National Music
Thursday – Nelly
A savvy rapper with crossover appeal, Nelly seemed like a novelty when he debuted with the Top Ten pop hit “Country Grammar (Hot…)” (2000), but he quickly proved to be a legitimate hitmaker with “Hot in Herre,” “Dilemma,” and “Shake Ya Tailfeather” merely accounting for his Hot 100-topping and Grammy-winning hits across the early 2000s. These feats built the foundation of a career that boasts six consecutive Top Ten albums, from the diamond platinum Country Grammar (2000) through 5.0 (2010), platinum singles extending to “The Fix” (2015), and warmly received collaborations into his third decade of activity. Nelly and his mother moved to St. Louis when the rapper was ten, and his universality is partly rooted in St. Louis, Missouri, which has set him apart from all of the prevailing rap trends. His locale has certainly informed his rapping style, simultaneously country and street, as well as his dialect, a Southern drawl with some Midwestern twang. Never shying away from a commercial approach, Nelly has embraced a singalong style that has made his hooks catchier than most.
Friday – Mark Chesnutt
Mark Chesnutt is one of country music’s true musical treasures. Critics have hailed him as a classic Country singer of the first order and some of country music’s most elite entertainers from George Jones to George Strait echo this sentiment. Mark Chesnutt’s stature is easily gauged; he has 14 No. 1 hits, 23 top ten singles, four platinum albums and five gold records. Country music critics and fans alike need look no further when it comes to Country music basics. If you ask Mark Chesnutt, he’ll tell you, It’s the music that has kept me around this long. In a world that sometimes confuses style with substance, Mark Chesnutt possesses both. Remaining true to himself as a traditional country artist while still keeping up with the ever-changing country landscape, Mark has a knack for picking great songs; delivering them with his world-class vocals; and with real heart-felt emotion.
Friday – David Lee Murphy
Singer, songwriter David Lee Murphy brings both old and new to each show. For decades Murphy’s songs have been recorded by superstars like Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Eric Church and many more. Today David is launching a new album titled No Zip Code. Encouraged by long-time friend, Kenny Chesney, the collection contains good-time, party-hearty anthems and already has a hit single “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” a duet with Kenny. Murphy, whose songs “Dust on the Bottle and “Party Crowd” continue to be staples at country radio, is a pioneer of the edgy, rocking style that now dominates modern country music today.
Saturday – Cole Swindell
In just over four years since he made his debut on Warner Bros. Records, Swindell has racked up an impressive and incomparable record-breaking EIGHT No. 1 singles (the only solo artist in the history of the Country Aircheck/Mediabase to top the charts with first seven singles); 10 No. 1 singles as a songwriter; one 1 billion+ audience reaching single (“You Should Be Here”), six Platinum singles; one Gold single; a Platinum-certified debut album; a Gold-certified sophomore album (You
Should Be Here) and over 1 BILLION on demand streams as well as numerous SONGWRITING honors and awards including being the reigning NSAI Songwriter/Artist of the Year (2016), winning two CMA Triple Play Awards in both 2015 and 2016 (for penning three No. 1 songs in a 12 month span) and Music Row’s Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year during his debut (2015).
Specialty Acts
Cowgirl Sweethearts
A trick riding team called the Cowgirl Sweethearts will be the specialty act at this year’s rodeo.
Lindy Nealey-Lica, 26, of Bloomington, Illinois, and Haley Ganzel, 23, of Collinsville, Oklahoma, are known for fast-paced, awe-inspiring performances. Their finesse and graceful style make their death-defying tricks look effortless.
Justin Rumford
Born on the back of pick-up horse in a summer haze, Justin Rumford is a third-generation rodeo cowboy and one of the top barrelmen in the PRCA.
Justin has straddled the fence of the business on both sides of the arena chutes working as a contestant and pick-up man in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association since 1999. He qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo, in steer wrestling and saddle bronc riding, three of his four years of college. In 2010, his rodeo career took a different direction when he was asked by a friend to fill-in as the barrelman for a rodeo in Kansas. One month later, he received his PRCA card to be a rodeo entertainer and he’s been on the vertical rise ever since!
Justin has been blessed with a deep family rodeo history and a bright future in the sport he loves, “the greatest show on dirt.”
