Leon Bridges and Gary Patterson bring star power to Fort Worth for ‘The Big Good’

Fort Worth’s Leon Bridges brought several of his famous friends to Cowtown to raise money for local nonprofits.

The “Texas Sun” singer and songwriter was joined by Charley Crockett and Maggie Rogers at the River Ranch Stockyards on Thursday evening. Bridges’ old pal and Oscar nominee Abraham Alexander also stopped by.

Everyone was there to help out Bridges’ and former TCU football coach Gary Patterson’s The Big Good, which supports and partners with local organizations that are focused on addressing critical unmet needs in the community.

The nonprofit has raised over $3 million for its community partners since it started in 2020.

“We couldn’t do it without this special night every year,” Bridges told the crowd of hundreds.

Thursday’s event, The Big Night, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for The Big Good.

The money raised will benefit nonprofit organizations including Tarrant Area Food Bank, which faces a deficit of $4.2 million due to the ending of federal food-assistance programs. Other beneficiaries are T3 Partnership, or Tarrant To & Through, which aims to ensure more Tarrant County students have training and skills to thrive in today’s workforce, as well as United Community Centers and UpSpire.

The festivities kicked off around 7:15 p.m. as Bridges and Patterson took the stage.

The duo traded laughs as they welcomed the crowd, which included Patterson congratulating TCU women’s basketball Coach Mark Campbell on the team’s “great season.” Campbell stood up and waved as cheers boomed across the venue.

Campbell’s Horned Frogs made history this season, reaching the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. TCU lost 58-47 to Texas on March 31 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Patterson, who coached at TCU for over 20 years, said he was an avid watcher of the basketball team’s run.

“When you have things like that happen, it’s great for TCU, but it’s also great for Fort Worth,” Patterson told the Star-Telegram.

Festivities stretched into the late Thursday evening hours, with a live auction and other fundraising games.

Crockett took the stage first, followed by Rogers. Both artists are friends of Bridges, so much so that the Fort Worth singer and Crockett will embark on a tour together later this year.

The combination of music and goodwill are what Bridges and Patterson love most about putting on The Big Night over the last few years.

“For me, it’s just a lot of fun to watch how it all grows,” Patterson said.

This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 11:59 AM.

Brayden Garcia

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Brayden Garcia is a service journalism reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Brayden mainly writes about weather and all things Taylor Sheridan-related.