The OFFICAL BLUESTONE TICKET BOX OFFICE
Get Tickets to The Bluestone and never miss your favorite artist again. Tickets From country and electronic to Indie Rock. THE Bluestone brings quality entertainment to the stage every time. We’re working hard to bring you the best concerts and special events in Columbus, Ohio. Keep an eye on our tickets and events calendar and check back often for concert updates. Just click on an event to purchase tickets
https://www.ticketmaster.com/the-bluestone-tickets-columbus/venue/41852
Parmalee will be performing live at The Bluestone on Friday, December 11th.
THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT!
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show.
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
This is an All Ages Event
Openers: Morgan Wallen and Chris Cavanaugh
VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
Clare Dunn and Clark Manson will be performing live at The Bluestone on January, 28th 2016
PURCHASE HERE
Opening Artist: Carson Drive
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of show.
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
This is an All Ages Event
VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
Frankie Ballard will be performing live at The Bluestone on Thursday, February 11th
TICKETS ON-SALE TUESDAY, JANUARY 5th at 10am
PURCHASE HERE
Opening Artist: TBD
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show.
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
This is an All Ages Event
VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View of stage
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
Josh Abbott Band with Carly Pearce will be performing LIVE at The Bluestone on Thursday, March 10th
PURCHASE HERE
Tickets: $10
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening artist: Sam Grow
This is an All Ages Event
VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
Sam Grow will be performing at The Bluestone on Thursday, June 23rd
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening Artist: Bootleg Whiskey Band
Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 day of show
PURCHASE TICKETS
On-Sale Tuesday, May 17th at 4:30pm
The Charlie Daniels Band will be performing live at WCOL Country Jam 2016 on
Friday, September 2nd, 2016 at Legend Valley Music Center near Buckeye Lake
Gates for the show will open at 5pm.
Two Day Admission Tickets available for just $92 during presale March 11th-19th (after presale $125)
Friday Only Admission Tickets: $65
PURCHASE TICKETS
www.LEGENDVALLEYFESTIVALS.com
It’s back and bigger than ever! WCOL Country Jam 2016 will take place once again at Legend Valley Music Center located near Buckeye Lake. (7585 Kindle Road Thornville, OH 43076).
Campgrounds will open Thursday, September 1st at 10am, all spaces are first come first serve! . All campers must have an admission ticket to the show.
Show Located at Legend Valley Music Center near Buckeye Lake
WWW.LEGENDVALLEYFESTIVALS.COM
Friday, September 2nd: Gates for the show will open at 5pm.
LINEUP:
ALL ARTISTS WILL BE PLAYING FULL SETS
CHRIS YOUNG JUSTIN MOORE
The Charlie Daniels Band
Cliff Cody
Saturday, September 3rd. Gates for the show will open at 4pm
LINEUP
HANK WILLIAMS JR
Chris Stapleton
Aaron Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Maren Morris
*Artists Lineup Subject to Change
Two Day Admission Tickets ($92 during presale, after presale $125): Include admission into the concert venue Friday and Saturday. Tickets do not include re-entry (leaving the venue to go to campgrounds and back in venue) on the same day.
Friday GA Ticket ($65): Admission into concert Friday, September 2nd. Ticket does not include re-entry (leaving the venue to go to campgrounds and back in venue).
Saturday GA Ticket ($85): Admission into concert Saturday, September 3rd. Ticket does not include re-entry (leaving the venue to go to campgrounds and back in venue).
Friday Pit Pass ($125): Includes admission into the show and Pit Area located in front of the stage Friday, September 2nd Only. (see map). Pit Pass INCLUDES re-entry from Campgrounds to venue throughout the day unlimited times. Pit Pass print at home tickets will be redeemed on-site at the Box Office prior to entering the venue to receive your admission and pit pass wristband.
Saturday Pit Pass ($145): Includes admission into the show and Pit Area located in front of the stage Saturday, September 3rd Only. (see map). Pit Pass INCLUDES re-entry from Campgrounds to venue throughout the day unlimited times. Pit Pass print at home tickets will be redeemed on-site at the Box Office prior to entering the venue to receive your admission and pit pass wristband.
