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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Voice’ winner Sundance Head will do it to country songs with Blake Shelton

Singer Sundance Head participates in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss winning Season 11 of “The Voice,” at AOL Studios on Dec. 16, 2016, in New York. Head is joining Blake Shelton on tour, and will be in Spokane on Feb. 24. (Evan Agostini / Invision/AP)

Big news, country fans. Sundance Head has been added to the lineup of country star Blake Shelton’s upcoming tour, which makes a stop at the Spokane Arena on Feb. 24.

Shelton’s fans are excited: The announcement on his Facebook page has more than 17,000 likes (and counting). The arena also seems excited: The news release we received about Head’s upcoming appearance has three exclamation marks in the subject line.

And Shelton himself released a statement saying he was “thrilled” that Head was “bringing his incredible musical talents” to his upcoming “Doing It to Country Songs” tour.

But you may be asking yourself, “Who in the world is Sundance Head?”

The singer’s notoriety is relatively new. He was the most recent winner of NBC’s competition series “The Voice,” where Shelton was his mentor. Although he has yet to release a proper album, Head’s version of the Etta James classic “At Last,” which he performed on the season finale in December, nearly cracked the Top 10 on the country charts.

“The Voice” has been a steady ratings draw for NBC since it premiered in 2011. Its fresh take on the vocal competition format reportedly siphoned viewers away from Fox’s one-time juggernaut “American Idol,” though it has yet to produce a superstar of the caliber as such “Idol” contestants as Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

The premise of “The Voice,” in case you’re unaware, is pretty simple. Singers both amateur and professional audition for a panel of four artists and music industry insiders, who listen with their backs to the performers. If a judge likes what they hear, they offer the vocalists a spot on their respective mentorship “teams.” Viewers then vote each week for the contestants they think are the most talented.

Head auditioned for the show with the Otis Redding classic “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” and Shelton and fellow judge Adam Levine butted heads to get Head on their teams. Shelton won out – that partnership is obviously paying dividends – and Head went on to beat out 24 semi-finalists, including fellow country singer Billy Gilman.

Despite his newfound fame, Head isn’t exactly a novice to this music thing. His father is country singer Roy Head, whose single “Treat Her Right” was a hit in 1965. Head followed in his dad’s footsteps when he competed – and got pretty far – on the sixth season of “American Idol,” getting the ax after performing Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy.” He reportedly scored a record deal with Universal following his stint on the show.

Head’s addition to Shelton’s bill makes the upcoming Spokane show something of a “Voice” reunion. Country singer RaeLynn, who landed a spot in Shelton’s “Voice” team in the show’s second season, will also be opening (she previously opened for Shelton’s ex-wife Miranda Lambert at the arena in 2015). Although she didn’t win, RaeLynn has become one of the best known “Voice” contestants, scoring a Top 10 country hit with her single “God Made Girls.”

Tickets for the Shelton show are still available through TicketsWest. He last performed at the arena in 2014 for a sold-out audience.