HUTCHINSON, Kan. — More acts were announced for the Kansas State Fair coming in September. They announced the addition of Christian gospel, arena rock and classic country. That includes the Newsboys with for KING & COUNTRY, Hairball and The Oak Ridge Boys with Jimmy Fortune.
Tickets go on sale for these Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand concerts on Friday, March 20, at 8 a.m. and can be purchased at the Kansas State Fair ticket office by calling 1-800-362-3247 or at www.kansasstatefair.tix.com. Unless otherwise noted, grandstand tickets include gate admission when purchased through August 22.
By joining the Fair Fan Club, Fairgoers are able to purchase up to two tickets to each concert before the public on-sale date. Buy your membership now. Dues are $100 per fair and can be purchased online; by phone at 1-800-362-3247 or 620-669-3600; or at the Administration Building on the Fairgrounds. Tickets for the Newsboys with for KING & COUNTRY, Hairball and The Oak Ridge Boys with Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers concerts go on sale beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 13. For more information on joining the club, visit http://bit.ly/FAIRFANCLUB.
Newsboys with for KING & COUNTRY – Wednesday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $20/$30/$40*
Comprised of drummer Duncan Phillips, lead vocalist Michael Tait, guitarist Jody Davis and keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein, Newsboys have taken Christian music by storm since arriving on the scene in 1985 in their native Australia. This iconic band is an undisputed industry leader, garnering six gold albums, 8 million units in career sales, 33 No. 1 singles, multiple GRAMMY® and American Music Award nominations and signature hits from “He Reigns” and “Born Again” to their recent 15-week chart-topper, “We Believe.” The group expanded their reach into film when they appeared in “God’s Not Dead,” a 2014 movie inspired by their own song.
The Newsboys’ latest recording, Hallelujah For The Cross, marks their first-ever collection of hymns. They were faced with a challenge in taking the powerful, foundational hymns and refreshing them for today’s listeners. Newsboys’ manager, Wes Campbell, notes that old hymns don’t receive much press these days but they certainly haven’t lost their punch. The album, produced by Seth Mosley, who helmed Newsboys’ RIAA Certified Gold Selling record God’s Not Dead, also features a new arrangement of Newsboys’ classic “Where You Belong/Turn Your Eyes.”
We really wanted people to be introduced to the power of the lyric,” manager Wes Campbell says. Vocalist Michael Tait adds, “This album is a nice detour to a place, by today’s terms, less traveled. For me, as a seasoned musician, I like the fact that we could bring something, still intact, that might usually be left to an older generation, to the forefront of where we are today with CCM and music period, and make it new again.” The songs in this album keep the integrity of the original hymn yet modernizes it for today’s audiences.
For more information on Newsboys, please visit www.newsboys.com.
for KING & COUNTRY is a reflection of standing and fighting for something greater than yourself, a mission statement that helps guide the duo on their projects. “Our goal was to continue that theme of writing honestly and authentically about life,” Joel says. The duo, comprised of Australian brothers Joel and Luke, has accomplished several notable feats on their new record, but perhaps the most remarkable is that the award-winning rock/pop duo has achieved the unexpected.
The brothers have ventured into new musical territories with notable highlights including collaborating with hip-hop artist Andy Mineo, and continuing their creative partnership with artist and producer Aqualung. Additionally, the duo has discovered new soundscapes with latest producer Tedd T. (MuteMath).
The brothers raised expectations with the release of Crave in 2012 and won New Artist of the Year at the 2013 GMA Dove Awards, where they received six nominations. Billboard also named them as one of the New Artists to Watch for 2012 and American Songwriter called them “Australia’s answer to Coldplay.”
Soaring melodies, driving rhythms, theatrical instrumentation and personal themes are the heartbeat of for KING & COUNTRY’s sophomore album, RUN WILD. LIVE FREE. LOVE STRONG. The album also serves as the musical journal documenting the last three years of the brothers’ lives, a life-changing time of growth, transition, revolution and revelation. In addition to their professional success, Joel got married and Luke became a father. But Luke also faced a life-threatening illness that forever altered his perspective.
The album’s most gut wrenching and moving track is “Without You,” which unexpectedly features Luke’s wife, Courtney, on vocals and is also the most difficult song Luke has ever written. To Joel and Luke, remaining focused on what truly matters is crucial to succeeding musically. And therein lies the phrase that has ultimately become not only the title of their sophomore album, but also a statement of what it means to truly be alive.
To learn more about for KING & COUNTRY, visit www.forkingandcountry.com.
Hairball – Thursday, Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $14/$24*
Join Hairball as they celebrate the all-time best in arena rock and create an experience worth remembering. Hairball creates a unique event unlike typical concerts. Lights, sounds, smoke, pyrotechnics, special effects and screaming fans make the Hairball experience one-of-a-kind. The group consists of Freaky on the electric bass, Blake on drums and Happy on the lead guitar with vocalists Rockstar Bob, Joe Dandy and Kris Voxx. These men breathe rock ‘n’ roll and the Hairball stage transforms into an entirely new rock spectacle with Van Halen, KISS, Motley Crue, Queen, Journey, Prince, Aerosmith and more.
