Craig Campbell To Headline Flaming Gorge Days, June 27th

Flaming Gorge Days Concert Chair Jasmine Weaver and the Flaming Gorge Days committee are pleased to announce their line-up for 2014.

Headlining “Country Night” on Friday, June 27^th is Craig Campbell.  Growing up in rural Lyons, Georgia, singer/songwriter Craig Campbell learned one important lesson from the ZZ Top records his mother favored: “Every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man.”

That’s one reason Campbell is always impeccably well-tailored on stage, and at industry awards shows and events. But he says there’s an even more important reason: respect. For Campbell, caring enough to wear a pressed, button-down shirt and black cowboy hat when he performs is a show of respect for his fans, for the successful career he considers himself lucky enough to have, and most of all for the country music genre itself.

That respect is amply evident on Campbell’s new EP, “Outta My Head,” a five song set that solidifies Campbell’s standing as country music’s hippest neo-traditionalist, a niche he’d already begun to carve out with his critically-acclaimed, self-titled 2011 debut album. The EP offers fans an impressive taste of the sophomore album he’s working on with producers Keith Stegall (Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band) and Matt Rovey (CCMA Album Of The Year Producer) for release in early 2013, which includes tracks penned by Campbell as well as some of Nashville’s other elite songwriters.

With his debut album earning rave reviews from multiple media outlets, including USA Today, Associated Press, People and The Washington Post, Campbell went into the recording of his sophomore project a lot more relaxed, particularly since he’d already worked with Stegall on his previous set. But the singer still challenged himself to basically “start over” on the second album, despite having already laid a great foundation for his career. There’s still lots more he wants to accomplish.

Joining Craig Campbell on stage is up and coming country star Dean Alexander. Alexander spent his early days in Music City playing the clubs on Lower Broadway, sleeping in his car, working odd jobs.  "I was landscaping for Barbara Orbison, and I was working in her garden and she walked out and asked what I was here for," he remembers.  "I knew exactly what she meant, so I went to my car right then and handed her a CD, and she gave me my first publishing deal two weeks after that."  A year later, he started to get work as a touring guitarist when he signed with a new publisher, Stage Three, who put a bug in the ear of award-winning producer Scott Hendricks - and put the wheels in motion towards a recording contract.

And now, music is his life: He's in the studio working on a debut full-length for Electra Nashville.  And Alexander still can't quite believe his luck.  "For somebody to move to Nashville off a hunch and just some crazy voice in your head, it all worked out well, you know?" he laughs.  "Crazy."

Rounding out the FGD line-up is Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band.  Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band began with humble beginnings in the small town of Moorcroft, Wyoming, out of a love of country music and an ingrained desire to perform and entertain. Started for the sole purpose of playing a few songs at their high school talent show, lead singer and acoustic guitarist Chancey Williams and drummer Travis DeWitt knew that this is what they were meant to do after just those few songs. The band then began playing for wedding receptions, small fairs and rodeos, and before they knew it, they were opening for their hero Chris LeDoux at the Montana State Fair in front of 8,000 people. That experience gave them a taste of what was to come, and they continued to hone their skills and stage persona at bars and fairs all through the Western U.S., from Montana and South Dakota, to Nevada, Colorado and California.  The band expanded in 2008, adding the amazing harmonies and smooth picking of Wyatt Springsteen on lead guitar, as well as the 3rd part to their harmonies with Brooke Latka on fiddle. Bass player Jack Robbins also joined the group in early 2013.

Playing over 170 nights a year for the last 3 years, the band has created quite a following while sharing the stage with such country stars such as Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Craig Morgan, Rodney Atkins, Phil Vassar, Clay Walker, Casey Donahew, and Stoney Larue. They have also had the honor of playing at the “Daddy of ‘em all,” Cheyenne Frontier Days with country music legend Merle Haggard. 2013 was a big year for the band when they again played at Cheyenne Frontier Days with another legend, Dwight Yoakam. 2013 also included shows with Travis Tritt, Brantley Gilbert, and Thompson Square. Be sure to catch one of their shows and you'll see why they are quickly becoming one of the fastest growing acts in country music.