IN: The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston or abbreviated HLSR, is the largest livestock exhibitions and rodeo in the world. It also includes one of the richest regular-season rodeo events. It has been held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, since 2003. It was previously held in the Astrodome.

Since 1952, traditional trail rides have been a part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. As of 2017, there were 13 official trail rides, totaling over 3,000 riders. The trail rides range in size from a dozen to over one thousand people who ride on horseback or in horse-drawn wagons from various areas of the state to Houston. They make their way at about 3 miles (4.8 km) per hour, covering up to 17 miles (27 km) each day. Many of the routes take place in part along major highways and busy city streets, making safety a major concern.  The trail rides last from a few days to three weeks, depending on the distance they cover. Some of the participants are able to join only on weekends or at the end of the trip. The days start very early, and often end with live music or a small celebration. Many riders choose to camp in recreational vehicles rather than in the open. Each morning, they drive their vehicles and horse trailers to the next camping spot, then have a bus or convoy take them back so they can retrace their path on horseback. Participants can bring their own provisions, or, in some cases, purchase meals at a chuck wagon that is also following the trail.  The rides converge at Memorial Park in Houston on Go Texan Day, the Friday before the livestock show and rodeo begins. The city closes some roads downtown to allow the riders to reach their destination safely. The resulting traffic interruption cause annual complaints from those who work downtown. The following day, all of the trail riders participate in the parade.

How far is the longest trail ride?

OUT: They make their way at about 3 miles (4.8 km) per hour, covering up to 17 miles (27 km) each day.


IN: Natalie McIntyre was born in Canton, Ohio, the daughter of Laura McIntyre, a math schoolteacher, and Otis Jones who left when she was a baby. Her stepfather was a steelworker, and she has a sister who would become a biology teacher. She began piano lessons at age seven. A childhood bicycle mishap resulted in her noticing a mailbox of a man named Macy Gray; she used the name in stories she wrote and later decided to use it as her stage name.

While attending the University of Southern California, she agreed to write songs for a friend. A demo session was scheduled for the songs to be recorded by another singer, but the vocalist failed to appear, so Gray recorded them herself.  I started forming bands and writing songs just for fun and then I really got into it and got attached to it. Then a friend of mine asked me to be a singer in his jazz band. He gave me all these jazz CDs and I studied all these different singers and I kind of taught myself how to sing for a gig, but I didn't take it seriously until later.  She then met writer-producer Joe Solo while working as a cashier in Beverly Hills. Together, they wrote a collection of songs and recorded them in Solo's studio. The demo tape gave Gray the opportunity to sing at jazz cafes in Los Angeles. Although Gray did not consider her unusual voice desirable for singing, Atlantic Records signed her. She began recording her debut record but was dropped from the label upon the departure of A&R man Tom Carolan, who had signed her to the label. Macy returned to Ohio but in 1997 Los Angeles based Zomba Publishing Senior VP A&R man Jeff Blue, convinced her to return to music and signed her to a development deal, recording new songs based on her life experiences, with a new sound, and began shopping her to record labels. In 1998, she landed a record deal with Epic Records. She performed on "Love Won't Wait", a song on the Black Eyed Peas' debut album Behind the Front.

How did working with Joe Solo help Macy's musical career ?

OUT: Atlantic Records signed her.


IN: Point of Grace is an all-female Contemporary Christian music vocal group. The trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as well as Terry Jones and Heather Payne. In November 2003, Terry Jones decided to spend more time with her family after giving birth to her third child, and left the group, with Cappillino joining in March 2004 for their 2004 release

In November 2003, Terry Jones announced she would be retiring from Point of Grace. She was finding it harder and harder to handle a full-time music career and being a full-time wife and mother. She wrote a letter which was posted on the group's website, along with a letter from Heather, Shelley, and Denise. They made it clear that they had no intentions of carrying on as a trio, and called upon band leader Dana Cappillino's wife Leigh to join her husband on tour. Terry's last tour with the group was the 2003 Christmastime Tour with Michael W. Smith, and her last concert was in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 28, 2004. Leigh had been officially on board since January 1, 2004, but her first concert was in Atlanta, Georgia on March 12, 2004.  Leigh's first album with Point of Grace was I Choose You, released on October 12, 2004. It featured a rawer, less glossy sound. They also worked with producers with whom they had never worked with such as Mark Hammond, Wayne Kirkpatrick and David Zaffiro. Brent Bourgeois, who produced the song "Forever On And On" from the Streams album also produced one track. The album was the most progressive of their career up to that point. They spent the remainder of 2004 doing promotional appearances and participating once again in Michael W. Smith's Christmastime Tour along with The Katinas. In February 2005, they began the I Choose You Tour with Scott Krippayne and special guest Charity Von. The tour took the girls through 30 cities, and the show's set lists featured cuts from I Choose You as well as songs from their back catalog.  After the tour, the girls began work on their second Christmas release. The girls spent the summer of 2005 recording, which, like A Christmas Story, featured holiday classics and original songs. Winter Wonderland was released on October 4, 2005. They launched their first Christmas tour, the Winter Wonderland Tour in late November, playing 16 concerts. The show had John David Webster, who was featured on Winter Wonderland, as a special guests, and local choirs participated in every show.  In 2006, the girls resumed their Girls of Grace activities, and began working with Michael Passons, formerly of Avalon, who began to tour with them. On one-off dates, the girls would have acoustic segments where Dana and Michael would be featured on guitar and piano, respectively, along with vocals from the girls. Heather also gave birth to her third child in 2006. The girls launched the 2006 Winter Wonderland Tour with special guest Scott Krippayne.

Who replaced her?

OUT:
called upon band leader Dana Cappillino's wife Leigh to join her husband on tour.