The performance schedule is filling up this summer and fall at The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon in Fort Myers.
The Sam Galloway Concert Series presents country artists Josh Ward on Aug. 17, Lee Brice on Sept. 21, Hardy on Sept. 27, the Casey Donahew Band on Oct. 5, Mitchell Tenpenny on Oct. 18, Josh Abbott Band, The Lacs & Black Stone Cherry on Nov. 16 and Randy Houser on Nov. 22. Rocker Sebastian Bach will perform as part of the concert series on Nov. 1.
Other shows scheduled at The Ranch (not part of the Sam Galloway series) are Nightbird – The Ultimate Tribute Band to Stevie Nicks on Aug. 3, Creed’s Scott Stapp on Sept. 28, Billy Currington on Oct. 19 and Pig Floyd on Dec. 21.
“All grit and no quit.” These are the deeply rooted words that Josh Ward lives by to an absolute fault. An anchored mindset that has led this Texas country music rising star from a drifter’s adolescence to the jeopardous game of the rodeo circuit to the punishing toil of the Texas oil fields, and on into the fickle arms of the music business. Some might argue whether it is having nine consecutive #1 hit singles in Texas under his belt that has garnered him staying power, or that he is killing it in the social media world with over 2 million views on YouTube and over 3 million streams globally on Spotify. Maybe it’s his 3 venerated album releases, or maybe because he can not only bat a full house on a 200 plus dates a year touring average, but also rope in crowds on a first time performance in an unfamiliar town. While impressive, all those distinctions can come and go in the world of music.
When Lee Brice isn’t selling out arenas, writing and recording songs, or building a new brand like American Born whiskey — you’ll find him with his wife Sara, two young boys, Takoda and Ryker, and daughter, Trulee Nanette. With more than 12 million in RIAA certified sales, Lee has achieved Gold and Platinum on every album and single released, with “A Woman Like You” reaching Double Platinum status. Gold album certifications include: Love Like Crazy, Hard2Love and I Don’t Dance. Single certifications include “I Don’t Dance” and “A Woman Like You,” with “That Don’t Sound Like You” reaching double Platinum. With well over 2 billion spins on Pandora, Lee Brice was inducted into the streaming service’s ‘Billionaires Club’ on June 8. The “Rumor” singer, who is now among the Top 25 most-streamed country artists of all time on Pandora, is only the second country artist behind Keith Urban to receive the Pandora Billionaire plaque and puts Lee in company with not only Urban, but legends including Johnny Cash and Fleetwood Mac, and pop phenoms such as John Legend.
Big Loud artist Hardy grew up on classic rock in Philadelphia, Miss., a town of about 7,500 in the country setting of Neshoba County. So when fans hear the music on his four-song EP for the label, This Ole Boy, they’re getting the real deal. The songs are bold and proud, the voice is commanding and the lyrics are centered on farms, in the backwoods and mostly in America’s heartland.
“I love that lifestyle, and that’s what I want to talk about,” he says unapologetically. “I’m not really a love song dude. If I’m going down that road, it’s a song like ‘This Ole Boy’ where it’s a redneck-in-love kind of thing. People that are like me, or people who still live in small towns, still love that and want to hear that. That’s why I’m who I am as an artist.”
Hardy’s artistic identity is notably focused on This Ole Boy. His voice is gritty in “4×4,” soulful in the background vocals of “This Ole Boy” and edgy in the stack of Hardy harmonies in “Rednecker.”
Texas music sensation Casey Donahew has painstakingly carved out an impressive niche for himself on the country music scene over the past decade, attracting a solid base of loyal fans who flock to his legendary live shows. Building his career from the ground up one show at a time, he’s managed to perform on countless stages night after night in front of thousands, topped the Texas music charts several times, released four albums independently to critical acclaim, and forged a path all his own through the music scene without the aid or muscle of a major record label or power-suit management company. And the release of his latest CD, “Double Wide Dream,” may just push him to heights he never could have imagined when he first plugged in on stage at the Thirsty Armadillo bar back in Fort Worth’s Stockyards in the fall of 2002.
Sebastian Philip Bierk, known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved mainstream success as front man of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He continues a solo career, acted on Broadway, and has made appearances in film and television. Sebastian Bach’s Nov. 1 stop in Fort Myers is part of his 30th anniversary tour in which he performs the first record “Skid Row” in its entirety.
The Sam Galloway Concert Series was started in the fall of 2014 to help bring awareness to Community Cooperative (The Soup Kitchen) and the good work they do in the community. The concert series features rock and country artists on a regular basis at the venue. Portions of the profits of each concert go to help Community Cooperative feed the community. For every pound of food donated, Sam Galloway Ford donates $1 to Community Cooperative. Concert goers are also encouraged to bring canned food items to the concerts at The Ranch.
For tickets & details, visit www.theranchfortmyers.com. The Ranch can be reached at 239-985-9839. For most concerts, the doors open at 7 p.m. at The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers.
