Many rising entertainers regard the
barrage of county fair whistle-stops as the necessary
evils of show business on summer tours.
Not Joe
Nichols. The country music star, who will perform at 8
p.m. Wednesday on the Pepsi Stage at the Grays Harbor
County Fair, says "I think those can be the funnest to
do."
Nichols, who grew up in a small town in
Arkansas, knows how much folks in rural America look
forward to big-name entertainers in their
town.
"Once a year there's this fair and
everybody in town shows up. I know what it's like. I try
to make it as fun as possible for everybody. I
absolutely look forward to it," he said.
But the
whirlwind tour Nichols this month is almost beyond
belief. From Aug. 5 to Aug. 20, he will be performing 10
times, traveling from Minnesota to Washington, to
Alaska, to Oregon, to Montana. Whew!
Then on
Sept. 9-10, he is in Gstaad, Switzerland - not on
vacation - for two gigs at the Gstaad Country Music
Festival.
"I am really a pretty simple guy, a
down-home country boy, and yes, I am single," said the
28-year-old. Country Weekly magazine just named him one
of country music's five hottest bachelors.
Last
week Nichols had a rare five-day period to relax at his
two-bedroom Nashville, Tenn., apartment, but he was
still working.
"It's not time off," he said in a
phone interview with The Daily World. "I am working on a
new album. It will be out in November. It doesn't have a
title yet, but my new single is on it."
On
Monday, Universal released his newest song, "Tequila
Makes Her Clothes Fall Off."
"Yeah, it kind of
comes from personal experience," he chuckled. "Some
people can relate to it, some can't. It's more on the
humorous side than anything I've done so far. This girl
can handle most things, drink most drinks, but when she
drinks Tequila, it's all over."
Nichols described
the song as kind of a "Waylon Jennings style. It's a
little more rock than anything I've done, but it's
definitely country. I don't know how to sing anything
but country."
Fans at Elma will be only the
second gathering to hear his new song. He's at
Fairbanks, Alaska, tonight.
Nichols said his last
song, "What's A Guy Gotta Do (To Get A Girl in This
Town)", which climbed the charts to No. 2 in May, broke
with his traditional country ballad style, offering a
whimsical, definitely upbeat tempo about the plight of a
bachelor searching for a date, anywhere in town, even at
Wal-Mart.
"I like to write songs, and this is one
that I wrote," he said. "I wouldn't say it was
intentional that I cut an upbeat one, but I did want
something more up-tempo."
Nichols, who grew up in
Rogers, Ark., burst on the country scene in a big way in
2002.
In March that year, he was playing a gig at
Rippy's in Nashville, a rib and beer joint. Across the
street is the Gaylord Entertainment Center, where, in
November of the same year, he opened for country legend
Alan Jackson on tour. His first big hit, "The
Impossible," soared quickly to No. 1, and that garnered
three Grammy nominations. He followed that with another
multi-week No. 1 "Brokenheartsville."
"It was a
huge compliment for somebody like Alan to come along and
say 'come with me.' It was a huge boost in confidence in
my career," Nichols said. Nichols and Jackson played one
of the first concerts at the White River Amphitheater
near Auburn in 2003.
His first album, "Man With A
Memory," featured the two hits, and sailed to Gold
status (more than 500,000 sales) less than 18 months
after his debut single.
"It's been a constant
rise from single to single," said Nichols. "The ride
hasn't slowed down yet."
In 2002, Billboard
tapped him "Top New Country Artist;" In 2003, he was
named "Top New Male Vocalist" by the Academy of Country
Music and Radio & Records, and Country Music
Television named "Brokenheartsville" the year's
breakthrough video.
His earlier songs are more in
the tradition of his idols, Merle Haggard and George
Strait, featuring the slower, ballad-style. He also says
Hank Williams Jr. has been an influence, and that is
featured in a bit more up-tempo "She Only Smokes When
She Drinks" as well as "What's A Guy Gotta
Do."
Nichols takes his rise to stardom in stride,
recognizing how he got to where he is
today.
"It's an overwhelming feeling to have
those awards, and they sure look nice sitting on the
shelf, but it all depends on the fans. If they accept
what you are doing, then they'll go out and buy your
records. I never want to lose that contact with the
fans."
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