Clint Black, Smash Mouth, Granger Smith to headline Linn County Fair acts
ALBANY — Clint Black, Smash Mouth and Granger Smith will headline the Main Stage entertainment at the Linn County Fair July 13-15, 2023 at the Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road.
The concerts are free with paid admission, although reserved seating is available starting at $25. Tickets go on sale May 1 at www.linncountyfair.com.
“This is an extremely talented and popular lineup,” said Fair Board member and Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist. “We hit all of the demographics with this trio, they are all great performers. I can’t wait for the fair to get here.”
Main Stage acts start at 8:30 p.m. with opening acts at 7 p.m. each night.
Black — who has sold more than 20 million records — will get things rolling in his traditional country style on Thursday, July 13.
He will bring more than three decades of hits to the Main Stage, including his first smash hit, “Killin’ Time.” He has recorded a dozen studio albums, his latest “Out of Sane” will debut June 19.
Black’s musical career includes 22 number one singles, nearly two-dozen gold and platinum awards in the United States and Canada, a Grammy award, numerous CMA, ACM and American Music Awards. And if that isn’t enough, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A Houston, Texas native, Black’s music remains true to his Texas roots.
“I try to make records that don’t fit into a trend,” Black said of Out of Sane. “I never wanted to start a trend, and I’m not going to chase a trend, either. To me, a great band will always sound great, today and in ten years. If you listen to this record, it’s not about fitting into today’s country, or yesterday’s country, or tomorrow’s country, it just is.”
San Jose rock band Smash Mouth takes the stage Friday, July 14 and brings nearly 30 years of making music to Linn County.
The group is well known for “Walkin’ on the Sun,” 1997; “All Star,” 1999; “Then the Morning Comes,” 1999; and a cover of the Monkees’ smash hit, “I’m a Believer,” 2001.
In their early days Smash Mouth was associated with the punk music scene, but after nearly 30 years, their style has evolved into pop or alternative rock.
Like Clint Black, Granger Smith is a born and bred Texan and although his career has been relatively short, he is on his 10th studio album.
Smith will close out the fair with a Saturday, July 15 concert.
His fans are part of what is called the “Yee Yee Nation” and he enjoys a social media following of more than 12 million fans. His videos have topped one billion views.
His first album, “Backroad Song” ran to number 1 on the charts — one of the Top 10 most played country singles in 2016 — followed by “If the Boot Fits,” a top five hit.
His album, “When the Good Guys Win” spawned the hit “Happens Like That” that was certified RIAA Gold.
His new book, “If Your’ City, If You’re Country,” hit number one on the Amazon best-selling list.
Smith has an alter ego called “Earl Dribbles Jr., who anchors the You Tube series, “The Smiths”. His family also operates an outdoor clothing company called, “Yee Yee Apparel.”
Smith has also entered the acting world, debuting in the Pureflix film, “Moonrise” which is available for streaming.
In 2020, Smith received the CMT Award for Quarantine Video of the Year.
Linn County Fair
July 13-14-15, 2023
General admission: Adults: $9 on-line; $10 at gate; seniors; $7/$8; children 12 and under, free. Parking, $5/day.
On-line tickets: www.linncountyfair.com. (Starting May 1.)
Concerts: Free with paid general admission: starting at $25 for reserved seating.
