Lone Star Thrills - 2007 State Fair of Texas Operating Calendar
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Past Concert History
Grupo Fantasma (8:00PM)
September 28 - Chevy Main Stage
- Austin-based Latin funk jam band Grupo Fantasma formed in 2000, and quickly established a
reputation for their high-energy live shows. Comprised of musicians hailing from all over Latin
America, Fantasma's players were brought together by Austin's bustling music scene, finding in
each other a hunger and drive to create something truly unique.
- Drawing influences from genres and styles like cumbia, salsa, old-school funk, reggae, and more,
the band built a buzz surrounding its new and inventive style almost immediately.
Boyz II Men (3:00PM)
September 29 - Chevy Main Stage
- According to no less an authority than the RIAA, Boyz II Men are the most commercially
successful R&B group of all time. They've sold ludicrous numbers of records and been involved in
three of the longest-running number one pop singles in history, and they've done it as a unit of
equals. In fact, their four-part harmonies blend so smoothly that most of the general public would
be hard pressed to name any of the group's individual members.
- And that's no reflection on their skill as singers; Boyz II Men were among the first male urban
soul artists to adopt the sort of hyper-technical melodic embellishments that were popularized by
virtuosic divas like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
Bowling for Soup (5:30PM)
September 30 - Chevy Main Stage
- Punky power pop outfit Bowling for Soup was formed in 1994 in Wichita Falls, TX, featuring lead
vocalist/guitarist Jaret Reddick, guitarist/vocalist Chris Burney, bassist Erik Chandler, and
drummer Gary Wiseman. The group really began to jell in 1997 when a heavy touring schedule
helped broaden their fan base and landed them opening spots for nationally prominent punk and
ska bands. The following year, they recorded a debut EP for the local FFROE label, titled Tell Me
When to Whoa!; by now, their base of operations had been moved to Denton, TX, the site of the
label's headquarters as well.
- Later in 1998, Bowling for Soup issued their first full-length album, Rock on Honorable Ones!!!;
both it and its predecessor proved popular around the state (Honorable Ones sold over 10,000
copies alone) and the band ended up scoring a deal with Jive/Silvertone. For their 2000
major-label debut, Let's Do It for Johnny!, Bowling for Soup re-recorded some of the best songs
from their indie records and added a few new tracks, including lead single "The Bitch Song" and a
cover of Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69." Two years later, the band released Drunk Enough to
Dance, and nabbed a Grammy nomination for the single "Girl All the Bad Guys Want." Hangover
You Don't Deserve followed in 2004, and BFS landed another hit single in "1985," which helped propel
Hangover to number 37 on the Billboard 200.
- Bowling for Soup returned in 2005 with Goes to the Movies, on which they tackled various
television and movie theme songs. The Great Burrito Extortion Case followed in the fall of 2006,
spearheaded by the bouncy single "High School Never Ends."
Jason Aldean (8:00PM)
October 06 - Chevy Main Stage
- Country singer and guitarist Jason Aldean was born in Macon, GA, in 1977. His parents
separated when he was three years old, and he spent his childhood with his mother in Macon
through the school year while spending the summers with his father in Homestead, FL. He fell early
under the spell of country music and made his first public appearance as a singer at a VFW hall in
Macon when he was 14 years old. Soon he was a regular at area talent contests, and a year later
he joined the house band at Nashville South in Macon.
- Aldean began pursuing a music career on a full-time basis following his graduation from high
school and, with his father as a booking agent, was soon gigging in college towns throughout the
Southeast and up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Aldean privately financed an eight-song CD
during this period to sell at shows, recording it in Nashville in 1996. Michael Knox spotted Aldean
at an Atlanta showcase a year or two later, and signed the singer to a songwriting contract with
Warner-Chapell Publishing, which allowed Aldean to move to Nashville in 1998.
- When a couple of recording deals fell through and his songwriting contract was about to expire,
Aldean was on the verge of giving up on the music business when he attracted the attention of the
independent label Broken Bow Records, which released his debut album, simply called Jason
Aldean, in 2005. Aldean returned to the studio in January 2007 to work on his sophomore release,
Relentless. The album, featuring the single "Johnny Cash," hit stores in May 2007.
