Mike Markwardt

About the presenter

Mike Markwardt is the director and executive producer of the documentary film The Birth & History of Western Swing, and founder of the Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing, a nonprofit that executes an annual four day music festival in Fort Worth, Texas. He brings a lifelong passion for Fort Worth's proud heritage as the birth of western swing from its 1930s inception when Bob Wills and Milton Brown first pioneered this contagious dance music to uplift depression-weary fans during the depths of the Great Depression and dust-bowl era.

Mike has contributed his time and financial support to many western swing festival events throughout the Southwest, regularly attending reunions, contests, award shows, and musical events. He launched the inaugural Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival in 2021, where a venerable who’s who of legendary musicians and devoted fans gather from across the country each year on the second weekend of November to celebrate the birth of Western swing.

A Fort Worth native and first-time filmmaker, Mike has had a successful entrepreneurial business career with over 35 years in the import-export consumer products industry. In addition to managing his nonprofit organization, Mike also provides import-export consulting expertise to local and international clients and continues to invest in private equity startups and real estate properties primarily within the state of Texas.