ST. GEORGE — Tim Gates, lead singer for country music band Due West, will be the opening act at the 99.9 KONY Country “4th of July Celebration” with his band, Gates.
Gates will play right before award-winning country music singer Scotty McCreery takes the stage. Gates made an appearance at the 2017 Independence Day celebration as the singer of the national anthem.
The 4th of July Celebration takes place at the Trailblazer Stadium at Dixie State University. The celebration includes live music, food trucks and concessions, and the largest fireworks show in Southern Utah.
The event opens at 6 p.m. on July 4, the show starts at 8 p.m., and the fireworks take place at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased online.
Gates lived in Richfield, Utah before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2002 to work as a social worker. In 2003, he left that job to wait tables and play music.
“I love everything about country music. The guitars, the singers, the stories. I started writing songs at a young age and enjoyed it, so naturally I moved to Nashville,” Gates said.
Gates met Fred Boekhorst, Matt Lopez and Brad Hull at a party in 2004 and they started Due West. At the same party, Gates met Jason Deere, a songwriter, producer and remixer who has worked with artists such as Marie Osmond, Jessica Simpson and Katy Perry.
Deere loved the way that Gates, Lopez and Hull harmonized and recommended that they find a record deal. When they asked him to help, he agreed, and they have worked together ever since.
Gates and his wife Roberta have five children, one of which is a newborn. Both he and his wife have a passion for helping people with disabilities. They have four people with disabilities in their lives that they help take care of.
In 2004, Deere started writing songs and created the Mormon music group, The Nashville Tribute Band. He needed someone to tour with him and Due West agreed.
Boekhorst played guitar for the very first Due West performance, but didn’t stay. After going their separate ways, Gates and Boekhorst got back in touch in 2017 and now they play music in the band Gates full-time. The KONY Country Fourth of July Celebration is the first big show that the band Gates will perform at.
Gates and Boekhorst played an acoustic set Tuesday at the offices of Canyon Media. Video of the performance will be part of a St. George News music series called “Printer Jams,” which will feature videos of visiting and local artists performing in the intimate setting. Details on the new show – to be seen on Facebook and stgnews.com – will be made public soon.
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The St George area’s fireworks displays, as to what the city used to put on? ..Now has totally gone to Hell.. just a waste of time to bother to try to park or watch at the college
Then don’t go…..I don’t think anybody really cares if you show up or not