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Country Music Days 2023

Arts and Entertainment

August 17, 2023

From: Country Music Days

Schedule

September 8, 2023

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm : Mark Wills

It was 1990-somethin’ when Grand Ole Opry member Mark Wills went from singing at Atlanta’s infamous Buckboard to releasing his first of 19 Billboard-charting singles across seven albums. While climbing his musical ‘ladder,’ he has recorded Gold and Platinum albums and released some of the most enduring and recognizable Country Music hits of the last 25 Years.

“Wish You Were Here,” “Jacob’s Ladder” and “I Do (Cherish You)” cemented his country status in the late ’90s and at the ‘dawning of a new decade’ in the early ’00s. “Jacob’s Ladder” was released via Mercury Nashville in May 1996 as Wills’ debut single, and it became the singer’s first of eight Top 10 hits. His debut self-titled album followed “full of rambunctious good-time songs teeming with sly wit and bittersweet ballads — all in a baritone that throbs with emotion” per Entertainment Weekly. Released 20 years ago as part of Wills’ Greatest Hits collection, the feel-good track stretched the singer both musically and vocally. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart Top 5 hits “Places I’ve Never Been,” “I Do (Cherish You),” “Don’t Laugh at Me,” and No. 1 single “Wish You Were Here” hit the airwaves between 1997-1999. Fittingly, Wills’ early chart success earned him an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Male Vocalist in 1998. One of his biggest hits to date is the RIAA Gold-certified “19 Somethin’” – a six-week No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

He also has taken more than a dozen trips to entertain U.S. troops in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Korea, and Italy. Wills continues to hit the road with his high-energy show full of hits that were the soundtrack to so many people’s lives.

September 9, 2023

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm : Diamond Rio

Formed in 1989 in Nashville, TN the band consists of Gene Johnson (mandolin, tenor vocals), Jimmy Olander (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo), Brian Prout (drums), Marty Roe (lead vocal), Dan Truman (keyboards), and Dana Williams (bass guitar, baritone vocals).

Diamond Rio signed to Arista Records and in 1991 with the release of “Meet In The Middle” became the first country music group in history to reach No. 1 with a debut single. The band is also known for their hits “How Your Love Makes Me Feel,” “One More Day,” “Beautiful Mess,” “Unbelievable,” “In A Week or Two,” and more. They released their first-ever autobiography, Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio on Thomas Nelson in 2009.

The band known for playing every note on every album recently celebrated their 30th Anniversary, has sold more than 10 million albums, won a Grammy Award, a Dove Award, six Vocal Group of the Year wins (CMA and ACM), released two Greatest Hit albums, a live and Christmas project, earned five multi-week no. 1 singles, 22 Top 10 singles, three certified Platinum and five gold albums, released an autobiography – and with zero band member changes. Known for their charity commitments including long-time spokespersons for Big Brothers Big Sisters, the band has raised over $1,000,000.00 for non-profits and received the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award.

September 10, 2023

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm : The Frontmen

They have 30 No. 1 hits, have sold 30 million albums and are the soundtrack to every Friday night honkytonk, first kiss and broken heart for the last 30 years. Fans sing the words to every song in every set – and while many people have yet to know their name, just about everybody can sing their songs.

THE FRONTMEN – comprised of 3 former lead singers, Larry Stewart (Restless Heart), Richie McDonald (Lonestar) and Tim Rushlow (Little Texas) – is country music's hottest new supergroup. The men have already mastered the stage, succeeded on radio and nightly take sold-out audiences on a rollercoaster of 90’s nostalgic smash hits then transcend their past hit parade with fresh new & original songs that are unmistakably THE FRONTMEN today!

The group recently put their massive catalog of hits to work, including "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," "Amazed" and "God Blessed Texas," on tour with Alabama and kick-started the Harley-Davidson crowd in Deadwood, South Dakota, at the 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

"The thing about the three of us is we are better together than each of us was by ourselves," McDonald said. "The beauty of the show is that people can come and just sit there for two hours and go, "I sang along with every single song. I loved every one of them."

“There is a common thread that runs through the songs we have all recorded over the years that just fts like a glove,” Rushlow added. “It is quite powerful and certainly is the soundtrack to all of our lives”.

