Nichols wraps his warm voice around songs that stay true to the traditions of country music while embracing current styles. Staying true also revitalized his career. Nichols searched and found his perfect team after his seventh major-label album, 2011’s “It’s All Good.” He found a great label match and even put a little of his own money into the 2013 album “Crickets,” and it paid off big: Two #1 country singles in “Sunny and 75” in 2013 and “Yeah” in 2014. He told Rolling Stone magazine, “Coming from basically the bottom of my career to what I think is the top of my career right now, it’s a pretty great feeling.” Nichols says he’s working on his next album. Nichols’ latest single “Hard To Be Cool” was a Top 20 hit on country radio and debuted as the #2 Most Added Country Song in the U.S.

“Country music doesn’t get much truer than Joe Nichols. His show is going to be not only a party, but a guide to country’s past, present, and future. We’re very excited to have Joe Nichols join what we believe is the greatest lineup of free entertainment at any fair in America,” said Waffner.

The Fair has previously announced several shows for its 2015 series of free concerts at Chevy Court, a lineup that’s garnering attention as perhaps the best and most diverse ever. Shows announced include:

• Everclear – 2 p.m., opening day, Thursday, August 27
• Rick Springfield – 8 p.m., Thursday, August 27
• Orleans & Friends with Barrerre and Tackett – 2 p.m., Friday, August 28
• Melissa Etheridge – 8 p.m., Friday, August 28
• Dan + Shay – 2 p.m., Saturday, August 29
• The Swon Brothers – 2 p.m., Sunday, August 30
• Bowzer’s Rock N’ Roll Party – 2 p.m., Monday, August 31
• The Oak Ridge Boys – 2 p.m., Tuesday, September 1
• Salt-N-Pepa – 2 p.m., Wednesday, September 2
• Snoop Dogg – 8 p.m., Wednesday, September 2
• Meghan Trainor – 8 p.m., Thursday, September 3
• Six Nations Day Celebration, with traditional dancers and The Ripcords – 1 p.m., Friday, September 4
• The Steve Miller Band – 8 p.m., Sunday, September 6
• Nick Jonas – 6 p.m., Monday, September 7

The New York State Fair, operated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August 27 – September 7, 2015. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its theme, “Summer’s Best in Show,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing top-quality entertainment.

In addition to the annual New York State Fair, the Fairgrounds host dozens of agricultural events throughout the year, including some of the Northeast’s most prestigious horse and livestock shows.

The home of the Great New York State Fair is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. A year-round schedule of events is available on the Fair’s website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/nysfair. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.

Media Contacts:
Jola Szubielski
Public Information Officer
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
518-457-0752

Dave Bullard
Public Relations
New York State Fair
315-487-7711 x 1377