Lynyrd Skynyrd

Who better to kick-off the six-day festival than the all-time classic rock legend Lynyrd Skynyrd? The last time the 2006 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inductees rocked Grand Rapids was a decade ago. Since forming in 1964 and achieving worldwide recognition in the mid-1970s, the band has continued to tour, record and entertain fans. The genuinely remarkable rock anthems "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird" have carried through the years and are still being played consistently on the radio today.

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Stone Temple Pilots

Since 1986, “STP” has been rocking the nation in a deep, hard rock, grunge-reminiscent style of music. Their first album “Core” was released in 1992, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Albums chart. After selling 40 million records worldwide, the band broke up in 2003, but reunited in 2008, headlining many festivals and events. They swarmed the East coast and quickly spread across the nation with songs like “Plush,” “Sour Girl” and “Vasoline.” Over the years, the band has amassed 16 Billboard Top Ten singles, eight of which peaked at #1.

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Willie Nelson

AMERICAN CLASSIC. The two words that define Willie Nelson are appropriately used as the title of his newest album. Nelson's career, which now spans seven decades, has encompassed roles as hit songwriter and country-hippie icon, actor and elder country statesman. The 78-year-old and his "outlaw" country viewpoint set the standard over thirty years ago, when "Stardust" swept the nation. Nelson will be performing a "Jam Band" style of music for his Grand Rapids show.

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Bachman Turner

After twenty years apart, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner are back together and ready to take care of business once again. In the mid 70s, there was no one bigger than Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Over a four-year span, they earned a staggering 120 platinum, gold and silver discs, notching up hits in over 20 countries. BTO reached #1 on both the Billboard singles and album charts, as well as placing a half dozen more songs in the Top 50. “Takin’ Care of Business,” “Let It Ride,” “Roll On Down the Highway,” “Looking Out For #1,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” – all are classic rock anthems written by Bachman and Turner.

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Alice Cooper

Whether he's playing music, hosting a radio show, or acting on screen, the world can all agree that Alice Cooper is extremely talented and always puts on a great show. With classics such as "Schools Out," "I'm Eighteen," and, "Billion Dollar Babies," it's hard to disagree. There have been any number of well-defined movements in rock, but seldom are they as easy to source as the theatrics that Alice Cooper brought to the ring. He has made audiences expect more, much more, of their artists. Cooper was born in Detroit, MI in 1948, and was inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.

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Blake Shelton

This year's event is headlined by country musical sensation Blake Shelton. "Hillbilly Bone" is Shelton's recent six-song release and the first album of what he refers to as "The SIX PAK." The SIX PAK is a six-album set Shelton is creating to get his music into the hands of his fans more often. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top Country Album chart and #3 on the Billboard all-genre chart. The first song of the album is "Hillbilly Bone," an electrifying single that took the country by storm. Many other notable songs from Shelton that also topped charts include "Kiss My Country Ass," "Some Beach," "All about Tonight," along with several others. Blake Shelton is not only a "down to earth" country star but also pioneer in the country world as well. He brings the "hillbilly" viewpoint into the 21st century, as he is well-known for his sarcastic and thought-provoking "tweets and status" updates.

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Ludacris

The game changing rapper "Luda" has been quite busy over the last couple of years. His latest album, "Battle of the Sexes," has combined the viewpoints of both genders in order to "level the playing field" in the rap game. Chart-toppers include "Roll Out," "Get Back," and his recent hits, "My Chick is Bad," and "How Low." Ludacris rode the early-2000s "Dirty South" explosion to widespread popularity, ashis songs enjoyed an enormous embrace, mainly by urban media outlets, but also MTV and pop radio. His music has also helped raise money for the victims of natural disasters around the world.

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T-Pain

Rarely will you find an artist who can say they changed the entire shape of the game. However, it is accurate to say T-pain and his "auto-tuned" voice, can be counted on that list. Since 2005, T–Pain has been awarded a grammy and won "Song-Writer of the Year" as well as "Producer of the Year" at the BMI Urban Awards. You will seldom hear a "Top of the Chart" single without T-Pain on the track. Some of his most famous songs include "Buy you a Drank," "Can’t Believe It," and "Bartender," which gets a tremendous amount of airplay on the radio and at the clubs.

