Country singers coming to county fair

Published 7:42 pm Tuesday, March 5, 2019

COURTLAND

dillon carmichael

Dillon Carmichael

The Franklin Southampton County Fair announces two of its performers that will entertain audiences at the annual festival this August.

The first is Riley Green. According to his bio sheet, the Jacksonville, Alabama native was raised on the sounds of old traditional country, bluegrass and southern gospel music. He learned the spirit of songwriting and performing at a young age while spending time with his grandfather, Bufford Green, who ran Golden Saw Music Hall.

Green was able to perform with him and others of that generation, laying a foundation for the songs he’d craft in the years to come, reflecting on the experiences of a young Southern man trying to find his place in the world.

With a mixture of outlaw-rebellion and respect for tradition, Riley’s original music has already tallied over 51 million streams to date.

riley green

Riley Green

Currently on his headlining “Outlaws Like Us Tour,” Riley has built support traveling the southeast for the last five years growing his loyal fan base on social media.

Named one of Rolling Stone Country’s “Artists You Need to Know,” his recently released EP “In a Truck Right Now” on BMLG Records was produced by Dann Huff, and features four songs he co-wrote: “There Was This Girl,” “Same Old Song,” “Break Up More Often” and “In A Truck Right Now.”

He is scheduled to play on the main stage at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9.

For tour dates and more information on Green, visitwww.rileygreenmusic.com

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The second performer will be Dillon Carmichael.

I was raised in Burgin, which is one of the smallest towns in Kentucky,” said Carmichael. “Everybody knew everybody there. It was the kind of place where your friends become family, and the lessons passed down from generation to generation really stuck. It was a simple kind of lifestyle.”
His biography states that that is precisely the portrait Carmichael paints with “It’s Simple,” the acclaimed lead single from his upcoming Dave Cobb-produced debut, ‘Hell On An Angel.’

Music entered Carmichael’s life through pure osmosis. His father and uncles performed in a southern gospel quartet, his mother sang around eastern Kentucky, and her brothers (John Michael and Eddie Montgomery) both enjoyed massive chart success. Carmichael fell in love with country legends like Waylon Jennings and Vern Gosdin alongside the rock and roll he heard on the radio, and by the time he hit his teens, he was writing his own songs and performing live.

After finishing high school, Carmichael relocated to Nashville, where he earned a publishing deal at the tender age of 18. Carmichael began collaborating with some of country’s most talented writers, but no Nashville resident had a bigger influence than Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell), whose stewardship helped guide ‘Hell On An Angel’ from a dream to a reality.

“Dave just immediately understood my vision,” says Carmichael. “He helped me zero in on my truth.” Carmichael is scheduled to be on the main stage at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10.

For more about him, visit www.dilloncarmichael.com.