CAMPING INFORMATION
Spend the weekend with WCOL Country Jam 2016!
Campgrounds open Thursday, September 1st at 10am.
Get setup and start your weekend early! Join us at the Campground Pre-Party Thursday evening in the GA campgrounds
(Valid Camping Pass is required)
Don’t miss this one week only pre-sale offer!
Half price General Admission Camping with purchase of 2 day pass
PRE-SALE PRICING ONLY (March 11th-19th)
General Admission Tent Camping: $32 (after pre-sale $65)
General Admission RV Camping: $62 (after pre-sale $125)
Premium Tent Camping: $100
Premium RV Camping: $200
Only one Camping pass per vehicle is required
Camping passes are valid September 1st at 10am – September 4th at 12pm
Any vehicle staying overnight requires a camping pass
General Admission Tent Camping: $32 (after pre-sale $65) includes one 10×20 space to park one vehicle and one tent. Each space allows as many guests as you would like in that tent but each pass will only park one vehicle overnight. General Admission camping is located on the west side of State Route 13 (map link). You will receive a confirmation of your purchase right away, and Camping Passes will be sent to the mailing address you provide during checkout. Camping passes will ship approximately 2-3 weeks before the show.
General Admission RV/Camper Camping: $62 (after pre-sale $125) includes one 20×40 space to park one RV. Pull behind campers will be allowed one camper and one vehicle per camping space. Each space allows as many guests as you would like in that RV but each pass will only park one vehicle overnight. General Admission camping is located on the west side of State Route 13 (map link). You will receive a confirmation of your purchase right away, and Camping Passes will be sent to the mailing address you provide during checkout. Camping passes will ship approximately 2-3 weeks before the show.
Regular Camping Prices (begins March 20th)
General Admission Tent Camping: $65
General Admission RV Camping: $125
Premium Tent Camping: $100
Premium RV Camping: $200
Only one Camping pass per vehicle is required
Camping passes are valid September 1st at 10am – September 4th at 12pm
Any vehicle staying overnight requires a camping pass
General Admission Tent Camping: $65 includes one 10 x 20 space to park one vehicle and one tent. Each space allows as many guests as you would like in that tent but each pass will only park one vehicle overnight. General Admission camping is located on the west side of State Route 13 (map link). You will receive a confirmation of your purchase right away, and Camping Passes will be sent to the mailing address you provide during checkout. Camping passes will ship approximately 2-3 weeks before the show.
General Admission RV/Camper Camping: $125 includes one 20 x 40 space to park one RV. Pull behind campers will be allowed one camper and one vehicle per camping space. Each space allows as many guests as you would like in that RV but each pass will only park one vehicle overnight. General Admission camping is located on the west side of State Route 13 (map link). You will receive a confirmation of your purchase right away, and Camping Passes will be sent to the mailing address you provide during checkout. Camping passes will ship approximately 2-3 weeks before the show.
Premium Tent Camping: $100 includes one 10 x 20 space to park one vehicle and one tent. Each space allows as many guests as you would like in that tent but each pass will only park one vehicle overnight. Premium camping is located on the east side of State Route 13 (map link). You will receive a confirmation of your purchase right away, and Camping Passes will be sent to the mailing address you provide during checkout. Camping passes will ship approximately 2-3 weeks before the show.
Premium RV Camping: $200 includes one 20 x 40 space to park one RV. Pull behind campers will be allowed one camper and one vehicle per camping space. Each space allows as many guests as you would like in that RV but each pass will only park one vehicle overnight. Premium camping is located on the east side of State Route 13 (map link). You will receive a confirmation of your purchase right away, and Camping Passes will be sent to the mailing address you provide during checkout. Camping passes will ship approximately 2-3 weeks before the show.
Chris Stapleton will be performing live at WCOL Country Jam 2016 on
Saturday, September 3rd.
Gates for the show will open at 4pm.
Two Day Admission Tickets available for just $92 during presale March 11th-19th (after presale $125)
PURCHASE TICKETS
www.LEGENDVALLEYFESTIVALS.com
Craig Campbell will be returning to The Bluestone on Thursday, September 8th
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening artist: Will be Announced Soon!
