Country Singer Ty Herndon Coming to Chehalis Music in the Park This Friday

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The City of Chehalis’ free concert series is set to kick off this Friday with the largest country music artist the event has had to date — Ty Herndon.

“I knew we hadn’t done a lot of country,” said Paul Beattie, who books the bands for the City of Chehalis Music in the Park Series every year. “It’s been mostly pop, rock, that kind of stuff. I thought ‘let’s bring in some country’ — there have been a lot of requests for it. There aren’t a lot of good cover bands for country.”

Beattie set out to find original country artists.

“This is Chehalis on a Friday night, so we want to make it more of a party,” Beattie said. “We want to make it bigger and better, so we put our investment in the talent.”

The 2018 City of Chehalis Music in the Park Series is a free concert series at Recreation Park that takes place over three weekends. The first artist is Ty Herndon, who will perform on Friday night. Halfway to Hazard will perform Friday, Aug. 3 and Elliott Lurie will perform Friday, Aug. 10. Local and area bands will open each weekend. The shows last from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

“One goal is to bring in music or talent that wouldn’t normally be in Lewis County,” Beattie said. 

Herndon found success as a solo artist in the ‘90s and early 2000s. He was one of the original members of Diamond Rio, but left the band in the ‘80s to pursue a solo career. His hits include “What Mattered Most,” “Living in a Moment” and “It Must be Love.” Herndon’s last album, “House on Fire,” came out in 2016.

He said that he is currently working on his 17th studio album. He has recut five of his own hits as well as some of his friends’.



This weekend, Herndon will also perform music from his latest album as well as covers from artists such as Marc Cohn and Carrie Underwood. Herndon said when he heard Underwood’s song “So Small” it was a pivotal moment for him.

“When I moved back from LA, I was really trying to decide if I even wanted to do music anymore,” Herndon said. “The genre had changed so much. I had so much success in the 90s and early 2000s that I had to re-educate myself. That song, I heard it on the radio before I even had an opportunity to meet Carrie...I said that’s the kind of music I want to do. That’s the kind of music that needs to be heard. That song changed my way of moving forward with music.”

Neither Beattie nor City Recreation Manager Lilly Wall know how many people will attend the concert this weekend. 

Beattie said he would typically expect between 400 and 600 people, but he has heard more buzz about Music in the Park this year than the 15 years he has booked bands for it combined. Wall said that in past years she would expect roughly 500 people at the first concert. This year, she expects up to 1,500.

“This is the first time we’ve had country music in our lineup,” Wall said. “This is kind of new for us...We’re just hoping that we have a great turnout and people enjoy a free evening for the community.”

Herndon will arrive in town on Thursday. He said that he is performing 152 dates this year, but his favorite song to perform changes. It’s whichever one the crowd sings along with.

“It never gets old,” he said. “I work very hard at being authentic and just being a real person. I’m just a kid from Alabama. I have been through a lot in my life and I’ve earned my stripes at this point. I stand on stage and I’m just honored that people want to hear me sing. And that’s not bull--- — I’m just honored.”