Round-up for this year’s 99.9 Kiss Country “Stars and Guitars” featuring Phil Vassar, Lauren Alaina, Thompson Square, Easton Corbin and Lee Brice as they take the stage, together, at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on October 21 at 7 p.m. The special concert will benefit Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood. Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 1 at noon.
Virginia native Phil Vassar has seen the release of six albums, two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year trophies, countless hits as a singer and songwriter and a mantle full of awards. Recognized as one of Nashville’s top tunesmiths, Vassar was racking up hits on the radio long before he even began his own recording career. “Little Red Rodeo,” (Collin Raye) “My Next Thirty Years,” “For A Little While,”(both by Tim McGraw) “She’s Right On The Money,” (Alan Jackson) and “I‘m Alright” (Jo Dee Messina) are just a few of the songs he’s penned that other artists have recorded and taken to the top of the charts. Vassar continues to churn out incisive, soulful lyrics and infectious melodies that capture the heart and soul in the unique and special way that only he can. Known for up-tempo piano numbers that instantly get your foot tapping like “Carlene,” and “Six-Pack Summer,” and heartstring-tugging devotionals like “That’s When I Love You,” and “Just Another Day In Paradise,” Phil can also dig deep into heartbreak territory, as evidenced by the wrenchingly honest ballad, “April Fools” a song he wrote years ago that’s making its first appearance under the Rodeowave banner. His latest single is “Don’t Miss Your Life.”
Georgia’s Lauren Alaina captured America’s heart when she appeared on American Idol earlier this year and revealed her enthusiasm, humor and warmth, as well as a commanding voice with an impressive range that has been compared to the genre’s premier vocalists, including Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride. It was during Idol that she first heard her debut single and first hit, “Like My Mother Does.” Alaina’s album, Wildflower, is a vibrant bouquet of compelling stories, powerful emotions and soaring vocals that is as irresistible and delightful as Lauren herself. Lauren’s inimitable spirit is showcased in “Georgia Peaches,” a fun celebration of Southern girls, “Funny Thing About Love,” “Growing Her Wings” and “She’s a Wildflower.”
Fans began getting to know Thompson Square with the release of their Grammy-nominated #1 platinum smash, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not.” The iTunes’ Country Song of the Year (2011) grew meteorically to become the Most Played Song at Country Radio in 2011 (Mediabase) as well as reach the top of the Billboard Heat Seekers Chart. Additionally, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” spent five consecutive weeks at #1 on the Country Digital Soundscan chart and 12 consecutive weeks as the #1 Country Ringtone. Things have happened very quickly since as the duo was nominated for 14 industry awards in 2011 including an American Music Award nomination for New Artist of the Year; two 2011 CMA Awards nominations for Best New Artist and Vocal Duo of the Year and two CMT Music Awards nominations. They’ve earned a follow-up Top 10 hit with, “I Got You,” and traveled the national media circuit, performing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, Conan, Fox & Friends, the 45th Annual CMA Awards and more. In 2012, Thompson Square dethroned superstars Sugarland to become the Academy of Country Music’s “Vocal Duo of the Year.” The win was historic — Thompson Square became the first NEW Country music act in 20 years to break through and win the award a headlining, superstar duo. Additionally, Thompson Square made history when its third consecutive hit single, “Glass,” made T2 the first Country act to score two music videos for the same song on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.
Easton Corbin burst onto the scene in 2009 with two #1 singles, “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It,” and a Top 15 hit, “I Can’t Love You Back.” In fact, he became the first country male artist in 17 years to have his first two consecutive singles reach #1. Billboard named Easton the Top New Country Artist of 2010 and named “Roll With It” the #6 Hot Country Song of the Year. He was ranked #9 on Billboard’s list of Top Country Artists-Male, listed between Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw. With three American Country Awards in 2010 and blockbuster tours with Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton, Easton set the bar high for his sophomore release All Over the Road. Not surprisingly, the hard-working Gilchrist County, Florida native—“Everybody knows everybody,” he says—delivers in spades.
The album features tunes from Nashville’s A-list songwriters, including Bob DiPiero, Ashley Gorley, Terry McBride, Tommy Lee James, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler, among others. Easton co-wrote two songs on the new collection, including the devotional “A Thing for You” and the revelational “This Feels a Lot Like Love.”
Lee Brice walks a path between traditional honky tonk and contemporary rock & roll; as Brice puts it, his music sounds like what would happen if Hank Williams, Jr. and John Mayer had a love child. The South Carolinian’s songs have been recorded by Jason Aldean, Cowboy Crush and Keith Gattis, and he received a major career boost in 2007 when Garth Brooks recorded his song “More Than a Memory” as one of four new tunes appearing on Ultimate Hits. That same year, Brice charted a string of singles with “She Ain’t Right,” followed by “Happy Endings” and “Upper Middle Class White Trash.” His breakthrough came when “Love Like Crazy” was released in September 2009. With a slow but consistent build at country radio, the single eventually peaked at #3 on Billboard’s country songs chart. Spending a total of 56 weeks on the country songs chart, the track made history by breaking Eddy Arnold’s 54-week stay on the chart with “Bouquet of Roses,” which debuted in May 1948. Brice’s debut album, Love Like Crazy, was released in 2010.
Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of music, storytelling and collective jamming with five of Nashville’s top names on one stage at one time!
Tickets are $22* and all seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.