THE FRONTMEN's magic formula harkens back to some of the biggest Rock groups of the 60’s and 70’s like The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles where multiple lead singers like Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Don Henley have separate careers but join to together to create a sum bigger than its parts. They are a new act with a fresh sound but also an arsenal of hits.

Tony Conway, manager of ALABAMA, had this comment about the group: “The Frontmen is a group of some of the best voices in the history of Country Music. Larry, Tim, Richie have each been responsible for some of the greatest songs ever released. When you take their stellar vocals on hits from Restless Heart, Little Texas and Lonestar and put them together on one stage, you have the originals along with being the best of the best, and a new supergroup in the world of country music.”

"We have a great time," Larry Stewart says. "There's no egos. We just enjoy doing it. It's easy for us to work together. We know what to expect. It must've been meant to be."

Stewart's Restless Heart launched in 1984 with their self-titled debut album and went on to collect eight No. 1 hits and sing-along favorites, including "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," "I'll Still Be Loving You," "Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right)," "Wheels," "Fast Movin' Train" and "A Tender Lie." They were named Top Vocal Group by the Academy of Country Music in 1989.

Rushlow's Little Texas kicked off in 1991 with Top 10 hits "Some Guys Have All the Love" and "First Time for Everything," then followed up with its debut album of the same name. Subsequent hits include "God Blessed Texas," "Kick a Little," "My Love," "What Might Have Been" and "Amy's Back in Austin." Little Texas won the Academy of Country Music's Top Vocal Group in 1993.

McDonald joined Lonestar in 1992, and the group achieved nine No. 1 songs, including: "No News," "Come Cryin' to Me," "What About Now," "I'm Already There," "My Front Porch Looking In," "Mr. Mom" and "Amazed" -- an eight-week No. 1 song and the most popular country song of 1999. "Amazed" was the Academy of Country Music's Single and Song of the Year in 1999, and Lonestar was the Top Vocal Group for the ACM and the Country Music Association in 2001.

During periods of downtime over the years, and THE FRONTMEN organically built a concept they've been working toward for more than a decade. McDonald and Stewart first connected when they played a radio show in Louisiana. McDonald broached the idea with Stewart: three lead singers, one band and nothing but hits. Rushlow joined soon after, and the trio went on an extended international tour of military bases. The soldiers' reaction affrmed what they already thought – people want to hear their songs.

"It's these iconic songs that have been a part of people's lives over the past 20 or 30 years, and we saw the effect that it had on these men and women ghting for our freedom," McDonald said. "We knew we had to do it."

THE FRONTMEN played sporadic shows together over the years while each continued with their various bands. When the pandemic struck, McDonald reevaluated how he wanted to spend his time. Stewart had recently stepped away from Restless Heart, and Rushlow shifted focus to THE FRONTMEN. With that, their side project became their main gig.

"We jumped in with both feet," McDonald said. "I always tease Larry during the show and tell him, 'I grew up listening to your music.' He'll laugh and say, 'Man, you make me feel really old.' Larry and Restless Heart really opened the door for Lonestar and Little Texas. We really respect one another. It's just a blast to be on stage every night to sing our hits and, and to harmonize with one another."

Each man has a turn in the spotlight splitting vocal duties but all three sing non-stop throughout the entire set showcasing harmonies that only this combination of talent could achieve. "Splitting the lead singing up keeps our vocal chords in tip top shape for all the harmonies in the set" Stewart said. Audiences receive a night of boot-scootin,' heart-popping nostalgia. Stewart, McDonald, and Rushlow all major hit songwriters are currently working on the debut album as THE FRONTMEN with multi-genre musical heavyweight producer Mickey Jack Cones, expecting new music on the radio and streaming in early 2022.

The Frontmen are in the studio now with superstar hit machine record producer Mickey Jack Cones who had this to say about the group: “Larry, Richie and Tim are icons in the industry whose voices helped shape country music as we know it. Not only are they three of the most phenomenal vocalists in the genre, they are even better humans. I couldn’t be more honored and enamored to be working with them.”

Brand new fresh music, combined with a massive catalog of hits, and THE FRONTMEN are off to the races… again!

Date : September 8 - 10 , 2023

Location :Silver Dollar City - 399 Silver Dollar City Parkway Branson, MO 65616.

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