With a bit of pop sensibility and a love of pure country sounds, Vince Gill is one of the top stars in the country genre.

Backed by a full band, Gill will perform memorable hits like “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away” and “Liza Jane” during an 8 p.m. concert on Saturday at Hanford’s Fox Theatre.

Gill broke onto the music scene as the lead singer in country rock’s Pure Prairie League in the late 1970s. He recorded three albums with the band, the first yielded the Top 10 pop hit “Let Me Love You Tonight.”

In the early ’80s, the Oklahoma native packed up his guitar and headed east to Nashville as a solo act. He signed with RCA Records in 1983 and the rest is history.

Gill has sold more than 26 million albums and has earned 18 Country Music Association awards, 18 Grammys and two Entertainer of the Year awards among numerous others.

Most recently he was inducted into the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Tickets for Gill’s concert are $59, $69 and $79, and are available through the box office or online.

The Fox is located at 326 N. Irwin St. in Hanford. For tickets or information, call 584-7423 or visit www.foxhanford.com.

Country newbie, Darius Rucker, opens for Rascal Flatts Thursday in Fresno

In his past life, Darius Rucker was lead singer of the ’90s alternative rock band, Hootie & the Blowfish.

Now he’s a solo country singer and touring the country opening for Rascal Flatts like he will at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Fresno’s Save Mart Center.

His recently released album, “Learn to Live,” established Rucker as a major force within the country music scene.

The album’s bittersweet centerpiece, “Don’t Think I Don’t Know About It,” topped the country charts uninterrupted for two weeks and his current single, “Alright,” is on regular rotation at radio stations nationwide.

Rascal Flatts will once again stop in the Valley for the “American Living Unstoppable Tour” that will take them across the country.

Fans can anticipate an energetic show with a revamped set and new songs from their recently released album, “Unstoppable.”

Since they launched in 2000, the musicians have sold 20 million albums, scored 10 No. 1 singles and have been given the title of Vocal Group of the Year by nearly every country music association.

Tickets are $26.75 or $57.75, available through the Save Mart Center box office or online.

The Save Mart Center is located at 2650 E. Shaw Ave. in Fresno. For tickets or more information, call 347-3400 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.

CMT on Tour brings Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser to Hanford Oct. 29

After years of writing songs together, longtime friends Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser will join forces on the road as headliners of Country Music Television’s eighth annual tour.

The tour will roll through Hanford on Oct. 29 when the duo will take the stage at 8 p.m. at the Fox Theatre.

Johnson and Houser have been writing hit songs for years that include “Give It Away,” recorded by George Strait, and Trace Adkins’ “Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk.”

But both weren’t content simply writing hit songs for others, and began recording their own distinct songs, including Johnson’s hit, “That Lonesome Song.”

Johnson recently earned CMT’s nominations for Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Meanwhile, Houser has been nominated for Best New Artist and Music Video of the Year.

Tickets are $25, $29 and $39 and are available at the box office or online.

The Fox is located at 326 N. Irwin St. in Hanford. For tickets or information, call 584-7423 or visit www.foxhanford.com.

(Oct. 9, 2009)