This is an all ages show
Tickets are $17.50 in advance and will increase on day of the show
PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets on-sale Friday, May 27th at 10am
TABLE SEATING
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
The Casey Donahew concert has been moved to the New Cardinal Hall at the Ohio Expo Center 717 East 17th Street Columbus, Ohio 43211 where he will perform with Randy Houser and Carter Winter. Previously purchased tickets are still valid for the concert at the new location! Eventbrite will re-issue a new event e-ticket with updated concert information on September 30. If you should need to request a refund, you can do so at your original point of purchase. Refunds will be offered until September 29th, 2016.
Casey Donahew will be performing on Friday, October 7th
Eric Paslay will be performing live at The Bluestone on Sunday, November 6th, 2016
Opening Artist: TBA
Doors for the show will open at 6pm
Tickets: $20 in advance (day of show price will increase to $25)
PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets on-Sale Friday, June 17th at 10am
VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of the stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
- Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May have an obstructed view
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
LOCASH will be performing live at The Bluestone on Thursday, November 10th, 2016
Opening Artist: TBA
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Tickets: $20 in advance (day of show price will increase to $25 )
PURCHASE HERE
(Tickets on-sale Friday, October 7th, at 10am)
VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of the stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
- Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May have an obstructed view
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
t’s an exciting time to be LOCASH these days. That might very well be one of the biggest understate
Recently signing with Reviver Records, the duo is joining forces with some of the biggest names on the Country Music business landscape.
Tucker Beathard will be performing live at The Bluestone on Friday, November 11th as part of his “ROCK ON COLLEGE” tour
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening Artist: TBD
Tickets available for $15 in advance and will increase to $20 day of show
General Admission Tickets are standing room only!
PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets on-sale Friday, September 2nd at 10am
TABLE SEATING
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
At just 20 years old, singer-son
Tucker Beathard Live November 10th 2016
THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT
Montgomery Gentry will be performing live
at The Bluestone on Friday, November 18th
Opening Artist: Ray Scott
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Tickets $40 in Advance
This is an All Ages Show
PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets on-sale Friday, August 5th at 10am
TABLE SEATING
VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- VIP Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All VIP tables located in the loft area
When the two Kentucky boys—Eddie
Despite the millions of albums sold, the sold out shows and the scores of awards, Montgomery
Make no mistake about it: Montgomery
“We grew up on Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Merle Haggard,” Eddie says with conviction
Every Beatles song performed in chronological order. For the seventh consecutive year, Columbus musicians will play all 215 officially released Beatles songs, in a single performance. Beginning with the album, Please Please Me at 12:30 PM, and ending with Abbey Road some time after midnight, The Beatles Marathon is currently, the only single performance of every Beatles song.
General Admission Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
NYE 2017 with Love and Theft
TICKETS ON-SALE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18th at 10am Doors for the show will open at 8pm
The concert is an all ages event, VIP After-Party attendees must be ages 21+
PURCHASE TICKETS
General Admission Tickets: $45 Includes admission into the concert
After-Party Experience *Limited Availability: $99 Includes admission into the concert and admission into the after-party from 12am-2:30am (After-Party is ages 21+ only)
VIP Experience for Four (4)- Table in Loft with Prime View! *Limited Availability: $500 Includes Four admission tickets into the concert, VIP Table located in Loft with Prime View *seats 4*, Bottle of Champagne, Private VIP Bar, A dinner buffet served from 8pm-10pm, four admission tickets into the after-party from 12am-2:30am, Limited Edition Event Poster, NYE Favors
VIP Experience for Four (4) Table in Loft upper level, view of stage may be obstructed *Limited Availability: $450 Includes Four admission tickets into the concert, VIP Table located in Loft-view of stage may be obstructed *seats 4*, Bottle of Champagne, Private VIP Bar, A dinner buffet served from 8pm-10pm, four admission tickets into the after-party from 12am-2:30am, Limited Edition Event Poster, NYE Favors
VIP Suite for Ten (10): $1500 Includes ten admission tickets into the concert, VIP suite located in Loft, Bottle of Champagne, Private VIP Bar, A dinner buffet served from 8pm-10pm, Ten admission tickets into the after-party from 12am-2:30am, Limited Edition Poster, NYE Favors
Please Note: The concert is an all ages event. VIP After-Party attendees must be ages 21+
NYE 2017 Love and Theft
“We wanted to show a different side and make a record that sounds like us,” Stephen Barker Liles says of Love and Theft’s boundary-pushing new album Whiskey On My Breath. “Country music has always been about honest performances and songs that mean something, and that’s the kind of record that we wanted to make.”