In 2000, Hairball pulled the best rock of the 80s into the new millennium, and they are now celebrating their 14th year of rocking hundreds of thousands of fans at venues across America and now the world. With each performance the band adds more characters, pyrotechnics, lights, sound, props and more surprises.
Hairball headlined the Lonestar Bike Rally in Galveston, Texas in 2013, and also sold out four straight nights at the world-famous Easy Riders Saloon at Sturgis. They also performed onstage in Las Vegas and Phoenix with guest superstars and rock legends Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Dee Snider, Stephen Percy, Vince Neil, Europe, Rob Zombie and Joan Jett. The 2013 milestones continued as Hairball went international. The group rocked out as the featured entertainment for the Minnesota Vikings-Pittsburgh Steelers game in London and headlined south of the border at Teatro Al Aire Libre De La Sauceda in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Don’t confuse Hairball with the countless “80’s Tribute” bands across the country. Rather, Hairball is an experience, an attitude and expression of music that isn’t simply a retro flashback.
To learn more about Hairball, go to www.hairballonline.com.
The Oak Ridge Boys with Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers – Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $28/$34*
The Oak Ridge Boys have spawned dozens of country hits and a No. 1 pop smash, earned Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades. They represent a tradition that extends back to World War II. With gospel music roots, they began performing gospel in nearby Oak Ridge.
Calling themselves The Oak Ridge Quartet, they started with regular Grand Ole Opry appearances in 1945. In the mid-fifties, they were featured in Time magazine as one of the top drawing Gospel groups in the nation.
By the late 1960s, more than 30 group members had come and gone. The lineup now includes Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban.
The Oaks modernized into a country music band with its 1977 song “Y’All Come Back Saloon.” Even more branching out came when they added a hint of pop to their style as they sang along on Paul Simon’s pop smash “Slip Slidin’ Away.”
In 2000, the group was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. Since signing with Spring Hill, their recordings have earned three Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association. While recording their 2009 album, The Boys Are Back, the group was presented with the Academy of Country Music’s top honor, its Pioneer Award.
The group’s 2011 album, It’s Only Natural, is a twelve-track CD with seven rerecorded hits, including their multi-platinum, Country-Pop hit Elvira, and five new songs. The album debuted on Sept. 19, a month after The Oaks were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
Among many accomplishments, the group has performed before five presidents and is one of the most successful longtime touring groups, performing some 150 dates each year. More recently, The Oak Ridge Boys performed at the 2012 Kansas State Fair. In 2014 they began serving as spokespersons for The American Legion, the country’s largest veterans service organization, which raises awareness and support for needs of U.S. military veterans, including better detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, help with VA benefits process and education and career opportunities for those who served the nation in uniform.
For more information on The Oak Ridge Boys, please visit www.oakridgeboys.com.
Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers
Once a member of the legendary Statler Brothers and now pursuing a solo career, Fortune has performed in all of the U.S. states, in Canadian provinces and in front of audiences as large as 100,000.
For 21 years, Fortune toured, sang and performed with the legendary Statler Brothers. His first performance with the group was in 1982 in Savannah, Ga., after he was added to the group as a temporary replacement for Lew Dewitt. However, due to debilitating effects of Crohn’s Disease, Dewitt was unable to return to the stage with the Statlers, and Fortune was hired as a permanent replacement in August 1982.
After joining the Statler Brothers, Fortune’s contributions were just getting started. He wrote the group’s No. 1 hit, “Elizabeth,” on their 1983 album, Today and wasn’t stopping there. He continued with three more No. 1 hits, “My Only Love,” “Too Much On My Heart” and “More Than a Name on the Wall.” His career also included The Nashville Network’s popular “The Statler Brothers Show” which aired for seven seasons and debuted in 1991 as the highest-rated show for the network.
Fortune was privileged to perform at the White House on two occasions, once for President Ronald Reagan and once for President George H. W. Bush throughout his musical career. He also presented a special gift to actress Elizabeth Taylor by singing his song “Elizabeth” to her for a birthday celebration. Fortune and The Statler Brothers were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame on October 29, 2007, and inducted into the Country Music Association Hall of Fame on June 29, 2008.
After the Statler Brothers retired in 2002, Jimmy seized the opportunity to launch a solo career. His first solo CD, When One Door Closes, was released in August 2003. He released a gospel album, I Believe, in 2005; a Christmas CD, Feels Like Christmas, in 2006; a live concert CD in 2007; and another country CD, Windows, in 2009.
To learn more about Jimmy Fortune, please visit www.jimmyfortune.com.
Concert tickets, unless otherwise noted, include general gate admission when purchased through August 22.