LIVE OAK, Fla. — The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park announced the lineup for the 2019 Suwannee River Jam, which will take place May 1-4, with some of America’s best and legendary country artists — Hank Williams Jr., Trace Adkins, Chase Rice, Clint Black, Gretchen Wilson, Craig Campbell and Frankie Ballard. There will be more to come as well.

The 28th annual Suwannee River Jam kicks off Wednesday, May 1, in the Music Hall with winners in this year’s Suwannee River Jam Auditions and other artists taking the stage all evening.

The Suwannee River Jam has been a favorite of country fans for 27 years as almost every country artist in America has graced the SOSMP’s stages during this revered event.

Among the activities leading up to the Jam are the SRJ Auditions where up-and-coming country artists “audition” for a spot in the lineup for 2019. The auditions began Jan. 11 in the Music Hall with one band and a new trio set to perform at the SRJ plus a terrific duo and four solo artists coming back March 8 to audition one last time with other winners. The winners that night will play the 2019 SRJ. A second audition is set for Feb. 8 for bands only at the SOSMP; Feb. 16 for solo, duo and bands at the Fiddler Crab Festival in Steinhatchee and the last audition for solo and duo winners March 8 at the SOSMP. That night the last bands signed up will audition for their chance to perform at the SRJ.

Other SRJ events include the Daisy Duke Competition, food and merchandise vendors, U.S. military representatives, golf cart parade, Hope Notes Silent Auction fundraiser for area school bands, Tribute to the Troops’ Soap for Soldiers tent where people may donate small items (soap, shampoo, sun screen, wipes and other small personal items) for soldiers’ care packages. There also is the outstanding, heart-warming, big Saturday Patriotic Tribute held on the main stage each year to honor military and law enforcement.

Tickets are on sale at www.musicliveshere.com, by emailing spirit@musicliveshere.com, at www.suwanneeriverjam.com/tickets or by calling the SOSMP at 386-364-1683. Tickets may also be purchased at the best price at S&S Food Stores/SunStop locations throughout the region.

In 1987, Hank Williams Jr. won his first of five Country Music Entertainer of the Year awards. The two albums released that year — Hank Live and studio effort Born to Boogie — were platinum sellers. Born to Boogie was the CMA’s Album of the Year in 1988, the year Hank Jr. won the CMA and ACM’s top entertainer prize. His star rose far beyond the country world in 1989 when manager Merle Kilgore arranged a deal with ABC’s Monday Night Football to have Hank Jr. rework “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” into a theme song to be played before each Monday’s game. Two years later, the Monday Night theme won the first of four straight Emmy Awards and he would be the singing voice of Monday Night Football for 22 years. Hank Williams Jr. was now known to millions who had never even listened to country music. He would become an ambassador for that musical genre. His room-shaking voice is as identifiable to fans as that of his father.

When his famous dad died unexpectedly, Hank Jr.’s mom, Audrey Williams, was left with a family to raise and a son who was soon squealing for a guitar of his own. At age eight, Hank made his music debut, dressed in a black suit for a Swainsboro, Ga., show, singing his father’s songs to wild applause. At nine, he was touring in earnest with his mother’s Caravan of Stars. The rest of the story is now history.

When he finally found his own sound and style, he reached sales plateaus his father never dreamed of… 20 Gold albums, six Platinum albums (one which has sold more than five million copies) and 13 chart-topping albums.

Country Legend Trace Adkins has sold more than 11 million albums, charted more than 20 songs in his 25 years in Nashville, has a remarkable run for one of country music’s most easily identifiable stars. This Louisiana native recently released his 12th studio album, Something’s Going On, on BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records. A three-time GRAMMY Award nominee, Adkins has won three Academy of Country Music Awards, including the 2009 Single of the Year Award for “You’re Gonna Miss This” and Vocal Event of the Year with Blake Shelton for “Hillbilly Bone” in 2010. The Grand Ole Opry member is also an author and spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project and The American Red Cross, for whom he raised more than $1.5 million dollars as winner of NBC’s All-Star Celebrity Apprentice. In recent years, Adkins has performed for the USA’s service members across 12 USO Tours.