Aaron Watson (3:00PM)
October 07 - Chevy Main Stage
- A young singer and songwriter in the Texas honky tonk tradition, Aaron Watson plays country
music with a traditional feel but a young man's energy and spunk, and has earned a loyal fan
following in the Lone Star State. Born in Amarillo, TX, Watson's earliest musical influences were
the gospel hymns he sang in church with his family and the classic country records by George
Jones, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson his folks played around the house.
- Watson began writing and singing his own songs while he was a student at Abilene Christian
University, and after graduating he became a regular fixture on the Texas honky tonk circuit. In
2002, Watson released his first album, Shutupanddance, which was a major success in Texas,
spawning the hit singles "Off the Record," "I Don't Want You to Go (But I Need You to Leave),"
and the title tune. The album also earned him airplay and media attention nationwide, and Watson
followed up his debut in 2004 with The Honky Tonk Kid, which was produced by Ray Benson of
Asleep at the Wheel and featured guest vocals from Watson's hero, Willie Nelson. Watson and his
band the Orphans of the Brazos captured their energetic live set on tape with their 2005 release
Live at the Texas Hall of Fame, and Watson returned to the studio in 2006 for his fourth album,
San Angelo.
Gary P. Nunn (8:00PM)
October 07 - Chevy Main Stage
- Gary P. Nunn is a Texas singer/songwriter whose career began in the 1960s with the Fabulous
Sparkles before he settled in with the Lost Gonzo Band the following decade. Today he is a Texas
institution, thanks to his frequent appearances, and songs that hail the state's culture and people.
He got a taste of his future career in the seventh grade, when he joined a garage band. Later, he
continued his education at South Plains College and Texas Tech University, gigging on weekends
in West Texas. By 1968, he was a pharmacy major at the University of Texas, located in Austin.
- The city spawned country outlaws like Willie Nelson, who settled there in 1972, as did Jerry Jeff
Walker and Michael Martin Murphy. He ended up playing bass for all three musicians at one point.
By the 1970s, Nunn was backing Walker with the Lost Gonzo Band. His songwriting skills
flourished during this time. Artists who recorded his tunes include David Allan Coe and Roseanne
Cash, as well as Murphy, Nelson, and Walker. His skills paid off with platinum and gold records.
Walker, Nunn, and the Lost Gonzo Band put out six albums through MCA Records over the course
of four years.
Jonas Brothers (8:00PM)
October 08 - Chevy Main Stage
- New Jersey siblings Joseph, Kevin, and Nicholas Jonas craft hook-filled power pop anthems in
the vein of the Ramones, Hanson, and the Modern Lovers. The young East Coast natives -- as of
2006 the trio topped out at 16, 17, and 13, respectively -- were reared in the city of Wyckoff
under the tutelage of musician parents.
- The group formed initially around the soulful voice of Nicholas, who had wowed enough executives
at Daylight/Columbia Records to warrant a solo album, but when the brothers began writing and
performing new songs together, it became apparent to both band and label that something special
was happening. Their full-length debut, It's About Time, was released in August 2006.
Billy Ray Cyrus (8:00PM)
October 13 - Chevy Main Stage
- Billy Ray Cyrus will forever be known for the catchy, lightweight single "Achy, Breaky Heart,"
which became a line-dancing anthem upon its 1992 release. "Achy, Breaky Heart" made Cyrus
famous, but it also proved to be his undoing. No matter how he tried, he couldn't escape the song,
nor could he replicate the success. Cyrus' music was never particularly innovative -- it owed as
much to the country-rock of the Eagles as it did to the new traditionalism of George Strait and the
new country of Clint Black and Garth Brooks -- but his musical worth became irrelevant in the
wake of the success of "Achy, Breaky Heart" and its accompanying album, Some Gave All.
- The album became a crossover success after the single became a hit, spending 17 weeks on the
top of the album charts. Part of Cyrus' success was due to his handsome, hunky good looks, and
part of it was due to the catchiness of "Achy, Breaky Heart." However, both his good looks and the
single were soon forgotten, and just two years after Some Gave All ruled the charts, Cyrus
virtually disappeared from both the pop and country charts and became part of the long history
of one-hit wonders.
