While George Jones was the first to put Beaumont on the country music map, Zona is the latest in a long line of
sterling singers who have graduated from regional stardom to national prominence. Walking in George’s footsteps,
Zona has performed in exactly the same clubs that also launched the careers of his good friends, Mark Chesnutt,
Tracy Byrd and Clay Walker.
Raised on a ranch and the son of a rodeo cowboy/rancher, Zona comes by his name and the music he makes
honestly. “My dad was a rodeo cowboy. He competed in college and professionally for a number of years.” Zona’s
name is a show of his father’s devotion to the rodeo circuit, “My dad missed the rodeo in Phoenix/Scottsdale the year I
was born. Because my dad missed the rodeo there, he and my mom decided to name me ‘Zona’, short for “Arizona.”
Growing up, there were several influences that guided Zona. Living on a working cattle ranch, his grandmother’s love
of music, and his parents’ value of education. The combination of these led Zona to the place that sparked his
musical career. After working as kid after school and during the summers on the ranch for his dad, Zona decided
education was the ticket to getting a job somewhere there was air-conditioning. Zona received his undergraduate
degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He went on to earn a law degree which, in turn, landed him a job at a
prestigious firm in Beaumont, Texas. It was there, much to his surprise, Zona found a booming musical community.