Chris Janson to headline 2023 Country Fest at Hampton Beach. It's a free show.

HAMPTON — Country star and platinum-selling recording artist Chris Janson, known for such hits like “Buy Me a Boat,” “Fix a Drink,” and “Done,” will be headlining this summer's Country Music Fest at Hampton Beach.

Janson will be performing the free concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 13, on the Seashell Stage as part of the three-day festival that "brings country stars to the beach."

"He's a nationally headlining artist and we are excited to have him," said Hampton Beach Village District co-marketing director Lisa Martineau.

The festival kicks off Tuesday, July 11, with Kevin White and his Garth Live - The Ultimate Tribute Band followed by New Hampshire native April Cushman on Wednesday, July 12.

Janson previously came to Hampton Beach, playing a sold-out concert at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom.

Opening for Janson on July 13, is Boston country singer Alec MacGillivray, known for his song "Bad Day to be a Bud Light" which has over 2 million streams in 60-plus countries.

Martineau said Country Fest continues to get bigger each summer.

"It's going to be a great country music week," she said. "We are putting Hampton Beach on the map for country music."

Country Fest, like all the other nightly music and shows on the Seashell Stage, is free for spectators, paid for by the taxpayers of the Hampton Beach Village District.

This is the district's fifth Country Fest. The first two years were headlined by Nashville star William Michael Morgan. In 2022, Rodney Atkins, known for such hits as “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)” and “Watching You,” was the main event while last year Maddie & Tae, fresh of their CMT Music Awards win, took center stage.

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What we know about Chris Janson

Chirs Janson is a three-time Country Music Award nominee, a five-time Academy of Country Music Awards nominee, and has over 1.7 billion global streams of his music.

Rolling Stone called him a "live legacy in the making" and DJ radio host Bobby Bones named him among the "greatest performers in country music."

While he has been putting out music since 2010, Janson first made his national debut in 2015 with his chart-topping, double-Platinum smash "Buy Me A Boat." The song with the lyrics "I know everybody says money can't buy happiness … But it could buy me a boat" was a Top 5 hit on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.

Janson took home the trophy for ACM Video of the Year in 2019 for his Gold-certified, song “Drunk Girl,” which talks about treating women with respect.

Written from a father's perspective, Janson told Billboard "We would hope that a young man, if our daughters inevitably get there, that they would take great care of them with great respect, do the right thing, and take a drunk girl home."

The song earned the Song of the Year title at the 2018 MusicRow Awards and was named one of the “Ten Songs I Wish I’d Written” by Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Janson released his latest track, “Tap That," in celebration of National Beer Day on April 7.

“This is a hard-rockin', party-driven, beer-drinkin' song! Always have loved it, and I hope the fans love it as much as I do. Crank it up,” Janson stated in a press release.

In addition to his own successes, Janson was a co-writer for Tim McGraw's “Truck Yeah” and Hank Williams Jr.'s "God Fearin’ Man.”

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April Cushman

Cushman was recently named the 2022 New England Music Awards' Country Act of the Year.

The Swanzey native said she has a "passion and love" for country music that started at the age of 5.

"I have been singing and playing for as long as I can remember," she told Country 102.5 in a 2022 interview. "I was heavily inspired going to and singing in the children's choir at church when I was really young."

Some of her favorite artists include Brandi Carlisle, Miranda Lambert and Ashley McBryde.

Her debut album "The Long Haul" was released in November 2021, and was funded via a Kickstarter campaign raising $11,000 and reached No. 16 on the iTunes Country Album charts.

Cushman has opened for artists like Kip Moore, Rodney Atkins, Scotty McCreery, and Lonestar. Other career highlights include performing the American and Canadian National Anthems at Gillette Stadium for the New England Revolution and at the TD Garden for the Boston Celtics.

Her second album is scheduled to be released this summer.

"She's doing some really amazing things right now so I'm really excited to have her be a part of it this year," Amanda Morneault said at a recent Hampton Beach Village District meeting. Morneault is responsible for booking all the talent for Country Week and is the entertainment director for the district.

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Garth Live - The Ultimate Tribute Band

Kevin White is the man behind Garth Live - The Ultimate Tribute Band.

He is no stranger to the Hampton Beach Seashell Stage, having played at Country Fest in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

"He's popular and who doesn't want to hear Garth Brooks if you are a big country music fan? It's a great opener to the week," Martineau said.

White has toured the country paying tribute to Brooks singing covers of his hits including "Friends in Low Places," "Much Too Young to Feel This Damn Old," and "If Tomorrow Never Comes."

"I have been a fan of Garth Brooks since the first time I saw him perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville back in 1992," White said. "Since that fateful day, I have been performing my Garth live show all over the country."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach Country Fest 2023: Country star Chris Janson to headline