No matter how far Grammy-winning artist Leon Bridges travels to perform his music, he always considers Fort Worth his place of refuge.
The love runs so deep he recorded a song last year called “Panther City” as an homage to his childhood home.
Now, his sanctuary city is recognizing him by permanently cementing his legacy on a street sign in the Near Southside.
“It’s so surreal to be immortalized right where it all started,” Bridges said during the unveiling ceremony.
Fort Worth officials, family members and longtime fans gathered with Bridges on Oct. 7 to reveal the sign topper in his name at the corner of Calhoun Street and Daggett Avenue near Niles City Sound, where he recorded his debut album “Coming Home” over a decade ago. That project boosted him to his first Grammy nomination in 2016.
Fort Worth council members unanimously passed a resolution Sept. 30 to make the street sign a reality.
Tom Martens, vice president of creative, film and music at Visit Fort Worth, emphasized how Bridges’ music has elevated the city’s reputation on a national level.
“From your backdrop on the stage that pridefully says ‘Leon Bridges Fort Worth, Texas’ to calling your latest release ‘Leon’ and to making sure every interview lets people know where you’re from … thank you for being an ambassador for the city of Fort Worth,” Martens said.
Bridges was born in Atlanta in July 1989. He was raised in Fort Worth and graduated from Crowley High School. His single “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand” won the Best Traditional R&B Performance at the Grammy Awards in 2019.
he singer described his fourth album “Leon,” released last year, as his “most personal work yet” with references to time spent in Panther City.
As Bridges’ profile grew internationally, he maintained strong local roots.
The Fort Worth singer is heavily involved in philanthropic work through his charity The Big Good, which financially supports Tarrant Area Food Bank, Tarrant To & Through Partnership, and United Community Centers.
Last year, Mayor Mattie Parker surprised Bridges on stage during his sold-out Dickies Arena debut to issue a formal proclamation declaring Nov. 15 Leon Bridges Day in Fort Worth.
The singer was the fourth musical act to receive such an honor from the city. Previous honorees include rock band the Toadies, singer Casey Donahew and country-western artist Cody Jinks.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
Disclosure: Mitch Whitten, chief operating officer of Visit Fort Worth, is on the board of directors at Fort Worth Report. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
