Joe Nichols to headline September 28 event; Morgan Myles, 3rd place finisher on The Voice 2022 also featured
Country star, Joe Nichols, will headline Downtown Country Jam 2024 on Saturday,
September 28th in historic downtown Fort Dodge. Main Street FORT DODGE is one of the event sponsors.
After achieving record attendance of 4,553 for Josh Turner at last year’s event, Joe Nichols was the perfect choice to build on that success according to Shellabration Inc. Director, Melissa Hansen. “When I polled my kids on the artists being considered for DCJ 2024, they were all about Joe Nichols," laughed Hansen. They’re pretty tuned into country music so their response was a positive sign”. Shellabration Director, Craig Schlienz agreed. “One of the many cool aspects our Downtown Country Jam is the excitement it generates among younger music fans, including my daughter and her friends," said Schlienz. After familiarizing myself with Joe Nichols’ music, "I think this will be a really good draw.”
Joe Nichols music career started at the age of 19 playing high school gymnasiums and
small clubs in a group entitled, The Rodeo Band. His first, self-titled album, “Joe Nichols”,
was released in 1996 with limited sales success. It was the release of the single, “The
Impossible” (on his second album, “Man With A Memory”), in 2002 that launched his career
commercially with that single reaching #3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles Tracks. It also
earned Nichols a Top New Male Vocalist award from the Academy of Country Music (ACM),
as well as three Grammy Award nominations and platinum certification from the Record
Industry Association of America (RIAA). The second release from that album would become
Nichols’ first #1 hit in the song, “Brokenheartsville”. That same album would produce two
more Top 20 hits in, “She Only Smokes When She Drinks” and “Cool To Be A Fool”. He
would go on to record a total of 18 Top 40 hits including “If Nobody Believed In You”,
“What’s A Guy Gotta Do”, “Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off”, “Size Matters (Someday)”,
“I’ll Wait For You”, “Another Side of You”, “It Ain’t No Crime”, “Believers”, “Gimme That Girl”,
“The Shape I’m In”, “Take It Off”, “Sunny and 75”, “Yeah” and “Hard To Be Cool”.
For the first time ever, Downtown Country Jam will feature two nationally known artists in the
lineup. In addition to Joe Nichols, Morgan Myles will serve as direct support. She was the
third-place finisher in 2022 on The Voice. Myles had the distinction of turning all four judges’
chairs during her initial audition on the show. Building on the success of The Voice, it led to
her first ever appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. A multi-instrumentalist and touring artist
with a five-octave vocal range, Myles has opened for country superstars including Luke
Bryan, Jake Owen and Kane Brown. Some of her songs to check out online and on
YouTube include, “Vertigo”, “Holy Water”, “Acapella”, “Whiskey Dreaming”, “Sanctuary”, and
“Chains (The Tambourine Song)”. The two latest singles from Myles include, “Two Words,
One Finger” and “Reap”. “Her rendition of the song, “Hallelujah” is especially inspiring, said
Shellabration Inc. President, Jim Reed. Listening to it can be move you emotionally. Having
her in our lineup will make this year’s DCJ really powerful”, added Reed.
Formed in 2015, the opening act with be Iowa’s Tyler Richton & The High Bank Boys. From
the banks of Deep River (Iowa), the band is known for their neo-traditional country sound.
They play a combination of popular covers and original material. Their original works are
strongly influenced by Owen Bradley from the 60’s, the Outlaw sound of the 70’s and Red
Dirt icons of today. They recently played at Fort Dodge newly renovated Laramar Ballroom
on Friday, April 5th of this year.
How to get tickets
Tickets now on sale at Ticketweb.com and locally at Hy-Vee, 115 S. 29th St. for $40.
The price will increase to $45 on Monday, September 16th. Should there be any tickets remaining, they will be sold at the gate for $50. Kids 12 years of age and under are admitted free if accompanied by an adult. They do not require a ticket. All tickets are general admission, festival style (bring your own chair) seating. There is also a large standing-room-only area directly in front of the stage for attendees that prefer to stand during the performance.
What: Downtown Country Jam
When: Sept. 28
Where: Central Avenue and Ninth Street
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