LEWISBURG, WV (03/14/2016)(readMedia)– State Fair Officials have announced the addition of four more shows to the 2016 State Fair of West Virginia scheduled for August 12-21.
Concerts include Jake Owen with Special Guest Old Dominion on Friday, August 12, Kane Brown on Tuesday, August 16 and the Buckin’B Bull Ride with Tracy Lawrence on Saturday, August 20. Collin Raye will also perform a free show on Monday, August 15 after harness racing.
“We are counting down the days until the gates open for the 2016 State Fair of West Virginia, and this announcement means we are getting closer,” CEO Kelly Collins stated. “We will have one more announcement to make to complete our line up and we hope to be able to do that in the next few weeks!”
Tickets for each of these shows will go on sale Friday, March 18 at 10 am.
Ticket prices and details on how to order can be found at www.statefairofwv.com. Tickets will only be available via Etix at www.statefairofwv.com or by calling 1-800-514-ETIX (3849) Monday through Friday 9 am – 6 pm or Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the State Fair Box Office until later in the spring.
Jake Owen
Jake Owen ascended to stardom with five #1 smashes – the 2X PLATINUM anthem “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” PLATINUM-certified hits “Beachin’,” “Anywhere with You,” “Alone with You,” “The One That Got Away” and the critically acclaimed “What We Ain’t Got.”
Owen’s latest hit “Real Life” released to rave reviews with Entertainment Weekly hailing the progressive song as “Infectious.” The RCA Nashville recording artist is currently in the studio with award-winning producers Shane McAnally and Ross Copperman working on his fifth studio album due out in 2016. The upcoming project follows DAYS OF GOLD and the GOLD-certified, chart-topping BAREFOOT BLUE JEAN NIGHT, which has sold well over 5 million tracks to date.
Previously taking home ACA and ACM Awards, the Vero Beach, FL native has earned GRAMMY and TEEN CHOICE Awards nominations. Known for his thrilling performances and laid-back style of country, he is just off his run on Kenny Chesney’s BIG REVIVAL Tour 2015 and will be playing major festivals and fairs throughout the fall.
Old Dominion
Blending old-fashioned country charm, lyrical wit and rock n’ roll grit into radio-friendly hook-heavy pop nuggets, Old Dominion has emerged as one of the hottest breaking bands in country music. Nominated for two Academy of Country Music awards for Vocal Group of the Year and New Vocal Group or Duo of the Year, they recently celebrated their debut single “Break Up With Him” reaching the top of the charts for two weeks.
Old Dominion released their first full-length album Meat and Candy, which Entertainment Weekly called a “deceptively smart, occasionally cheeky, stellar debut.” The band is currently headlining the Meat and Candy Tour and watching their second single, “Snapback” race up the charts. Consisting of lead singer Matthew Ramsey, lead guitarist Brad Tursi, multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen, bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers, the band has spent seven years honing their craft, each making a name for themselves in Nashville by penning songs for the likes of Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and more.
Now it’s nothing less than the country rock outfit’s defining moment. They recently made their national television debuts on Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Today Show. In April, Old Dominion will rejoin Kenny Chesney for the second year in a row on his 2016 tour.
Kane Brown
Kane Brown’s ground-breaking approach to the music business is quickly making the Georgia-raised singer and songwriter one of the breakout stars of the next generation of country music. Developing his own mix of iPhone videos of originals and country covers (averaging over 5 million views each), he’s grown his following from zero to over 1.7 million active and engaged fans on Facebook alone. Add his Instagram and that total goes well above 2 million followers. He’s recently started adding Twitter to the mix, hitting 77,000 followers and growing quickly with the same going for Snapchat and Periscope.
The son of a hard-working single mother, Kane was a stand-out high school athlete at football, basketball and track despite attending 5 different high schools over 4 years. He decided to forgo a collegiate football scholarship to follow his true passion, country music, and blaze his own path in the music industry.
