SMETHPORT – Country music star Jake Owen, whose hits include
“Yee Haw,” “8-Second Ride” and “Startin’ With Me,” will headline
the 102nd McKean County Fair with one show at 8 p.m. Aug. 18.

Advance ticket sale information is available by contacting Pat
Lord in Smethport.

Less than three years after arriving in Nashville with a truck
load of dreams and songs, Owen released his debut album, “Startin’
With Me” in July 2006. Among the album’s many songs was his Top 20
single, “Yee Haw,” which continued to move up the country singles
charts.

He wrote this song, which celebrates the untethered
possibilities of the weekend. In 2006, “Yee Haw” was the most added
song by a new artist one week and second most added overall, behind
Tim McGraw.

As the writer of all 11 tracks on the album, Owen finds
inspiration for his songs from stories he’s heard about family
members he never knew and his own life experiences, including years
of campus life.

Originally, Owen had planned to be a walk-on for the golf team
at Florida State University, when a water-skiing accident derailed
his golf career. He put down his clubs and picked up a guitar. He
taught himself to play that instrument.

As an English major, it wasn’t long before he began writing
songs, and just one semester from graduation at Florida State, he
packed his truck and headed to Nashville.

The road to a record deal is often paved with breaks, and in
Owen’s case, it was a demo tape that he gave to the banker when he
opened an account which eventually led him to RCA Records.

Going to concerts in Tallahassee was a favorite entertainment
choice, and he saw several artists who would later influence his
career.

Owen said, “I remember sitting in the nose-bleed section of the
Leon County Civic Center when I was in college and saw Kenny
Chesney running all over that stage, and the audience was going
crazy. I thought, ‘That’s what I’m going to do some day.'”

That dream came true, and in 2006, Owen opened for Chesney’s
“The Road and Radio Tour,” which began in San Diego, Calif., on
June 18 and ended in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 30. The tour had
traveled to 10 states. Owen’s seven-song opening set featured
mostly music from his album, “Startin’ With Me.”

In less than one month, the Vero Beach, Fla., native appeared
twice on the Grand Ole Opry stage.