Concert Artists
Legendary southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd and country superstar Blake Shelton will appear along with 38 Special, Jake Owen, Tracy Lawrence, Chuck Wicks, Gloriana, Colt Ford, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and Toto’s Bobby Kimball and a special performance by Maryville’s own Opry legend Jack Greene.
Friday night kicks off with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas.
Thomas led the band “Jefferson Starship” and subsequently “Starship” through the 80’s and into the 90’s and brought number one hits “No Way Out,” “We Built This City,” “Sara” and “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” www.mickeythomas.com
Headlining Friday night is 38 Special.
With numerous hits including “Hold on Loosely,” “Caught up in You,” “Rockin’ into the Night,” “Back Where You Belong” and many others. The band has been named countless times as one of the top southern rock bands of all time just behind Legendary Southern Rockers Lynryd Skynyrd who will be headlining Saturday night and whose fame is far reaching and is recognized around the world for hits like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Freebird,” “That Smell” and “Comin’ Home.” www.lynyrdskynrd.com.
Saturday’s entertainment gets underway with Gloriana, Tracy Lawrence and Chuck Wicks.
The band Gloriana’s has won two fan-voted Awards with the Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Group of the Year and the American Music Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Gloriana is now nominated for a 2010 Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Country Group. Amid the soaring four-part harmonies and electric stage presence, it's clear that Gloriana represents an exciting new and vibrant force in country music. The group--Tom Gossin, Mike Gossin, Rachel Reinert and Cheyenne Kimball--consists of four uniquely talented and enthusiastic young musicians joining forces to create a fresh, one-of-a-kind sound that reflects the best of today's Nashville. www.gloriana.com.
A gifted songwriter and vocalist, Chuck Wicks made a compelling impression with his Top 5 smash, “Stealing Cinderella,” the fastest-rising single by a debut country act in 2007. By the time his first album, Starting Now, was released in January 2008, he had begun a year-long 750,000 fan-packed tour opening for superstar Brad Paisley. Wicks co-penned 10 of the 11 songs on his debut CD, including his single hits, “All I Ever Wanted” and “Man of the House.” A Delaware native, Chuck was raised on a family farm, where he grew up loving a variety of music – from traditional country to R&B – but his early career aspirations focused on his passion for sports. He attended Florida Southern College to play baseball, but by his senior year, he found that music had overtaken his athletic aspirations. Chuck began a series of trips to Nashville, and early interest from record label RCA Nashville inspired a permanent move to Music City, where Chuck spent several years paying his dues, honing his craft, and learning – earning his place within the city’s songwriting community and ultimately landing a recording contract with RCA. www.chuckwicks.com
Tracy Lawrence is one of the premier voices of his generation, a sensitive and intelligent singer who continues to stretch both as an artist and as a person. Lawrence's dedication to honesty and respect for tradition have enabled him to build one of the most respected careers in recent country history. Some of his hits include “If the World Had a Front Porch,” “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” “Time Marches On” and “Alibis.” www.tracylawrence.com
Sunday’s roster includes Blake Shelton, Jake Owen, Colt Ford, and Jack Greene.
Blake Shelton takes the stage to close out another great weekend of entertainment. After struggling through the hard times, Blake was picked up by Warner Bros., and his first single "Austin" became a five-week #1. Each of his first three albums went gold, and each produced a chart-topping single—"The Baby" from The Dreamer and "Some Beach" from Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill. His fourth album, Pure BS, also went gold and produced a back-to-back #1 single, "Home." Starting Fires produced "She Wouldn't Be Gone," yet another multiple week #1 single, and solidified Blake's reputation as a vocalist. "The last album or two I pushed myself as a singer," he says, "and I think I proved what I'm capable of. I'll always push myself, but with Hillbilly Bone it was more about finding songs with that attitude I want to convey and then just delivering them the best way I can. More than anything I'd like people to hear me sing and think, 'That's good music.'" Along the way, the music he makes continues to be some of country's finest. With Hillbilly Bone, it is also, in this computerized age, some of its most rooted, its most honest, and without a doubt its most fun. www.blakeshelton.com
Since releasing his debut album, Startin' With Me, RCA Nashville recording artist Jake Owen has celebrated five consecutive hit singles including Top 15 debut single, “Yee Haw,” the Top 10 “Startin’ With Me,” the Top 15 “Something About A Woman,” the Top 5 “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” and his most recent Top 10 “Eight Second Ride.” In the last two years, Owen made his national TV debut on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and has toured non-stop with the biggest names in Country Music including Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland and Jason Aldean. Jake has received nominations for Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, a GRAMMY Award, a CMT Award, and was named “Top New Male Vocalist” at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2009. His sophomore album, Easy Does It, is currently in stores. www.jakeowen.net
Maryville native, and Grand Old Opry legend Jack Greene travels back home to share timeless hits like “There Goes My Everything,” “Statue of a Fool” and “All the Time,” and to receive a special recognition from WIVK and the City of Maryville for his contributions to Country Music. “A true ambassador of country music, he is the consummate entertainer, always ready with an autograph, a warm smile, and an uplifting tune. One of his most recent projects was to collaborate on the "Opry Legends Collection," which consists of a series of albums featuring various stars of the Opry. Whether in the recording studio, or on a stage in front of his legions of fans, Jack Greene will always be known as the Gentlemen of Country Music.” www.jackgreeneopry.com
Colt Ford is a walking, talking 300-pound celebration of country music and country living. His songs pay tribute to the people, pastimes and attitudes that define a lifestyle embraced from Texas to Wisconsin, from Florida to Washington State and a lot of places in between. For all the bigger-than-life excitement that defines his music and his stage show, though, Colt is quick to point to what lies underneath it all. "I'm just an average Joe who's been blessed with the ability to write music and who loves to perform," Colt says. "I talk about everyday real country life and I believe in real country values—God, family, friends, and hard work. And if that ain't country, I don't know what is." www.coltford.com
