When you wake up and want to put a smile on your face, you think of the songs that always manage to reach down and touch your soul the moment you hear the first note. The Marshall Tucker Band is one such group that continues to have a profound level of impact on successive generations of listeners who’ve been "Searchin’ for a Rainbow" and found it perfectly represented by this tried-and-true Southern institution over the decades. “I’ve been in tune with how music can make you feel, right from when I was first in the crib,” explains lead vocalist and bandleader Doug Gray, who’s been fronting the MTB since the very beginning. “I was born with that. And I realized it early on, back when I was a little kid and my mom and dad encouraged me to get up there and sing whatever song came on the jukebox. It got to the point where people were listening to me more than what was on the jukebox! There’s a certain gift I found I could share, whether I was in front of five people or 20,000 people. I was blessed with that ability and I’m thankful I can share with others." The Marshall Tucker Band came together as a young, hungry, and quite driven six-piece outfit in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1972, having duly baptized themselves with the name of a blind piano tuner after they found it inscribed on a key to their original rehearsal space — and they’ve been in tune with tearing it up on live stages both big and small all across the globe ever since. Plus, the band’s mighty music catalog, consisting of more than 20 studio albums and a score of live releases, has racked up multi-platinum album sales many times over. A typically rich MTB setlist is bubbling over with a healthy dose of hits like the heartfelt singalong “Heard It in a Love Song,” the insistent pleading of “Can’t You See” (the signature tune of MTB’s late co-founding lead guitarist and then-principal songwriter Toy Caldwell), the testifying “Fire on the Mountain,” the wanderlust gallop of “Long Hard Ride,” and the explosive testimony of “Ramblin,’” to name but a few. Indeed, the secret ingredient to the ongoing success of The Marshall Tucker Band’s influence can be seen and felt far and wide throughout many mainstream digital outlets (Netflix, Amazon, etc.). In essence, it’s this inimitable down-home sonic style that helped make the MTB the first truly progressive Southern band to grace this nation’s airwaves — the proof of which can be found within the grooves and ever-shifting gears of “Take the Highway,” the first song on their self-titled April 1973 debut album on Capricorn Records, The Marshall Tucker Band. “We had the commonality of having all grown up together in Spartanburg,” explains Gray about his original MTB bandmates, guitar wizard Toy Caldwell and his brother, bassist Tommy Caldwell, alongside rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul T. Riddle, and flautist/saxophonist Jerry Eubanks. “The framework for Marshall Tucker’s music is more like a spaceship than a house,” Gray continues, “because you can look out of a lot of windows and see a variety of things that show where we’ve been and what we’ve done, and how we’ve travelled through time to bring those experiences out in all of our songs.” The Marshall Tucker Band’s influence can be felt far and wide through many respected contemporaries and the artists who’ve followed the path forged by their collective footsteps and footstomps. “MTB helped originate and personify what was to become known as Southern rock, and I was privileged to watch it all come together in the ’70s, night after night,” said the legendary late Charlie Daniels. “In fact, The Charlie Daniels Band has played more dates with The Marshall Tucker Band over the past years than any other band we’ve ever worked with. Even after all these years — after the tragedies, the miles, the personnel changes, and the many developments in the music business.” Daniels added that he never got tired of seeing his MTB brothers on the road: “Whenever Doug Gray walks into my dressing room with that big ol’ smile of his and then we hug each other and sit and talk for a while, the evening is complete.” “I remember seeing Marshall Tucker and The Outlaws play together in Jacksonville many years ago, when I was just a kid,” recalls Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Johnny Van Zant. “And I heard them all over the radio back then too. They were just so cool and so unique that I fell in love with the band, and I also fell in love with the music. Having them open for us on all those dates was like a dream come true, and they’re still as good as I’ve ever seen them. It brought back a lot of memories for me, because I really looked up to those guys when I was first starting out.” Ed Roland, the lead vocalist and chief songwriter for Collective Soul, adds “The Marshall Tucker Band had a big influence on me and they still do.” Roland, who’s lived the majority of his life in and around Atlanta, also proudly points out that his band’s biggest hit, “Shine,” owes a clear debt to the musical structure of “Can’t You See,” and he’ll often start off by singing the opening line to that song — “I’m gonna take a freight train” — whenever Collective Soul performs “Shine” live. “We don’t want to stray from what we grew up listening to,” Roland continues. “I think that’s something important for people to hear. It’s just who we are, and I don’t think we should run from it. Hopefully, people see that southern connection to the bands we love like Marshall Tucker in our music.” Doug Gray sees no end to the road that lies ahead for The Marshall Tucker Band, whose legacy is being carried forward by the man himself and his current bandmates, drummer B.B. Borden (Mother’s Finest, The Outlaws), bassist/vocalist Ryan Ware, keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist/vocalist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist/vocalist Chris Hicks, and guitarist/ vocalist Rick Willis. “You know, I think it was Toy Caldwell’s dad who said, ‘There’s more to gray hair than old bones,’ and we still have a lot of stories yet to tell,” Gray concludes. “People ask me all the time what I’m gonna do when I turn 80, and I always say, ‘The same thing that we’re continuing to do now.’ We’re road warriors, there’s no doubt about that — and I don’t intend to slow down.” May the MTB wagon train continue running like the wind on a long hard ride for many more years to come. One thing we absolutely know for sure: If you heard it in a Marshall Tucker Band song, it certainly can’t be wrong. —Mike Mettler, this ol’ MTB chronologist

GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-instrumentalist and PLATINUM-selling artist, Hunter Hayes is an embodiment of a musician that embraces evolution and redefines boundaries. Bursting onto the scene with his PLATINUM-certified debut album, Hayes has charted a unique course through the genre-bending course he was destined to explore.

The Louisiana native has amassed over 3 billion global on-demand streams since his debut, with seven singles achieving gold and 10x PLATINUM certifications. His electrifying on-stage performances have not only stolen the hearts of fans but have also earned him spots on tours with superstars like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and resulted in his own sold-out headlining shows across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

With more than 50 award nominations and wins, including five GRAMMY® nominations, Hayes’ journey is just getting started.

Douglas County Rodeo Fight Night brings small-town spirit and open-air energy with a modern twist and a surprise-packed lineup.

What to expect:

Unforgettable Matchups –Muay thai and Sports entertainment like you’ve never seen. Think wildcards, upsets, and over-the-top action!

Local Heroes – Cheer on fighters from local gyms repping the heart and grit of Gardnerville.

Community Vibes – Food, drinks, music, and a nod to Milos “Sharkey” Begovich and original Cow Pasture spectacle under the stars.

This ain’t your daddy’s average fight show…

It’s Douglas County Rodeo Fight Night.

A native son of Wyoming, Ian Munsick accumulated over 1 billion global streams across just two albums – Coyote Cry and White Buffalo – and a host of accolades, including 19 awards and 14 festival selections for his documentary, White Buffalo: Voices of the West. Having painted a stampeding, spirited portrait of the American West with his sophomore album White Buffalo in 2023, Munsick is expanding on the concepts of the land, people, culture and stories that inspire him, on his most recent 20-track album, Eagle Feather, released on April 18, 2025. In addition to selling over 100,000 headlining tickets in 2024, Munsick also opened on select dates of Lainey Wilson’s Country’s Cool Again Tour and supported Morgan Wallen on select dates of his record-setting One Night At A Time Tour. Munsick concluded his spring Horses Are Faster Tour in Nashville. He has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Spotify, CMT, Fender, MusicRow and most recently was named a Martin Showcase Artist. Standout duet “Long Live Cowgirls” (with Cody Johnson) off of White Buffalo hit No. 1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway Hot 30 Countdown, was named one of Amazon Music’s Best Country Songs of 2022 and recently received RIAA Gold-certification alongside “Long Haul” and “Horses Are Faster.” Fans of Ian Munsick will always find an open heart, natural awe and plainspoken honesty as he rides on… bringing the West to the rest. Online at IanMunsick.com

Rooted in the red clay of Georgetown, Georgia, The Castellows are a sister trio redefining neo-traditional country music with a fresh Southern soul. Composed of Ellie, Lily, and Powell Balkcom, the group blends blood harmony with back-porch honesty, creating a sound that’s as timeless as it is current.

Raised on gospel, bluegrass, and the stories of small-town life, The Castellows found their collective voice in 2022, quickly gaining traction with stripped-down covers and original songs shared across social media. Their natural harmonies and authentic presence drew fans in by the thousands—and caught the attention of Nashville.

By 2023, the sisters had inked a deal with Warner Music Nashville and Warner Records, officially kicking off a professional journey that had long been in the making. Their debut EP, A Little Goes a Long Way (2024), produced by Grammy-winner Trina Shoemaker, introduced the world to the heart and grit behind their music. With six of the seven tracks penned by the trio, the EP is a heartfelt homage to faith, family, and Southern roots. 

In 2024 alone, they sold out nearly half of their very first headlining tour, dropped three singles—including Sober Sundays, a standout collaboration with Wyatt Flores—and released a buzzworthy EP. They also hit the road with country icons Little Big Town and Sugarland, earning new fans across the country.

Breaking into 2025 starting with a C2C a brand new EP titled Homecoming and a major tour alongside Thomas Rhett. And the momentum doesn’t stop there—the Castellows will headline again this fall on their very own Homecoming Tour.

Whether it's a front-porch singalong or a sold-out stage, The Castellows deliver every note with raw emotion and radiant unity. Their sound is a little old-school, a little new wave, and a whole lot of home.