“We’re at a different place, in our music and in our lives, than we were when we made our earlier records, and we wanted this album to reflect that,” agrees his longstanding musical partner Eric Gunderson. “We worked harder and more passionately on this record than anything we’ve ever done. The whole experience was refreshing and inspiring for us.”
Whiskey On My Breath—the duo’s third album—marks a significant creative statement for the two singer-songwriter-guitarists, whose resume already includes a long series of career highlights. Having already established themselves as one of country’s hottest young acts with such memorable hits as the #1 country smash “Angel Eyes” and the Top 10 hit “Runaway,” and their widely acclaimed albums World Wide Open and Love and Theft, the ACM/CMA/CMT-nominated twosome take their music to the next level on Whiskey On My Breath.
Ohio’s Winter Werk Out Music & Arts Festival has added a 2-Night Winter Edition!
Friday Feb 3rd & Saturday Feb 4th featuring two nights of The Werks + lots more acts to be announced soon!
Grab discounted Early Bird tickets now!
Werk Out in its 7th year, The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival 2016 is stepping up the Midwest music festival game. While remaining focused on the intimate, fan oriented vibe of the past several years, The Werk Out will play host to some of the top names in the jam and electronic
This show is all ages
The Werks (2 nights)
The Floozies
The Twerks: A Tribute to the 70s featuring Dino Dimetrouleas & Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle
Moon Hooch
Aqueous
Honeycomb
Vibe & Direct
Lespecial
EGi.
Peridoni
Electric Orange Peel
Ghost Gardens
Lethalfx
Heady Ruxpin
The Enigma
Russell Dickerson will be performing live at The Bluestone on Friday, February 17th, 2017
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening artist: TBA
Tickets are $15
Tickets on-sale Friday, November 4th at 10am
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Chase Bryant will be performing live at The Bluestone on Thursday, March 23rd
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening Artist: Joe Hall
Tickets are $16 in advance and $21 day of show
**One Dollar of Every Ticket sold will be donated to the ACM Lifting Lives**
PURCHASE HERE
THE ACM LIFTING LIVES HISTORY:
Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives® develops and funds music-related therapy and education programs, and serves members of the community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund.
Through generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives® is able to fund everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities, to supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors, while providing grants to help them ease back into life.
The Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives® have an almost 50-year history of charitable giving and since 2008 ACM Lifting Lives® has given more than $8 million dollars to more than 150 worthy causes and supports many projects throughout the year to create awareness and help those in need.
RESERVED LOFT TABLE SEATING
RESERVED TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All Reserved tables located in the loft area
Music defines Chase Bryant. At every level and in often unexpected ways, his truths are expressed in melody, lyrics, hooks and sounds … but his reality goes even deeper than that. Bryant’s heritage is defined by music. His upbringing, his craft, his inspiration and his obsessions are all centered in the same – which is good – because there’s no other way to explain how a 23-year-old Texan could already be a top-flight guitar player, head-turning songwriter, RED BOW recording artist and co-producer of his debut album.
Country Music’s Rising Star,
Tony Jackson will be performing LIVE at The Bluestone on Friday, June 23rd
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Opening Artist: Wyatt McCubbin
Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 day of show
Tickets will go on-sale Friday, April 21st at 10am
PURCHASE HERE
RESERVED LOFT TABLE SEATING
RESERVED TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.
Admission tickets must be purchased separately.
- Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Prime view of stage!
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- Server
- Exclusive Private Bar access
-
Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
- Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
- Server
- Private Bar Access
- May be Obstruction in View
*All Reserved tables located in the loft area
ALL SALES ARE FINAL
Is it premature to see Hall of Fame material in a guy who’s just releasing his first album?
