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Du Quoin State Fair home to major musical acts entertainment package and value this year. He is trying COUNTRY hard not to show favoritism SCENE and push one night harder than another. However, he Vince Hoffard has Aug. 31 circled in red on his calendar. “How can you beat hree major country Kansas and The Fabulous acts, a popular Thunderbirds,” he asks. contemporary “Then, when that show is Christian artist and a letting out, you can walk couple of bands from over to the beer tent and opposite ends of the rock see Head East for free. ‘n’ roll spectrum will offer There will be a lot of people local music fans a little bit sleeping in on Sunday of everything on the morning.” grandstand stage at the A 39-year-old Georgia 2013 Du Quoin State Fair. native, Currington is a hitBilly Currington, Sawyer making machine. He Brown and Montgomery cracked the Top Ten with Gentry will join classic his first two singles, then rockers Kansas, alternative received tremendous rock group Theory of a exposure in 2004 with Deadman and Canadian “Party for Two,” with praise and worship leader superstar Shania Twain. Matt Maher to form a solid His hits include “I Got a lineup filled with a variety Feelin’,” “Don’t,” “Pretty of musical styles. Good at Drinkin’ Beer” and “Our goal was to “Good Directions.” schedule acts that played Currington’s “People Are different types of music. Crazy” was nominated for We wanted to be very two Grammy Awards and diversified,” says Fair numerous industry Manager John Rednour Jr. accolades. The video for “I think we’ve “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ accomplished our mission. Right” was voted Hottest We’ve got a heckuva lineup. Video of the Year by CMT Advance ticket sales have in 2006. His new single, been strong, and the “Hey Girl,” is included on weather is looking good. upcoming album “We Are Everything is lining up. I’m Tonight,” which will be excited and ready to get it released Sept. 17. started.” Formed as the road band Currington performs for minor league country Saturday. Tickets are $35 vocalist Don King, Sawyer and $30. Sawyer Brown Brown decided to stick appears Monday. Tickets together after King quit are $25 and $20. Maher touring in 1981. They are takes the stage Tuesday. the first act to bring a Tickets are $10. TOAD is turbo-charged stage show scheduled for Aug. 29. to country music, gaining Tickets are $25 and $20. recognition early in their Montgomery Gentry career with songs like appears Aug. 30. Tickets “Betty’s Bein’ Bad,” are $35 and $30. Kansas “Shakin’” and “Leona.” will play on Aug. 31. The band would eventually Tickets are $35 and $30. display a serious side with Rednour said he is songs like “The Walk,” ecstatic about the overall “Gypsies on Parade” and
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“Café on the Corner.” Sawyer Brown has reached the top of the Billboard singles chart three times, with “Step That Step,” “Some Girls Do” and “Thank God for You.” Mark Miller has been lead vocalist of the group for 32 years. The only personnel change in four decades has been at lead guitar. Bobby Randall left in 1991 and was replaced by Duncan Cameron, who quit to be a pilot for American Airlines in 2004. Shayne Hill has been lead guitarist for the last nine years. Lee Roy Parnell and Grace Askew, a finalist on “The Voice” this year, will open the concert. Montgomery Gentry is a Kentucky-based duet formed in the late 1990s by Troy Gentry and Eddie Montgomery. They were selected Vocal Duo of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2000 and joined the prestigious Grand Ole Opry in 2009. Meshing the influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. in their own unique style, Montgomery Gentry immediately kicked started their career with debut single “Hillbilly Shoes” and has been powered by 16 Top Ten singles, including “My Town,” “Something To Be Proud Of,” “Gone,” “Roll With Me” and “Back When I Knew It All.” Drew Baldridge, from Patoka, will be the opening act. He recently signed a major publishing deal in Nashville and polished his songwriting skills in Key West with tunesmiths from the industry. Formed in 2001, Therory of a Deadman is a quartet from Delta, British Columbia. The alternative
rockers have released four studio albums and scored seven Top Ten hits on the Mainstream Rock charts, including a pair of No. 1 singles, “Bad Girlfriend” and “Lowlife.” Hard rockers Trapt will be the opening act for TOAD. Kansas established its signature sound in 1976 with “Carry On Wayward Son” and followed-up two years later with equally popular “Dust In The Wind.” The boys from Topeka cemented their place in the foundation of classic rock history with those two songs, which are enjoying their fifth decade in heavy rotation on rock radio.
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Although there have been personnel changes through the years, Kansas is powered vocally by original lead vocalist Steve Walsh. The band has recorded three albums which have each sold over 6 million copies, including “Leftoverture,” “Point of Know Return” and “Best of Kansas. The Fabulous Thunderbirds, with cofounder and lead singer Kim Wilson singing classics “Tuff Enough” and “Wrap It Up,” will serve as the opening act for Kansas. Canadian contemporary Christian artist Matt Maher has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and is best known for
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uplifting hits like “Hold Us Together,” “Your Grace Is Enough,” “Turn Around” and “Christ Is Risen.” Earlier this year, infront of 60,000 college students at the Georgia Dome for Passion 2013, he performed “Burning in My Soul,” a tune advocating the elimination of denominational differences for the greater kingdom work of the gospel. The song is on his current album “All the People Said Amen.” Brittany Loyd will open the show for Maher. VINCE HOFFARD can be reached at 618-658-9095 or vincehoffard@ yahoo.com
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FLIPSIDE Thursday, August 22, 2013 Page 9