Miranda Lambert (5:30PM)
October 14 - Chevy Main Stage
- Miranda Lambert was born November 10, 1983, in Lindale, TX, a small town about 80 miles east
of Dallas, the daughter of country guitarist and songwriter Rick Lambert (her mother, Bev, ran a
detective agency). Growing up in a house dedicated to country music, she began entering country
talent contests when she was 16, and appeared as part of the Johnny High Country Music Review
in Arlington, TX. Lambert learned to play guitar and immediately began writing her own songs,
continuing to enter talent contests (one led to her appearing in a potato chip ad and a part in the
2001 teen comedy Slap Her She's French).
- At 17 (while still in high school) she formed the Texas Pride Band and began gigging
professionally, and later in 2001, with financial help from her father, she released an independent
CD, Miranda Lambert, that showcased her songs, two of which, "Texas Pride" and "Somebody
Else," actually entered the Texas music charts. In 2003 she finished first in the Texas auditions
for the Nashville Star television show, moving to Nashville to appear on it, eventually finishing
third in the competition, which led to a recording contract with Sony. Still only 21 years old, her
first major-label single, "Me and Charlie Talking," was released in 2004, and the consequent
album, Kerosene, for which Lambert wrote or co-wrote ten of the 11 tracks, appeared in 2005 on
Epic Records, followed by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2007.
Lonestar (8:00PM)
October 19 - Chevy Main Stage
- Though their name might lead you to believe that Lonestar was formed in Texas, the quintet
actually hails from Tennessee. Originally called Texassee, the band features Richie McDonald
(lead vocals, guitar), John Rich (lead vocals, bass), Michael Britt (lead guitar, background vocals),
Dean Sams (keyboard, background vocals), and Keech Rainwater (drums). All the members are in
fact Texas natives -- they just formed in Tennessee in 1992.
- In 1993, Lonestar played their first concert at Backstage Pass in Nashville in January of 1993.
A booking agent happened to hear the show. Impressed, he added the group to his roster, and the
groupheaded out on the road. Over the next two years, they played nearly 500 shows. In 1994,
the group landed a record contract with BNA Records. The following year they released their
eponymous debut, which spawned the Top Ten hit "Tequila Talkin'." Crazy Nights followed in
1997, and two years later Lonestar returned with Lonely Grill, which featured the hit "Amazed."
Their seasonal effort This Christmas Time followed in fall 2000, and I'm Already There appeared
the next spring. They released three more records after their 2003 greatest-hits compilation From
There to Here: 2004's Let's Be Us Again, 2005's Coming Home, and 2006's Mountains.
Third Day (8:00PM)
October 20 - Chevy Main Stage
- Influenced by the Southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other artists such as U2 and Rich
Mullins, Third Day was originally formed by vocalist Mac Powell and acoustic guitarist Mark Lee.
The duo added bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr from another local band, and
recorded some demos. Third Day's live shows gradually built a loyal fan base, and just after lead
guitarist Brad Avery joined, the band signed to Gray Dot Records. Their eponymous debut followed
in 1996, with Conspiracy No. 5 appearing a year later.
- In 1999 Third Day returned with Time, and the next year Offerings, a collection of new and live
material, came out, followed in 2003 by its companion, Offerings II: All I Have to Give. That
same year, the American Music Awards tapped them with a nomination in the Favorite
Contemporary Inspirational Artist category. For their fifth studio album, 2004's Wire (which was
followed shortly after by Live Wire), Third Day returned to their rock & roll roots, a trend they kept
up for 2005's Top Ten hit Wherever You Are, which came out in CD/DVD format the next year.
Jay Perez (3:30PM)
October 21 - Chevy Main Stage
- Jay Perez started off his musical career as a drummer. He was then asked by fellow musician
Oscar Montemayor (David Lee Garza y los Musicales) to sing a song; Oscar then got him an
audition with the Latin Breed. Perez showed up expecting to sit behind a drumset, which made
then-Latin Breed drummer Richard Soliz laugh, since on the stage there was only a microphone.
He stayed with the Latin Breed for about a year.
- He then got an audition with David Lee Garza y los Musicales, and sang with Garza for two and a
half years. He then started his solo career in the mid-'90s, getting the best musicians in the
Tejano Music industry for his band. His band is known as "the Band" and has won numerous
awards for their studio work. His latest, All of Me, was released in 2006.