Not if that guy is Tony Jackson. To put it plainly, Jackson is one of the most gifted singers ever to grace country music. His video “The Grand Tour” ignited an unprecedented 10 million Facebook views and 200,000 shares in just over 3 short weeks!
The respect Jackson has already earned within the music community is evident throughout Tony Jackson, as the new album is titled. It features songs and/or performances by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members John Sebastian, Steve Cropper and Dr. John “Mac” Rebennack, Country Music Hall of Famers Vince Gill, Bill Anderson and Conway Twitty and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame luminary Norro Wilson.
But it is ease with which Jackson makes every song—even the familiar ones—distinctly his own that sets him apart. Who else would dare to try and then succeed in bringing a fresh layer of emotional urgency to such a classic as George Jones’ “The Grand Tour” or Conway Twitty’s eternal “It’s Only Make Believe”?
On the first-time and lesser known songs, Jackson mints his own classics. With its sweeping steel guitar flourishes and ambient barroom clatter, he transforms John Sebastian and Phil Galdston’s “Last Call” into the sweetest, most affectionate separation ballad imaginable. With reverence and a twinkle in his eye, he enlists Sebastian and Vince Gill in revivifying (after 50 years) the Lovin’ Spoonful’s 1966 romp, “Nashville Cats.” “When asked if we should recut the song,” Sebastian begins, “I said absolutely but we have to get Vince Gill, Paul Franklin and today’s real Nashville Cats in on the session and fortunately it was preserved on video,” he beams.
After capturing perfectly, the excitement of new love in Bill Anderson’s “I Didn’t Wake Up This Morning,” he moves on to a memory-stirring homage to Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr. and Willie Nelson in “They Lived It Up,” a lyrical scrapbook from Anderson and Bobby Tomberlin.
Jackson shines as a keen-eyed songwriter in his own right with such memorable excursions as “Drink By Drink,” “Old Porch Swing” and “She’s Taking Me Home.”
From start to finish, Tony Jackson stands out as a “discovery” album, the kind you listen to with such delight that you have to recommend it to friends. And hundreds of thousands have done just that.
Jackson is currently a headliner on the Old Dominion Barn Dance in Richmond, Virginia, and is almost certainly the only major bank executive ever to abandon a prominent IT job in finance at a Fortune 500 company to embark on a career in country music. But he didn’t grow up a country fan.
The son of a Navy man, he led a base-to-base existence, at one point living with his family in Rota, Spain for three years. His early musical background was sketchy at best. “I sang ‘White Christmas’ in the Christmas play in the sixth grade,” he recalls. ‘Everybody seemed to love it, but I was a wreck. My mother forced me to sing in the church choir, but I was kind of buried in the voices along with everybody else.” This was basically his entire musical resume until ten or so years ago when a friend whose band had lost its lead singer asked Jackson to try out for the spot. “I did,” he says, “and I was hooked after that.”
Two weeks after graduating from high school, Jackson joined the Marines. “I told my dad I was joining because I was sick of taking orders,” he says with a wry grin. There was as much getting-ahead as gung-ho in Jackson’s enlistment. “I was a computer and electronics geek as a teenager,” he says. “When I talked to the recruiter, he told me the Marine Corps had just started a computer science school in Quantico, Virginia. Fortunately, I scored high enough on the entrance exam to go to that school.” It was a smart move. When he finished service, a prominent bank in Richmond snapped him up to work in its Information Technology division, initially assigning him the lowly chore of re-setting passwords. “I was way overqualified,” he says, “so I got promoted fast. I was a senior vice president by my early 30s.”
It was while in the Marines that he first started paying serious attention to country music. “My mother listened only to gospel,” he says. “My dad was into jazz, hip hop, R&B, new jack swing—stuff like that. But Armed Forces Radio played everything. When I was living in Spain—when I was 10 to 13—Randy Travis came over there on a USO tour. Some friends and I were out there early when they were setting up the stage, and we actually got to talk to him before we realized he was the guy who’d be performing later. He was really cool to us. In the Marine Corps, when my friends and I played music for each other, we were all homesick. So when you’d listen to these country songs that talked about family and home and heartbreak, it would really grab you.”