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Robert Randolph

Robert Randolph talks about his beginnings in music and his new album "We Walk This Road".

"I grew up in the House of God church. The pedal steel was a big part of our church tradition. I grew up watching older guys play, and I started playing when I was fifteen. When I was nineteen, someone gave me tickets to a Stevie Ray Vaughan concert. After that, I wanted to play pedal steel like Stevie Ray played his guitar. I wanted to take another path than the people who played traditional pedal steel to take it to a whole new level. We started playing and touring around New York City in 2000, playing clubs like Wetlands, and things started to take off. We were selling out large New York clubs with no record deal, and it started to spread to Philly and Boston. Soon, we signed to Warner Brothers, and word began to get around about us nationally. Great artists like Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews and B.B. King accepted us. Young artists, too: we toured with the Roots and Pharrell and John Mayer. We have been fortunate to be accepted by a wide range of fan bases, and we have been able to build from there. I definitely feel as if everything has been working up to this moment, to this record."

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Jonny Lang

Jonny Lang started off his career as a twelve-year-old rock and roll/blues phenom, and hasn’t looked back since. The band that inspired him, Bad Medicine Blues Band, had given him guitar lessons which resulted in selecting him to join their band. They then renamed the band, Kid Jonny Lang and The Big Bang. Kid Jonny Lang and The Big Bang had independently released the album “Smokin” when Lang was only fourteen. Lang was signed to A&M Records in 1996 and released the critically acclaimed multi-platinum “Lie to Me” on January 28, 1997. In more than ten years on the road, Lang has toured with the Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy, Aerosmith, B.B. King, Blues Traveler, Jeff Beck and Sting.

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Bomshel

The American Country duo, Kristy Osmunson and Kelley Shepard, are just what their name references, Bombshells. The duo is quite an exhilarating act that produced hits like "Fight Like a Girl," "19 and Crazy," "It Was an Absolutely, Finger Lickin', Grits and Chicken, Country Music Love Song," their famous "Bomshel Stomp," as well as "The Power of One" which was included on the soundtrack of the infamous movie, Evan Almighty. The women of Bomshel are also very active in the community. In 2006, Bomshel started putting up custom-built choppers on their website for auction, including the "Wicked Women of Tequila Rose Chopper" in which case all proceeds go to Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Bomshel looks to get Grand Rapids in the Stompin' mood during their visit.

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Wayland

The local band Wayland (formerly known as Whiskey Circus), has been hitting it off all around town with 3 songs on 97.9 WGRD. They have traveled all over the country including recording in California and have now returned to their roots. It is hard not to root for these gentlemen after hearing songs like "She Lights It Up," "Dirty Angelina', and "Shopping for a Savior." They recorded in the Can Am Studios, the same studio where Pearl Jam, Guns N Roses, and Aerosmith have all recorded. After opening up for Hinder, Seether, and Sick Puppies at the 2011 Wingstock, there is no doubt Grand Rapids will go crazy for Wayland.

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Rose Hill Drive

Rose Hill Drive, originating from Boulder, Colorado, is a young American rock band. The group is often aligned with other innovators in the revival of traditional hard rock and early metal–psychedelic. Combining hard-driving rock and blues with modern touches and arrangements, they are often described by reviewers as reminiscent of 1970s rock bands Led Zeppelin and Cream. With hit albums like "Moon is the new Earth" as well as "Americana" its hard not to recognize them as a national act. They have played with major acts before including Stone Temple Pilots.

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Due Dilligence

Due Diligence is a fictional character, and in his mind, he is creating new music for the integrity generation. This music is changing the world and making it a better place, starting with his first release, $afety EP which was released in May of this year. Check it out at www.safetyep.com. It is half Eminem, half Stephen Colbert and full-on, in-your-face entertainment with a positive message. Look for him to hit the stage, just before T-Pain and Ludacris, at Rock the Rapids on August 13th. He'll be joined on stage with collaborators from his Freshman EP: Minor State, Travis Piccard, Liz, and Jesse Fick.

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