Fair lineup offers something for music lovers of all ages

This year’s Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo concerts offer something for music fans from old to young, with performances by Cruising the Oldies and Chris Young.

Cruising the Oldies features performances by the Shirelles’ original lead singer Shirley Alston Reeves, The Fleetwoods, Brian Hyland and Johnny Tillotson, the voices behind some of the top pop hits in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. They will perform Aug. 13.

Young is an up-and-coming country music star with three back-to-back No. 1 singles. He takes the stage Aug. 14.

Concert tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. today at the fairgrounds office or online at www.nwmtfair.com.

"Each year, we evaluate the programs, shows and events that collectively make the fair fun for everyone,” fairgrounds manager Mark Campbell said.

“Our Tuesday night concert will feature great music from the ’50s through the ’70s that isn't performed often in our region. We've hand-selected four different performers that contain original group members, have a connection with the Flathead area and charted with numerous songs that everybody remembers and will enjoy. This show will be more than two hours of hit after hit."

Reeves co-founded the Shirelles and was the group’s lead vocalist. Their very first single, "I Met Him on A Sunday," which was written by the Shirelles collectively, was an instant success. The group soon became known throughout the world when they placed six singles in Billboard’s Top 10, and their songs have since been covered by many artists, including the Mamas and the Papas, Dusty Springfield, Manfred Mann and the Beatles.

The Fleetwoods wrote the No. 1 gold records “Come Softly to Me” and “Mr. Blue” in 1959. They continued recording into the 1960s, with a number of other successes. They hit the Top 10 again with "Tragedy" in 1961. They went on to have a total of 11 hits on the Hot 100.

Tillotson received his first Grammy nomination for his composition, "It Keeps Right On A Hurtin’,” which has been recorded by more than 110 artists, including Elvis Presley. “Heartaches By The Number,” gave Tillotson his second Grammy nomination for Best Vocal Performance. With nine Top Ten hits, 15 Top 40 hits and his recordings appearing 48 times on the Billboard , Pop, Country and Adult Contemporary charts in the United States, he became one of the top 100 recording artists of the rock era.

Hyland’s first hit came in 1960 with “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” which was featured in the classic Billy Wilder movie, “One, Two Three.” The song was Hyland’s first Gold Record. He followed it with “Let Me Belong to You,” “I’ll Never Stop Wanting You,” “Ginny Come Lately” and “Sealed with a Kiss.” He has recorded everything from pop to rock to country rock to folk.

Reserved tickets for Cruising the Oldies, which include access to the Party Pit, cost $27. General admission tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for children ages 6 to 12. Children age 5 and under are admitted free of charge.

"We selected Chris Young as our Wednesday night country concert based on the strength of his music,” Campbell said. “He has a deep, rich voice that respects the traditions of country music while appealing to the more modern listener, too. Chris is a quality person, and we're pleased to introduce him to all of our friends at the fair."

Young’s career rocketed in 2006 when his first studio-recorded album earned him the title of Best-selling New Male Artist. Young doubled down on the success of his first album with the release of his second album, “The Man I Want To Be.” Any concern about maintaining momentum vanished when that album powered through the dreaded sophomore slump with three back-to-back No. 1 singles.

The streak started with the title track, picked up steam with “Gettin’ You Home,” and was then followed by a song that would earn Young a place in the history books. “Voices” was originally the first single released from “Man.” It made its initial run up the chart in late 2008 but stalled just inside the Top 40. When the label made the decision to give it a second go two years later, it soared all the way to No. 1.

“The last time [that] happened was 25 years ago with ‘On The Other Hand’ for Randy Travis,” Young said, thrilled to have that connection with one of his musical heroes.

Young’s third and most recent album, “NEON,” kicks off with “Tomorrow,” the fastest-rising hit of his career. It hit the Top 20 in six weeks and earned first-week sales in excess of 30,000 downloads as Young celebrated his highest opening-sales number for a debut single.

The last three singles Young has released have all hit No. 1 on the charts, including “Gettin’ You Home,” a song that earned him his first-ever Grammy nomination.

“I really do believe in timing,” he said. “Everybody has a different point in their career when things start to come together and click, when it’s your time.”

Reserved tickets for Young’s performance, which include access to the Party Pit, cost $30. General admission tickets cost $25 for adults and $14 for children ages 6 to 12. Children ages 5 and under will be admitted at no charge.

If purchased and printed prior to arriving at the fairgrounds, concert tickets include admission to the fair.

The 2013 Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo runs Aug. 13 through 18 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds with a theme of “Let’s Ride!”