Chase Rice’s “Ignite the Night” No. 1 major label debut album in 2014 put him in the forefront of country music. A pair of Top 5 singles from his RIAA Platinum-certified “Ready Set Roll” and Gold certified “Gonna Wanna Tonight,” pushed him even further into stardom. He’s grown more self-award, mature and grateful in the wake of his success. Rice’s albums are Ignite the Night, Lambs & Lions, Dirt Road Communion, Country as Me and Ready Set Roll.

Prolific singer-songwriter Clint Black is one of country music’s brightest stars, transcending genres to become one of the most successful artists. An astounding one-third of his songs released achieved hit song status at country radio, while he sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Black is an accomplished singer, guitarist, drummer and harmonic player. The 1989 debut of his fan favorite and Triple Platinum, Killin’ Time, marked a shift in the industry with a return to the more traditional sounds of the genre. Listed by CMT as one of the 100 Greatest Albums in Country Music, Killin’ Time boasted five No. 1 hits – unprecedented from a debut album in any genre – and won Black a collection of awards that include: Country Music Association Horizon Award, Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year, American Music Awards Favorite New Male Country Artist, Academy of Country Music Best New Male Vocalist, Academy of Country Music Best Male Vocalist, Academy of Country Music Album of the Year (Killin’ Time) and Academy of Country Music Single of the Year (“A Better Man”). For Clint, Killin’ Time was only the beginning. “Put Yourself in My Shoes” followed in 1990, hitting Triple Platinum. Since then, Clint’s had nearly two dozen No. 1 hit singles, and almost as many Top 5 and Top 10 hits – all his original compositions.

An award-winning country artist, Gretchen Wilson ‘s ability to tailor songs as gorgeously rough-edged as she is, have given her the kind of “I am what I sing” originality few women in music history — Loretta, Janis, Dolly and Cher chief among them — have ever been able to achieve. Her first single, “Redneck Woman,” spent six weeks at No. 1. Her debut album, Here for the Party, sold more than five million copies … and spawned three more top 5 hits including, “Homewrecker,” “When I Think About Cheatin’” and the title track, “Here for the Party.” Her second CD, All Jacked Up, saw four more hit songs like “California Girls,” “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today” and “Politically Uncorrect” (featuring Merle Haggard) ride enthusiastic reviews to platinum status. Her third record, “One of the Boys,” solidified her position as one of contemporary music’s most original and multi-faceted female artists. She has won across-the-board awards including ACM’s, CMA’s, AMA’s and Billboard’s. Gretchen is a Grammy winner, and nine-time nominee. Wilson, who performed at the 2009 Jam, recently released her 12-song Ready to Get ROWDY album.

BBR Music Group singer-songwriter Craig Campbell, long praised as a modern link to the traditional values of Country’s past, has been waiting to release a new collection of music for five long years – the wait over. His new EP is See You Try. Growing up in the small town of Lyons, Ga., Campbell played keyboards in his mother’s church, on the road for an up-and-coming singer named Luke Bryan, finally landing a bandleader gig in the famous Nashville honky-tonk, The Stage. This led to a string of singles and two albums which earned comparisons to icons like Alan Jackson and Randy Travis. Starting in 2010, “Family Man” and “Outta My Head” hit the Top 15 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, while others like “Fish” snagged more than 10 million on-demand streams. “Keep Them Kisses Comin’” became a bonafide Top 10 hit, while “Outskirts of Heaven” showed an artist sensitive enough to share his soul.

Country- blues-rocker Frankie Ballard released his latest album El Rio (Warner Nashville) to critical acclaim recently and was selected by Rolling Stone as one of the 25 Best Country and Americana albums of 2016. El Rio was also cited by The Tennessean as one of the best 16 Nashville albums of 2016. Rolling Stone describes it as “a different kind of album for the Michigan-born, Nashville-based songwriter filled with country-rock anthems that have more in common with the heartland heroes of Ballard’s youth — especially Bob Seger and John Mellencamp — than the outlaws and highwaymen whose names are so often cited by country music’s younger class.” The singer/songwriter has had three No. 1 country hits to date and boasts Spotify streams in excess of 2.2 million. With combined album sales of more than 450,000 to date, and more than 150 million total streams across all streaming platforms, Ballard continues to lead in country music by mixing an American heartland rock sound with traditional country and blues. His previous album, Sunshine & Whiskey, produced three consecutive # 1 singles – the Platinum-certified “Sunshine & Whiskey,” the Gold-certified “Helluva Life” and one of the Top 3 Billboard Country Airplay songs of 2015, “Young & Crazy.”