Popular demand, Home Free is returning to the Oregon Jamboree this year.
The Jamboree, scheduled for Aug. 4-6, announced the group last week along with three additions to its 2017 lineup, Eric Paslay, Lauren Alaina and Tucker Beathard.
As part of the 25th anniversary of the Jamboree, they join previously announced artist Chase Rice, Chris Janson, Drake White and the Big Fire and headliners Jason Aldean, Little Big Town and Kenny Rogers on his final tour.
“The Jamboree’s 25th Anniversary is shaping up to be an awesome line-up,” said Festival Director Robert Shamek. “It will be one of our best yet.”
“I’m personally really excited about the caliber of talent that we are announcing,” said Marketing Manager Teresa Stas.
The five-man Home Free a cappella group was a big hit with country music fans last year.
“They were basically our No. 1 requested return,” Shamek said.
The group performed a mid-day main stage show last year and then performed on the Spirit Mountain Stage in Sankey Park. Following the Jamboree, Home Free recorded a music video in the Junction City area, with fans from the area filling seats as extras.
“Home Free is back by popular demand,” said Stas, who is working on her seventh Jamboree festival. “I’ve never seen a standing ovation in the middle of the day.”
The group is known for its signature no-instrument, all-vocal music and quick-witted humor. In the past three years, the group has sold 250,000 albums, reached more than 100 million YouTube views and entertained more than 150,000 people in live concerts.
Home Free debuted “Country Evolution” at No. 4 on the Billboard Country charts in 2015 and “Full of (Even More) Cheer” at No. 2 in 2016.
“People are really excited about them coming back,” Stas said. “And we’re excited about the number of singer-songwriters.”
Among last week’s announcements, Eric Paslay is an excellent example.
As a songwriter, he already has multiple hits, Stas said. The industry is developing a number of artists this way. They write hits for established performers before taking the spotlight themselves. Pasley has had five No. 1 hits, including “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” by the Eli Young Band, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” by Jake Owen, “Angel Eyes” by Love and Theft, “Rewind” by Rascal Flatts and “Friday Night” from his own self-titled debut album.
“Even If It Breaks Your Heart” was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Song, ACM Song of the Year and CMA Song of the Year in 2013. He earned his first Grammy nomination as an artist for Best Country Duo or Group Performance for “The Driver,” a collaboration with friends Charles Kelley and Dierks Bentley. His song “She Don’t Love You” was nominated for ACM Song of the Year last year.
Beathard is another singer-songwriter, taking his cues from his father, Casey Beathard, who wrote Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” and Eric Church’s “Homeboy.” Tucker Breathard gave up a college baseball scholarship to dive headlong into songwriting. He has played with artists such as Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert.
Lauren Alaina is a Season 10 veteran of “American Idol.” She recently released a five-song self-titled EP following her No. 1 debut album, “Wildflower.” She co-wrote every track on the EP, including the ESPN-exclusive promo track, “History,” and her latest single, “Road Less Traveled.” She has been nominated for several Teen Choice and CMT music awards and toured with superstars like Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.
The Oregon Jamboree, a three-day country music and camping festival, is owned and operated by the Sweet Home Economic Development Group as a tool to raise funds for local economic development and charitable projects.
Things are going well for the 2017 festival, Shamek said. “As of now, we’ve outsold camping for every other year.”
The 2014 festival, the festival’s biggest year ever, featuring Tim McGraw, set the ticket sales record, Shamek said, and ticket sales are on track with that year.
Shamek said the Jamboree still has quite a few more artists to announce, and the festival will feature 25-plus shows when everything is announced, Shamek said.
Tickets and camping remain on sale at oregonjamboree.com or by calling the box office at (888)613-6812 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Festival updates are available by email. Sign up at oregonjamboree.com.