Alliant Energy Foundation Proudly Presents the Country Rat Pack Tour with country music stars Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence and Richie McDonald at the North Iowa Community Auditorium as part of the 2009-2010 NIACC Performing Arts Series. Join these three great country artists, on Thursday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. for a rockin’ evening as each singer contributes their greatest hits to the show as one Country Rat Pack. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.

Come hear chart-topping country hits, such as "Amazed," "No News," "I’m Already There," "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo," "Watermelon Crawl," "The Keeper of the Stars," "Can’t Break It To My Heart," "Texas Tornado" and many more.  Each artist brings their own experience and talents to the stage for one night of country music mayhem.

Byrd has always been something of a maverick. In an industry where careers are often decided in committee, Byrd has always held fast to his own creative vision and has never been afraid to take the road less traveled. That unbridled spirit again prevails on his newest release, "Different Things."  Not only does Byrd continue to deliver no-holds-barred country music, he does so while embarking on a new business model that is setting the standard for artists in today's competitive music industry.

Byrd's hits are well known among legions of country music fans from coast to coast. Since signing his first record deal in 1992, Byrd has become one of country music's core artists, a Texas-born traditionalist equally skilled at serving up playful hits like "Watermelon Crawl" and "The Truth About Men" as well as poignant ballads such as his signature song "Keeper of the Stars," which netted the Academy of Country Music's Song of the Year accolade in 1996. The talented Texan has 13 top ten singles in his arsenal of hits.

Byrd readily admits he's a man whose reality has surpassed his dreams. Growing up near Beaumont, Texas, he never considered becoming a country singer until someone coaxed him into singing Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart" at a little recording studio in a local mall. The owner heard him and was impressed enough to enter him in a talent contest. As soon as he heard the applause, he was hooked.

"All of a sudden, they couldn't get me off the mic," he recalls with a laugh. "That's all I wanted to do."  So he did it. He became a popular entertainer on Beaumont's competitive club scene and soon attracted attention from Nashville. He signed with MCA Records in 1992 and scored a No. 1 hit with the single "Holdin' Heaven." His self-titled debut album was certified gold, signifying sales of more than half a million albums. His next four albums achieved gold status, with "No Ordinary Man" being certified double-platinum and remaining in the top ten on the chart for over 30 weeks. One listen to Byrd's smooth, rich baritone and it's easy to see why he's become one of country music's best-loved artists.

In addition to his recording career, Byrd has become a popular television personality, hosting two shows on the Outdoor Channel that give him a chance to indulge his passion for hunting and fishing. With Byrd, what you see is what you get. He's a family man, an avid outdoorsman and country music lover. Those things constantly infuse his life and are reflected in his art.

 His new album, "Different Things" covers a vast landscape of musical and emotional terrain. Those who have heard Byrd's new record are proclaiming it to be the music he's ever recorded, and Byrd modestly agrees. After all, he really wouldn't give his fans less than his very best with every album. "When I was growing up buying George Strait records, I always knew I was going to get a full, solid album," he says. "There wasn't going to be any filler. Every song was going to be well written. I always loved his album cuts more than I did the releases.  I always thought that same way when I was doing a record."

"The pay off always was and always will be that couple hours on stage every night," says Byrd.  "I still love making live music and working with my band. I still love working up a show and rehearsing. I enjoy that whole aspect of life because that's where I came from.  Some acts that are hit acts today lived in Nashville and were demo singers. I'd never been in a studio until I cut a record and got a record deal.  I was a live performer.  That's what I am and where I came from and what I still love to do.

“We toured from day one and never stopped," he says with a hint of pride.  "You never heard of us taking a year off. You never heard of us taking a month off.  We worked. Building a fan base like that in an old fashioned grassroots kind of way has really been a big reason for us staying around."

Like his heroes, Haggard and Jones, Byrd is in it for the long haul. "I feel I still have a lot to offer in music," he states. "When I first started, I thought I'd have maybe a five-year career because that's what was happening to most people. But we kept plugging along and kept working, building a great fan base, and we've been able to stay around. I'm just tickled to death. I want to see it through to 20 years and beyond."

Lawrence is one of the premier voices of his generation, a sensitive and intelligent singer who continues to stretch both as an artist and as a person. Lawrence's dedication to honesty and respect for tradition has enabled him to build one of the most admired careers in country history.

Along the way, Lawrence has posted more No. 1 Billboard country singles than greats like Glen Campbell, Keith Whitley, Ernest Tubb, Wynonna or Barbara Mandrell and more Top 5's than Shania Twain, Faith Hill or The Judds.