In 2014, Kane crowdfunded his debut EP Closer. The EP was released on iTunes on June 2, 2015 where it charted at #11. As his online popularity surged, the EP re-charted in October, 2015 at #1 on the iTunes country chart. On his 22nd birthday, October 21, 2015, he released the song “Used to Love You Sober” on iTunes where it quickly went to #1 on the country singles chart and #2 overall. Two more singles followed, “Last Minute Late Night” and “Love That I Hate You,” both of which were #1’s on the iTunes Country Chart. In November, 2015, Kane embarked on his first headline tour which was a sell out across the United States. With the fans showing such strong support across ticket sales, single sales, Kickstarter and social media, Kane started drawing a lot of attention from major labels in
Nashville, signing with RCA imprint of Sony Nashville at the end of January 2016. And Sony and Kane are wasting no time, releasing his first single, Used To Love You Sober, within three weeks of signing.
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence is one of the most recognizable voices in Country music with songs such as “Paint Me a Birmingham,” “Time Marches On,” “Alibis” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.” The entertainer has enjoyed twenty-two songs on the Billboard top ten charts with eighteen number one singles, selling over thirteen million albums.
The Multi-platinum CMA and ACM award winning recording artist has help shaped the sound of Country music for two decades, recently celebrating twenty years in music. His music has inspired a whole new generation of entertainers and fans. Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan frequently pay tribute to the singer live in concert by playing his double-platinum hits like “Time Marches On” and “Alibis.” Songs that help make Lawrence among one of the most played artists on radio.
Collin Raye
Born Floyd Elliot Wray on August 22, 1960 in De Queens, Arkansas, country artist Collin Raye was one of the true hit makers of the 1990’s. Collin still continues to crank out soulful, heartfelt material with the honesty and richness that is signature to his vocals alone. With 24 top ten records, 16 #1 hits, and having been a 10 time male vocalist of the year nominee (5 CMA and 5 ACM), this truly electrifying performer of his era remains one of the great voices of our time.
Collin Raye is nothing if not passionate. His soulful delivery has set country standards in such searing ballads as “Love, Me,” “In This Life,” “Not That Different” and “If I were you”. Always an energizing showman, he has also blazed through such vivid rockers as “My Kind of Girl,” “That’s My Story,” “I Can Still Feel You” and “I Want You Bad.”
Collin shot to fame with “Love, Me” in 1991. Listeners were so moved by this golden and pure voice that this song set the cornerstone for a career built on meaningful and emotional songs that have often been used for weddings, anniversaries, memorial services and funerals. When “Little Rock”, an anthem for those struggling with addition recovery, hit the chart in 1994, its video led to over 100,000 phone calls to Alcoholics Anonymous from folks seeking help in their addictions. “Not That Different” was a song that pleaded for tolerance. “In This Life” became a wedding favorite, and “I Think About You” won awards for its song and video which exposed the exploitation of women and children.
Collin Raye has consistently used his stardom to advance social causes. Among the organizations he has supported are Boys Town, First Steps, Al-Anon, Special Olympics, Country Cares About AIDS, Catholic Relief Services, Parade of Pennies, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, The Tennessee Task Force Against Domestic Violence, The Emily Harrison Foundation, Childhelp USA, Silent Witness National Initiative, Easter Seals, The Life and Hope Network, and Make a Difference Day. It came as no surprise when in 2001 at the Country Radio Seminar, Clint Black presented Collin Raye with the organization’s Humanitarian of the Year award in recognition of Collin’s issue-oriented music and his tireless charity work.
The 2016 State Fair themed “Capture Your Memories”, is a 10-day Fair scheduled August 12-21, 2016. The State Fair of West Virginia, with a $13.8 million dollar economic impact on the state of West Virginia, is a 501 © 3 non-profit corporation committed to the traditions of agriculture, family entertainment, and education. For more information, please visit www.statefairofwv.com, or follow fair events on Facebook and Twitter.
