Before the Billboard-charting albums, national tours and collaborations with Grammy-winning songwriters and platinum-record producers, Billy McKnight was playing quarterback and middle linebacker for the Brandon Broncos while attending Nativity Catholic School in East Hillsborough County.
Years later, the Soul Circus Cowboys frontman became a familiar face at Nativity Novemberfest, where the band regularly drew large hometown crowds and helped create what McKnight once described as a “complete Brandon reunion.”
Now, McKnight is bringing that same spirit to the upcoming Chris Rocks the Vote Music Festival benefiting Forgotten Angels and ECHO.
The festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, at the Forgotten Angels ranch, located at 3604 Little Stearns Rd. in Valrico, as part of Chris Ciulla’s honorary mayor campaign supporting the two nonprofits. The honorary mayor race is a community fundraising competition where donations and ticket purchases count as votes supporting local charities.
Forgotten Angels supports young adults aging out of foster care, while ECHO assists local families and individuals facing financial hardship throughout the Brandon area.
“We couldn’t be more grateful for having the Soul Circus Cowboys supporting Forgotten Angels and the kids we work with,” said Cindy Tilley, founder of Forgotten Angels. “The funds they are helping us raise will help save the lives of youth in our community.”
Forgotten Angels and ECHO work closely together to support local individuals and families facing difficult situations throughout the community.
The event will feature live music, food trucks and family activities, including performances by Wade Williams, Sidney O’Sullivan, Clay Bo, Sons of the South and Soul Circus Cowboys.
Despite years of touring and recording, McKnight said his connection to Brandon and Valrico has remained constant throughout his career, especially his longtime relationship with Raccoons Bar & Grill, where he performed even before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1990s.
“Three times a year, I always go back to where I came from,” McKnight said. “I play there Thanksgiving Eve, once in the spring and again near the end of the year.”
McKnight said football was originally his main focus growing up in Brandon before eventually turning his attention toward music after his athletic plans changed.
Soon afterward, he auditioned for a friend’s band.
“His band wound up going with me and we got on Star Search,” McKnight said.
That early exposure helped lead McKnight to Nashville in 1994, where he spent nearly a decade learning the music business.
“Nashville was like a college to me,” McKnight said.
After returning home to Florida, McKnight formed Soul Circus Cowboys in 2009.
The band has since become one of the region’s most recognizable country rock acts, sharing stages with nationally known artists, including Big & Rich.
Their 2016 album, Tailgate Country, reached No. 25 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
Soul Circus Cowboys also gained regional attention during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2020-21 Super Bowl season after releasing the fight song “We’re Going to Buc You Up.”
Along the way, McKnight built relationships with respected music industry veterans, including Grammy-winning songwriter Frank J. Myers, who won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Country Song for co-writing the hit “I Swear.”
McKnight said Myers first took interest in him after hearing him perform the song “High and Low.”
“He heard me sing ‘High and Low’ and said, ‘We want to meet him,’” McKnight recalled. “Then we met, and he said, ‘OK, we’re going to develop you.’”
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to work with the best,” McKnight said.
That philosophy eventually led to collaborations with additional respected music industry names, including Jim Morris of Morrisound Recording, the internationally recognized Tampa recording studio associated with multiple platinum-certified records.
The band recently released its newest single, “Something Stronger,” and did a May 18 music video premiere on the American Country Network (ACN).
Despite the success, McKnight said giving back locally still comes first.
“Let’s make this a Brandon reunion,” McKnight said. “Come out and do some good for our neighborhood like we always do. When a Brandonite goes down, or one of our bikers goes down, we get together and put things like this event together to help out.
“Quote me — it’s something I’ve said for years: Come on out and let’s help other people out. This is more than just a concert for us.”
Tickets for the June 27 festival are available now, with general admission tickets priced at $25 and VIP tickets being $50.
For event details, follow the Chris for Mayor 2026 Facebook page www.facebook.com/chrisformayor2026. Visit https://linktr.ee/chrisformayor to find ticket information and purchase.
Questions can also be directed to Forgotten Angels at ctilley@forgottenangelsflorida.org or by calling 813-812-0120.
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