The Sangamon River Music Festival Committee announced Uncle Kracker and Phil Vasser as the 2016 festival headlines Monday. Uncle Kracker will perform at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, August 26 and Phil Vasser will perform at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, August 27.
Uncle Kracker
His 2000 major label debut, Double Wide, fittingly went double-platinum and yielded #1 smash “Follow Me”. Its 2002 follow-up No Stranger To Shame reached gold status and spawned cross-format hits such as “In A Little While” and the powerful cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”, which set a Billboard record for most weeks at #1 on any chart, topping their #1 run on the Adult Contemporary radio charts for a staggering 28 weeks. Country superstar Kenny Chesney tapped him for “When The Sun Goes Down,” which impressively spent five weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart. Throughout, he played sold out shows across the country and appeared everywhere from the American Country Music Awards to Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Then, 2012 saw him fully embrace his country side with his critically acclaimed fifth outing, Midnight Special. Uncle Kracker will be back on the road in 2016. His live show continues to get bigger and better with every tour. “It’s very interactive,” he says. “It’s meant to be a party, and I want everybody involved. Each time we go on stage, I want people to leave smiling.”
Phil Vasser
Phil Vassar is as driven today as he was when he first left his Lynchburg, Virginia home to pursue – and realize – his dream of making his mark in entertainment. A career that has seen the release of eight albums, two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year trophies, Billboard Country Songwriter of the Year, countless hits as a singer and songwriter and a mantle full of awards and the launch of his own Rodeowave Entertainment label continues to expand and evolve. As a singer/songwriter, Phil has hit the Top 5 seven times with songs like “Carlene,” “Last Day of My Life” and “American Child” and topped the charts with “In a Real Love” and the perennial favorite “Just another Day in Paradise.” Known as one of Nashville’s top tunesmiths, his songs other artists have taken to #1 include “My Next Thirty Years” by Tim McGraw, “She’s Right On the Money” by Alan Jackson, and Jo Dee Messina’s “Bye, Bye” and “I’m Alright.” New artist David Nail had a hit with Phil’s “The Sound of a Million Dreams,” which Billboard named the #1 song in their Top 10 Country Songs of 2012. Phil is well known for his energetic stage shows and will be sure the keep fans entertained the whole evening.
THE HENNINGSENS will be opening for PHIL VASSAR on Saturday August 27th at 7:45 p.m. The Henningsens are a central Illinois farm family originally from Atwood, IL. To introduce the group, they are Brian Henningsen (bass, guitar, vocals) – family patriarch and father of 10 including eldest son Aaron (guitar, vocals) and daughter Clara (lead vocals, guitar). It’s their gift for songwriting that first began turning heads in Nashville, most notably on the Platinum-certified debut by The Band Perry, who scored big with “You Lie,” written by Aaron, Clara, and Brian, and the two-week #1 smash, “All Your Life,” penned by Brian and Clara. The Henningsens first saw success with their debut single “American Beautiful”. The 2012 single landed into the top 20 and help to land them on tour with Brad Paisley that year. The Henningsens current single “Why I Farm” is a tribute to the American farmer.
