Blackhawk, The Outlaws headline Montana Music Festival

Country music hit-makers Blackhawk and Southern rock pioneers The Outlaws are the headliners for the second annual Montana Music Festival, slated for the Labor Day weekend Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 in downtown Whitefish.

Presented by the Whitefish Credit Union, this year’s festival brings some of the top country, rock and bluegrass bands of the last 20 years together for a full weekend of great live music in Montana’s special events capital.

Blackhawk had a string of hits on the country music charts during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including a pair of No. 1 songs, “Every Once in a While” and “I’m Not Strong Enough to Say No.” The band also reached the Top 10 with “There You Have It,” “Goodbye Says it All,” “That’s Just About Right” and “Like There Ain’t No Yesterday,” making them one of the top country acts in America.

The Outlaws — known to fans as the “Florida Guitar Army” — are one of the top Southern rock bands of all time, known for their blazing triple lead guitars and instrumental jams. Along with the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they are credited with creating the Southern rock genre.

“Green Grass and High Tides” is a classic rock ‘n’ roll anthem, and their singles “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Hurry Sundown” and “Ghost Riders (in the Sky)” are staples on classic rock stations around the world.

The festival kicks off with the popular Montana Band Midnight Jam Aug. 31 at the O’Shaughnessy Center.  The Montana Band, featuring original band members Rob Quist, Mark Wittman and Jerry Zalnoski, along with David Griffith, Craig Davey and Halladay Quist, headline the jam, with the Kayla Adams Band opening the show at 8 p.m.

The lineup for the Sept. 1 outdoor concert in Depot Park begins with one of the top new blues acts in the country, the Flathead’s own Kenny James Miller Band, opening the show at 2 p.m., followed by The Knockouts, featuring legendary blues guitarist “Johnny V” Vernazza and acclaimed keyboard player Austin deLone. The Outlaws close the Sept. show with a 5:30 p.m. set.

Outlaw jamgrass outfit Moonshine Mountain will open the show Sept. 2, followed by Blackhawk. The Montana Band (and friends) will close the show and the festival with a 5:30 p.m. set, remembering the 25th anniversary of the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of five band members back in 1987.

For tickets and more information, visit www.mtmusicfest.com or call the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce at 862-3501.