Bryan White, an Oklahoma country hitmaker, plays Oklahoma's Listening Room in Cushing on Dec. 3

The Lawton native behind "Someone Else's Star" and "Rebecca Lynn" plays an intimate early show in Cushing a month from now. Tickets are on sale through Prekindle.

In the mid-'90s, a kid from Lawton was singing all over country radio. A month from now, Bryan White plays a room built for listening, a short drive from Stillwater, and the songs that made him a star will be close enough to touch.

Bryan White plays Oklahoma's Listening Room in Cushing on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. The date was announced Oct. 16. Tickets range from $100 to $550 and are sold through Prekindle. The early start and the price spread suggest a show where the seat you choose matters, so check the tiers before you buy.

White's Oklahoma roots run deep. He was born and raised in Lawton, the son of musician parents. After graduating from Putnam City West High School he signed with Asylum Records in 1994. He's a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and the state's tourism office includes him on its Oklahoma Music Trail.

The hits came fast. "Someone Else's Star" was his first No. 1, in 1995, and "Rebecca Lynn" followed it to the top. "So Much for Pretending" and "Sittin' on Go" are among the other chart-toppers, though sources differ on the exact count, and at least one tally puts it at six. In 1996 the Country Music Association gave him its Horizon Award, the honor for the year's breakout artist. Venue bios today describe him as a CMA, ACM and Grammy award-winning country artist.

The songs that made a Lawton kid a radio star, in a room where you can hear every word.

The Dec. 3 date also lands in the season White has made his own around here. His own site has announced Oklahoma Christmas tours in past years, with stops that included Stillwater. Whether this night leans toward holiday material isn't spelled out in the listing, but early December in Oklahoma with Bryan White has precedent.

A listening room is a different deal from a big-stage show. There's no crowd noise to hide behind, and a singer known for those big, open choruses has to deliver them up close. That's the appeal: you hear the voice, the stories between songs, and the guitar parts you missed on the radio.

For Stillwater folks it's an easy trip down the road on a weeknight, with an early show that has you home at a reasonable hour. Buy the seat that fits your budget, get there early, and expect the room to sing along on "Rebecca Lynn."

Sources: Prekindle: Bryan White at Oklahoma's Listening Room (tickets) (prekindle.com); JamBase: Bryan White at Oklahoma's Listening Room (jambase.com); Wikipedia: Bryan White (en.wikipedia.org); Wikipedia: Bryan White discography (en.wikipedia.org); TravelOK Oklahoma Music Trail: Bryan White (travelok.com); Franklin Free Press: Bryan White bringing his six Number One hits to Russellville (franklinfreepress.net); TheaterMania: Bryan White (theatermania.com); bryanwhite.com: Bryan White's 2nd annual Oklahoma Christmas tour (bryanwhite.com); Country Universe: Bryan White, "So Much For Pretending" (countryuniverse.net); Cushing, Oklahoma - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)