After a one-year delay, country music star Billy Currington is finally headed to Detroit Lakes.
Currington is the headliner for Detroit Mountain Recreation Area's annual fundraiser — canceled last year due to the pandemic — which is set for this coming Saturday, July 10 at Detroit Mountain. He will be joined by two opening acts, The Heartshakers and Patrick Murphy.
Billy Currington has come a long way from his rural Georgia roots. He spent his early years on Tybee Island before his family moved inland to Rincon. He grew up listening to vinyl records by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kenny Rogers, and when his mom took him to one of Rogers’ concerts, 10-year-old Billy knew immediately he wanted to someday be the one on stage performing. However, he wasn’t sure how he was going to get there. “To be honest, I never even heard of Nashville till I was 17 or 18,” he says. All that changed when Currington’s pastor recognized his talent while he was singing in church, and decided to give the youngster some career guidance.
“He had been living in Nashville at one point,” Currington recalls. “He said, ‘Man, there’s a town called Nashville that you can get a record deal. Your dreams could come true. I’m going to take you there.’ So he took me and showed me the town. He introduced me to people. When I got back home, I totally made up my mind that when I graduated high school I was going to go back.”
And so he did. He made the move to Music City at 18 and began paying his dues by pouring concrete and working as a personal trainer at a gym during the day. At night, he was getting a musical education playing in bars all over Nashville. Naturally, he began meeting other aspiring songwriters and artists. He began writing songs and his warm, strong voice made him one of the town’s most in demand demo singers.
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“I was doing 10 demos a day,” he says. “Before you know it, I started getting deal offers from record labels.”
He signed with Mercury Records in 2003, and his self-titled debut album bowed later that year. Since then Currington has scored 11 career No. 1 singles, most recently, “Don’t Hurt Like It Used To.” His other hits that reached the No. 1 spot include such memorable songs as “Good Directions,” “Let Me Down Easy,” “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” “People Are Crazy,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” “Hey Girl,” and “We Are Tonight.”
Over the years, the self-effacing Georgia boy has amassed an impressive list of accolades. He won the “Hottest Video of the Year” honor at the fan-voted CMT Music Awards for “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” in 2006. The same year, he received an ACM nod for Top New Male Vocalist. His hit duet with Shania Twain, “Party for Two,” earned nominations from both the CMA and ACM. “People Are Crazy” took Currington’s already hot career to another level. He earned Grammy nominations for Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in addition to being nominated for Single and Song of the Year from the Country Music Association.
Opening Performers
The Heartshakers: Nashville’s premier Tom Petty tribute band, The Heartshakers have performed with Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Amy Grant, Peter Cetera, Little Big Town, SheDaisy and Ronnie Milsap. They have brought their love of Tom Petty’s music and put together the best tribute band that could be assembled! Take a walk back in time reliving American Rock-and-Roll at it’s finest.
Patrick Murphy: Warner Music Nashville singer/songwriter — and Perham native — Patrick Murphy was born with a musical state of mind. He began honing his piano skills at the ripe age of three, going on to play in front of his first audiences at the local church. The chapel turned into restaurants as Murphy added singing to his craft, developing a style influenced by the likes of Billy Joel, Elton John, Journey and more. Now, two decades after first sitting down at the piano bench, the 23-year-old lives in Nashville, where he has secured his first publishing and major label record deals as well as opening for artists such as Kane Brown, Kip Moore and Chris Janson.
If you go
What: Music on the Mountain, featuring Billy Currington with openers The Heartshakers and Patrick Murphy
Where: Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, Detroit Lakes
When: Saturday, July 10; gates open at 5:30 p.m.
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Tickets: General admission tickets are $65 and currently on-sale. Visit www.detroitmountain.com or call 218-844-7669 to purchase.
