Concert lineup for MATS announced

With less than two months until the Mid-America Trucking Show, Mobil Delvac’s annual concert at the event on March 29 will feature Michael Ray and Runaway June.

Ray was the winner of “The Next: Fame is at Your Doorstep,”  which aired on The CW in 2012. He was mentored by John Rich of Big and Rich in the competition. He recently released his third album, “Amos.”

According to the MATS website, Ray loves a good story, so it’s only natural that when it came time to tell his own, he gravitated to country music.

“I feel like in music in general, but especially in country music, the story lines have always been the foundation,” he said. “No matter what changes may happen with the sound, I feel like when you listen to a song, no matter what walk of life you come from, you can really lose yourself in that song and put your own story to it.”

With their debut single, “Lipstick,” Runaway June became the first all-female trio in over a decade to score a Top 25 hit, according to the MATS website. The group was nominated for 2018 ACM for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year. The also recently released a self-titled album featuring the single “Buy My Own Drinks.”

The annual truck show will be March 28-30 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. MATS offers more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space and more than 1,000 exhibitors. Each year, the show features seminars on the trucking industry, as well as performances by several country music artists.

Free early-bird registration continues until Feb. 28. After the deadline you can register either online for onsite, but it will cost you $10.

MATS announced on its Facebook page in December that Peterbilt, Kenworth and Cummins have signed on to be exhibitors at the 2019 show.