Roots and Boots tour stars pack 'em in at Pocomoke's first Dock Jam

Multi-platinum, award-winning country music stars Aaron Tippin, Collin Raye and Sammy Kershaw brought Pocomoke City to its feet on Saturday during Dockside’s inaugural Dock Jam concert series celebration.

Altogether, the musical artists from the "Roots and Boots" tour drew in a crowd of more than 2,000 guests to the scenic, riverside venue on May 20. Cowboys and cowgirls dotted the concert grounds, dressed from head-to-toe in stylish Western getups.

Caitlin Evans, co-owner of the popular Pocomoke City restaurant and bar, Dockside, was brought to tears as she watched concert attendees sing and dance the night away.

“I’ve cried a lot today,” Evans said with tears in her eyes. “It’s been overwhelming. To see the weather hold off and work in our favor, to see this amount of people in one small town, in one space, is humbling and amazing all at the same time. There’s a lot of emotions.”

For owners Caitlin and her husband, Jamie, seeing Dock Jam, once a mere dream, become a reality has been nothing short of spectacular.

“Tonight, to look out there and see something my husband and I dreamed up, to see it come to fruition, is pretty amazing,” she said. “I can’t wait for this to be a yearly thing, to keep bringing people here to Pocomoke City.”

Cowboys, country music and camaraderie

The husband-and-wife duo were eager to put Pocomoke City back on the map. With the help of Andrea Sims, director and producer of Dock Jam and president and founder of Lion’s Share Communications, Inc., they believe they have succeeded in doing so.

“When Caitlin came to me with this idea and said she wanted to do it, we were in and ready to rock and roll,” said Pocomoke City Mayor Todd J. Nock, sporting a cowboy hat. “This is my first country concert. We’re just excited about all of the people here, the music, the camaraderie.”

Dock Jam is the biggest event to take place in the small Eastern Shore town, said councilmember Monda Marsh. She extended her gratitude to Caitlin and Jamie for hosting such a successful event for the surrounding community.

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“Caitlin and Jamie are the two hardest working kids ever,” Marsh said of the couple.

Before Tippin, Raye and Kershaw hit the stage for their long-awaited musical act, local singer and New Church, Virginia, resident Beth Sharpley graced the stage with a surprise performance of Gretchen Wilson’s 2004 hit song, “Redneck Woman.”

Sharpley donned a bedazzled denim jacket with the words, “Sunsets, Cowboys, Music,” on the back, an ideal ensemble for a country concert.

“I just texted (Caitlin) this morning to tell her how proud I am of (her and Jaimie),” Sharpley said. “It takes a lot of guts to put yourself on the line both professionally and financially, and they have done that and done it very well.”

According to Sharpley, the “Roots and Boots” band members complimented the riverside venue, saying it was one of the most professional ones they have ever visited. The band was blown away by Dock Jam being Dockside’s first ever concert event.

'Keeping 90's country music alive and well'

Prior to his performance, Kershaw stood behind the stage overlooking the calm, picturesque Pocomoke River and was reminded of home.

“I love it,” Kershaw said. “This right here looks like where I’m from, where I live in Lafayette, Louisiana. Looking at that bank and the river, we’ve got a lot of cypress trees and oaks.”

“I’m hoping that we do such a good job tonight that y’all want us back, and we’ll be back all the time,” Raye added.

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Tippin, Raye and Kershaw started off the night together, belting out hit singles such as Kershaw’s “Cadillac Style,” Tippin’s “Working Man’s Ph. D.,” and Raye’s “That’s My Story.”

It was only mere minutes into their show when concertgoers flew out of their seats and ran to the stage to shimmy and shake along to the stars’ catchy country tunes.

After singing together, each artist took his turn on stage. First up was Kershaw, who sang Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally,” as well as a few of his most popular hits throughout the years, including, “Love of My Life” and “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful.” He ended his set with his 1993 single, “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer.”

Kershaw tossed colorful, beaded necklaces out into the growing crowd, his fun-loving attitude and fan-favorite voice earning him applause.

Tippin took the stage next, singing a handful of his hit songs, such as, “You’ve Got to Stand for Something,” “My Blue Angel,” and “There Ain't Nothin' Wrong with the Radio.” During his performance of “Stars & Stripes,” Kershaw reappeared, hoisting the American flag in the air and proudly waving it around as Tippin strummed his star-spangled guitar.

The crowd roared with approval, chanting, “U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.”

Collin Raye followed up Kershaw and Tippin’s acts with a smattering of his smash hits, namely, “Little Red Rodeo,” “I Can Still Feel You,” and more. The crowd cheered and whistled for Raye who, at one point, paused his set to talk about his dear late brother, Scott, before thanking the audience for their undying support.

“Thank you all for keeping '90s country music alive and well,” Raye said. “If someone would’ve asked us back in '91 or '93 if we thought we’d still be doing this thirty years later we would’ve laughed.”

“God bless you. Thank you so much for keeping our songs alive,” he continued. “We love y’all so much. It’s such an honor at this point in our lives to still be able to do what we love to do.”

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Raye then dedicated his 1995 hit single, “One Boy, One Girl,” to an engaged couple who told the singer they plan to dance to it at their wedding come fall. The couple stood near the front of the crowd and Raye serenaded the two as they swayed together, arm-in-arm.

'Pocomoke, the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore'

Pam Price of Pam Price and Associates Remax Advantage Realty was thrilled to sponsor the inaugural event.

“I have deep roots here in Pocomoke, so this means more than (Caitlin and Jamie) even know,” she said.

Concertgoers, young and old, were beaming from ear to ear the entire night.

“I’m excited that Sammy Kershaw is here. Been listening to him since the '90s,” said concert attendee Heidi Payne. “It’s nice to have something here right in our own backyard.”

“There’s a good turn out,” Salisbury resident Haley Knight said of Dock Jam. “We go out of town a lot to Pocomoke, Berlin and Snow Hill, so it’s very nice to have it family friendly for the locals to go to, and it feels safe.”

One young couple, a James M. Bennett High School sophomore, Krue Shelton, and Pocomoke High School junior, Samantha Lambertson, attended the concert together. While this was Shelton’s first country concert, Lambertson admitted to being a returning country music fan.

“I’m always down for a good country concert,” she said. “I love Dockside so much. I love seeing big crowds of people in Pocomoke. I’m so proud of Pocomoke. Seeing all these people here, it really warms my heart to know that all these people are coming to my small town.”

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According to Caitlin, she and her husband could not have done it without the help of their countless volunteers, staff, family and even Mayor Nock who, said Caitlin, was rolling hot dogs in preparation for the event.

“That is super important that people realize it’s not just Jamie and me. It’s an entire team behind this operation that’s made it all happen,” she said.

Dock Jam will be back on Oct. 7 with country music group Lonestar. The event will take place rain or shine.

“This is what the Eastern Shore is all about. It’s things like this that bind the shore together,” Mayor Nock said with a smile. “I’m just excited that it’s going down in Pocomoke City, the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore.”

Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Aaron Tippin, Collin Raye and Sammy Kershaw bring Pocomoke to its feet