Lucchese boots, and a Shiner belt buckle.
The unveiling of an official State of Texas Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission for Big Tex, honoring his enduring legacy as a beloved Texas icon and symbol of State Fair tradition.
An estimated 110,655 pounds of food were collected and donated to the North Texas Food Bank.
More than 28,600 members of the military and their families visited the Fair over 24 days, utilizing the special discount offer in gratitude for their service.
Approximately 500,000 prizes, valued at an estimated $1.8 million, were won at the State Fair Midway, enough stuffed animals and prizes to fill approximately 90 semi-trucks.
Approximately 450,000 Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs were enjoyed by fairgoers.
The State Fair of Texas is estimated to generate more than $600 million in economic activity each year, serving as one of the most impactful annual events in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

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