By Lindsey Rowland
lrowland@wbcowqel.com
The grandstands at the Crawford County Fairgrounds were filled with music on Thursday night, and the name of the game was “Up and Coming”.
Kicking of the evening was country band Steel Creek. The group, made up of men who call Marion home, was formed in 2011 and released their EP “On the Highway” in 2013, and it has since made its way to number 48 on the iTunes Country Charts. Steel Creak is now working in the studio to pull together their followup album, but made it abundantly clear that, as they are working their way toward fame, it was refreshing to be back in the area where it all started.
Steel Creek strives to bring a unique sound to their music, and they didn’t disappoint as they played multiple original songs, including “Make Me Feel”, “July Rain”, and “Country Boy”.
Headlining the event was Raelynn, another relative newcomer who hit the Crawford County Fair stage on her way to the top.
Raelynn is a 21-year-old singer/songwriter who got her start as a contestant on The Voice when she was just 17. Though she was eliminated int he quarterfinals of the competition, Raelynn immediately moved to Nashville to try her hand at the music industry, and has since found incredible success, with her single “God Made Girls” even going Gold, with over half a million copies sold.
The Texas-native bundle of energy performed a robust set that featured, among others, the songs “Kissing Frogs”, “For a Boy”, “Your Heart”, “Boyfriend”, “Hell on Heels”, the ever popular “God Made Girls”, and even renditions of “All About That Bass” and “Happy Birthday” to an audience member who was turning thirteen that same evening.
Raelynn, who will have a record out later this year, has a simple answer when it comes to following one’s dream: “All it takes is hard work and Jesus.”
For Rebecca Starner, President of the Crawford County Fair Board, the hard work began in January, when she placed a bid for Raelynn to come to the fair. After a month of waiting, the schedules aligned and Starner was very pleased with the outcome.
“I thought she did a great concert,” Starner said. “She played a long time, and we were able to keep the seats fairly reasonable, so I’m glad.”