Birthdays Bringing This Country Favorite to Montana

It's not often you get to celebrate a birthday for a country music favorite, and an entire country on the same night.

But that's what is happening in Missoula next week when songwriter and hitmaker Aaron Tippin rolls into Arlee for a big show celebrating both milestones next Wednesday.

And we're giving away tickets to see the show and kick off the Independence Day celebrations in style. Let's dive into some of the details.

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Tippin is a working-class hero

Aaron may be a country star with many big hits under his belt. But he comes from a working-class background, having worked as a truck driver, pipe fitter, and even a pilot before breaking out in 1990.

The Montana connection came shortly after that, when he met his wife who came from Great Falls, starting a love affair with his lady, and the "Electric City" that's still going on today.

"We make it up there once or twice a year every year," Tippin told me Thursday, saying the tours hear a great time to see old friends.

"I just fell in love with Great Falls once I fell in love with the Great Falls girl. I'm working right now looking forward to and trying to make a draw so that I can do elk hunt in Montana, That'd really thrill."

Relatable songs

Aaron's secret to success has always been writing to his "blue-collar" fans. And tunes like "Ain't Nothing Wrong with the Radio", celebrating an old truck with little to offer beyond a great stereo, continue to ring true when trucks cost $100,000.

"These songs were meant for people living the real life." -Aaron Tippin

Songs that inspired during tough times

Tippin's first hit, "You've Got to Stand for Something", became an anthem for soldiers during the Gulf War in 1990. Just over a decade later, "Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly" hit a cord in the weeks after the 9-11 attacks. That number was actually recorded and then rejected by his record label a couple of years before.

"You know, I didn't realize, this is all in God's hands." Tippin reflects. "That song had a bigger purpose and it was coming. When 9-11 happened, there was nothing more I wanted to say to America."

Aaron says that he didn't want to write a song about our country being "suckered punched" but about "who we are" when the going gets tough.

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Wednesday's show

Tippin will play at the beautiful new Montana Cattle Lack Ranch Freedom Jam, which starts at 3 pm on July 3rd north of Arlee. He'll take the stage at 7 and will be available afterward for autographs. Tickets are on sale on the ranch's website.

We've also given some away to lucky KYSS listeners. Denny Bedard will have another 4-pack to give away on "The Drive Home with Denny Bedard" Friday afternoon. And Ace Sauerwein will be giving away another 4-pack of tickets during his remote broadcast at Bob Ward's in Missoula on Saturday. Just download the KYSS mobile app, and be listening for him to tell you to swing by and be the first to show you've got the app installed to win.