Lawrence hit the national spotlight in 1991. He was just 23, the product of a rough-and-tumble childhood in Foreman, Arkansas. A self-described "hellion" as a youngster, Lawrence found release in performing. He was playing at music jamborees at 15 and in honky-tonks at 17, learning, he says, "what it takes to keep them on the dance floor through four or five sets."

He moved to Nashville in 1990.  While working a series of side jobs, he entered singing contests around town, regularly winning first prize. A live appearance on a Kentucky radio station and a showcase at Nashville's famed Bluebird Café led to his 1991 signing to Atlantic Records.

Lawrence's debut album, “Sticks And Stones” (1991) boasted four Top 10 country hits and launched him into the forefront of the decade's young talent. Journalists praised his style and fans pushed sales of the album to platinum certification. He proved he had the goods on the road as well, being named SRO's Best New Touring Artist in 1993.

As if that weren't enough, his second album, the double-platinum “Alibis” (1993), spawned four straight No. 1 smashes - the title cut, "Can't Break It To My Heart," "My Second Home" and "If The Good Die Young" - and earned raves everywhere from GQ to Newsweek. "That got us past the sophomore jinx," Lawrence says with a grin.

Yet another quartet of major hits rose from the platinum “I See It Now” (1994), including "If The World Had A Front Porch" and "Texas Tornado." Then, Lawrence hit a creative and sales peak with "Time Marches On," a Bobby Braddock-penned blockbuster that led the 1996 album of the same name to double-platinum status and earned Lawrence nominations at all the major awards ceremonies.

Lawrence's next album, 1997's “The Coast Is Clear,” produced the trademark hit "Better Man, Better Off." It preceded “Lessons Learned” (2000), which found the singer re-energized by his country roots. Both discs earned critical praise.

It's no surprise that over the years Lawrence has received widespread recognition: He was named Billboard's Top New Male Vocalist in 1992, garnering the Academy Of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist trophy a year later; he earned the Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards' Video Artist Of The Year prize in 1995 and its Editor's Choice Platinum Pick crown in 1996, among other honors.

 McDonald has long been one of music's most accomplished and wide-ranging talents. Recognized as one of country's best singers, he was the face and voice of Lonestar, one of the greatest country bands of all time. A polished and engaging entertainer, he was the focal point of the group's touring career. His decision to launch a solo career came after a great deal of reflection.

"I just reached a crossroads in my personal and professional life," he says. "When our deal ended, I felt like it was a sign for me to do other things, to slow down and spend more time with my family and yet keep being an artist, hopefully making music that can really make a difference in people's lives. We had a great run and made a lot of wonderful memories, but I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing now. This feels right in my heart.”

The list of accomplishments McDonald brings to his solo career is among music's most noteworthy. His was the voice behind songs like "Amazed," "Smile" and "No News" and the pen behind songs like "My Front Porch Looking In" and "Let Them Be Little." He has earned six gold and platinum albums, several CMA and ACM awards as well as BMI awards for songwriting. In writing and singing "I'm Already There," he was responsible for a song embraced so warmly by the military and their families it became an unofficial anthem for U.S. troops serving the Middle East.

"That has to be the most rewarding part about writing songs," he says, "when you can actually see the effect it has had on other people's lives."

Now, with the release of “Six-Foot Teddybear,” he launches his much-anticipated solo career and demonstrates that he is just now hitting stride.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy," he notes. "It wasn't easy the first time around. I feel like I'm a new artist, like I have to prove myself and that's what I'm doing. I want to be back out there in front of thousands of screaming people, seeing them sing the songs back. I'm grateful every day for the chance to continue to do something I love so much."

Don’t miss this opportunity to catch three of the biggest acts in country music together on one stage. This intimate, acoustic concert will showcase their biggest hits and most touching songs. Make sure to get your tickets immediately to see a rockin’ show right here in North Iowa.

For tickets to see The Country Rat Pack, call the NIACC Box Office at 1-888-466-4222 ext. 4188. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.niacc.edu. Platinum Sponsors for the 2009-2010 series include NIACC; Globe Gazette Elizabeth Muse Norris Charitable Fund; the Globe Gazette; Alliant Energy; Henkel Construction; Kraft; Mason City Clinic; Principal Financial Group; and Soener Foundation. Gold sponsors include Community National Bank; Diamond Joe Casino; First Citizens National Bank; First State Bank of Belmond; Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa; Martin, Cooney, MacNider & Cooney Financial Consultants of Raymond James & Associates, Inc.; Sukup Manufacturing; and Dr. Gary W. Swenson and Dean A. Genth. In kind sponsors include Country Inn and Suites; and KIMT.