Carly Pearce performing at 101st Ski-Hi Stampede – Conejos County Citizen

MONTE VISTA — Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Carly Pearce will perform July 27 to kick off the 101st Ski-Hi Stampede in Monte Vista. Frank Ray will be opening for Pearce at the Ski-Hi Complex.

Pearce, 32, will heat up the stage with hits like “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” “Hide the Wine,” “Next Girl” and her latest chart-topper, “What He Didn’t Do.”

Pearce is a three-time Country Music Association Award winner, a four-time Academy of Country Music Award winner, has received one CMT Music Award and one Grammy Award. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2021.

Pearce and Ashley McBryde earned a Grammy in February. They are the first female pairing to win the Grammy with their chart-topping hit “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.”

Pearce was touring earlier this year with Blake Shelton as part of the “Back to the Honky Tonk” tour and in late March released her first live album, “29: Written in Stone (Live from Music City).” Gwen Stefani, who is married to Shelton, and Pearce delivered ’90s nostalgia at the CMT Music Awards on April 2. The singers teamed up to perform No Doubt’s 1995 hit “Just a Girl” during the ceremony.

Pearce is known to be fiercely rooted in the classics. The girl who left her Kentucky home and high school at 16 to take a job at Dollywood has grown into a woman who embraces the genre’s forward progression. Honored as one of Country Music Television’s 2022 Artists of the Year, the 2021 Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year and reigning Academy of Country Music Awards Female Artist of the Year, Pearce is living out her childhood dream.

Pearce first gained major recognition in 2017 when her self-penned “Every Little Thing” found an audience on satellite radio. The song helped Pearce secure a major label recording contract and became a major hit, reaching number one on the Billboard country chart. Her debut album of the same name debuted in the top five of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Pearce has since released new material, including the 2020 single “Next Girl” from “29,” an EP released on Feb. 19, 2021. On Sept. 17, 2021, she released her third studio album, “29: Written in Stone.”

Ray, 36, is a relative newcomer to the country music scene. In 2021, Ray signed with BBR Music Group and released his debut single “Streetlights.” The song features Ray singing in both English and Spanish. Later in 2021, he issued another single, “Country’d Look Good on You.” This was followed in January 2022 by his first performance on the Grand Ole Opry. The same month, “Country’d Look Good on You” entered the top 40 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts.

Tickets for the kickoff concert featuring Pearce with special guest Ray are available for purchase at www.skihistampede.com.

Colorado’s Oldest Pro Rodeo is celebrating its 101st anniversary in 2023. The San Luis Valley Ski-Hi Stampede will be July 27-30.