N.C. native is headliner for 7th Inning Stretch Festival’s free concerts.

Country artist Chris Lane will headline the music portion of the 9th Annual 7th Inning Stretch Festival Saturday, Aug. 5, in Uptown Shelby. A native of Kernersville, N.C., Lane learned to play guitar after sports injuries led him to curtail his ambition of playing professional baseball.

The singer/songwriter’s debut single “Broken Windshield View,” released in 2014, sold 11,000 downloads in its first week and reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. His debut album, “Girl Problems,” included the singles “Fix,” his first No. 1, and “For Her.” “Fix” and “Big, Big Plans” went platinum and “I Don’t Know About You” went triple platinum.

Fans on Court Square will also be listening for “Howdy,” “Stop Coming Over,” “Ain’t Even Met You Yet” and “Fill Them Boots.” Off course they hope to hear “Big, Big Plans,” the song he composed to accompany his proposal to his now-wife Lauren Bushnell. The couple married in 2019 and have two sons.

Lane has been nominated for an iHeart Radio Music Award, an ACM Award, Radio Disney
Music Award, and a Canadian Country Music Association Award for “Tailgate to Heaven” with  Shawn Austin. Other notable collaborations are “Small Town on It” with Scotty McCreery, “Tequila on a Boat” with Dustin Lynch, and more recently “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” with Lauren Alaina.

On his way to Shelby, Lane will perform in Chicago with Darius Rucker, Jo Dee Messina, Jackson Dean and Drew Green, followed by a performance in Mount Pleasant, Mich., with Kane Brown and Restless Road.

Opening for Lane at 7:00 PM will be singer/songwriter/guitarist Greylan James, a Knoxville native now living in Nashville. In 2018, James was ranked one of the best guitarists in the world under 21 by Guitar Center Magazine’s Brotherhood of the Guitar 100.

James’ songs have been recorded by Chris Young, Blake Shelton, Chris Janson, and Kenny Chesney, whose recording of “Happy Does” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. James is currently playing the No Bad Vibes Tour with Old Dominion, Frank Ray, and Kassi Ashton. His recording of his song
“2 Years Back” is receiving a lot of play on SiriusXM The Highway and he is named a Highway Find, a recognition that carries weight with country music fans.

“We believe we’ve hit another home run with this entertainment lineup,” says Eddie Holbrook, chairman of the local ALWS committee. “When we say thanks to the community for its support of the ALWS, we say it in a big way.”

Music, games, a circus, and just plain fun will lead off the day in Uptown Shelby at 3:00 PM.
The 7th Inning Stretch Festival is the opening event for the 2023 American Legion World Series
(ALWS), scheduled for Aug. 10-15 at Shelby High School’s Keeter Stadium. For information about the national baseball tournament, visit www.americanlegionworldseries.com. For more information on the 7th Inning Stretch Festival, visit www.7thinningstretch.cc or follow the Festival on Facebook. All entertainment is free; food, beverages, and trinkets must be purchased.

Uptown restaurants and stores will be open most of the day.