The nonprofit OK ROOTS MUSIC promotes and encourages an eclectic array of music, arts and culture through public performances and educational activities. 

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION: 3rd weekend of April: Tulsa’s most ambitious Earth Day Celebration finds OK Roots Music teaming with environmental and arts organizations to host prominent environmental speakers, educational booths & demos, music and arts performances, Native arts & traditional cuisine, youth activities and more.

Wine & Jazz FETE: 1st weekend of June: Featuring internationally touring jazz & world music artists, wine tastings, and tantalizing cuisine. Artists have included Charles Lloyd, Bill Frisell, Anat Cohen, Delfeayo Marsalis, Christian Scott, John Scofield, Dom Flemons, Tiempo Libre, and Yemen Blues. Public Radio Tulsa’s “All This Jazz” host Scott Gregory is the emcee. Ticketed at LowDown Tulsa, plus free virtual performances. 

Global ROOTS BASH: 1st weekend of October: This longstanding celebration of global music has boasted the likes of Bombino, The Wailers, Chuscales Flamenco, Michael Franti, Los Lobos, The English Beat, and Ninet Tayeb. With wine tastings & global cuisine. Ticketed at LowDown Tulsa, plus wine tastings and free virtual events.

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MICHAEL KOSTER, Executive Director: founded and oversaw the Thirsty Ear Festival, New Mexico’s premier roots music event, for 13 years. He co-founded Tulsa Roots Rocks the Green, the first concert series by internationally touring artists on Tulsa’s Guthrie Green, which ran for 8 years. He continues to work in both NM and OK on all aspects of music presentation. He has worked with hundreds of internationally touring artists and dozens of venues over two decades. He is Executive Producer of PANDEMIC BLUES, a short film about life for musicians during the pandemic. Koster, who holds an M.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland, has written for Stereophile, ARTnews, Art & Antiques, Thirsty Ear Magazine, Mountain Living, and many others.  

OKCATE SMITH MCCOMMAS (Mvskoke), Associate Director / Manager of Indigenous Programming: has produced major events for Tulsa’s Guthrie Green venue, the Bob Dylan Center and Archive, and Cain’s Ballroom. She works on all aspects of our events and oversees our marketing and social media. She holds a degree in Theatre Performance and a minor in Women’s And Gender Studies from the University of Tulsa.

Select artists we’ve worked with over the years: MICHAEL FRANTI, LOS LOBOS, ROSANNE CASH, LOS LONELY BOYS, KEB’ MO’, TAJ MAHAL, JOAN BAEZ, DOC WATSON, TOOTS & THE MAYTALS, BELA FLECK, THE WAILERS, RALPH STANLEY & THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS, BILL FRISELL, DAVE ALVIN, ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, THE BAD PLUS, BEAUSOLEIL, BE GOOD TANYAS, BLACK JOE LEWIS, BOMBINO, GREG BROWN, JUNIOR BROWN, BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO, BURNING SPEAR, RL BURNSIDE, SAM BUSH, HAYES CARLL, DON CARLOS, CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS, NEKO CASE, GUY CLARK, ANAT COHEN, EMMET COHEN, SAMANTHA CRAIN, ROCKY DAWUNI, IRIS DeMENT, TOUMANI DIABATE, ANI DiFRANCO, BO DIDDLEY, DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND, DR. JOHN, DUMPSTAPHUNK, HONEYBOY EDWARDS, RAMBLIN’ JACK ELLIOTT, JOE ELY, ENGLISH BEAT, FANTASTIC NEGRITO, FEUFOLLET, FIRE IN LITTLE AFRICA, FISHBONE, THE FLATLANDERS, DOM FLEMONS, T-MODEL FORD, RUTHIE FOSTER, JEFFREY FOUCAULT, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, TONY FURTADO, JIMMIE DALE GILMORE, GOV’T MULE, PATTY GRIFFIN, NANCI GRIFFITH, KNOX HAMILTON, BUTCH HANCOCK, JOY HARJO, COREY HARRIS, ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART, RICHIE HAVENS, AMY HELM, RAY WYLIE HUBBARD, INDIGENOUS, EILEN JEWELL, RICKIE LEE JONES, VALERIE JUNE, ROBERT EARL KEEN, LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, POKEY LaFARGE, ROSIE LEDET & THE ZYDECO PLAYBOYS, DAVID LINDLEY, CHARLES LLOYD, DELFEAYO MARSALIS, LEYLA McCALLA, DEL McCOURY, JAMES McMURTRY, SHANNON McNALLY, MONTE MONTGOMERY, IAN MOORE, THE MOWGLI’S, FIDEL NADAL, NAHKO & MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, ODETTA, PINETOP PERKINS, PO’ GIRL, KEN POMEROY, REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND, MARC RIBOT, PETER ROWAN, JOEL SAVOY, BOB SCHNEIDER, JOHN SCOFIELD, CHRISTIAN SCOTT, DARRELL SCOTT, BILLY JOE SHAVER, SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS, SLY & ROBBIE, THE SKATALITES, THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS, JOAN SORIANO, MAVIS STAPLES, STEEL PULSE, BILLY STRINGS, NINET TAYEB, RICHARD THOMPSON, JOURDAN THIBODEAUX, TIEMPO LIBRE, T SISTERS, SOFIA VIOLA, CEDRIC WATSON, YEMEN BLUES, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND, YOUNG DUBLINERS, and many more.