As most of you know, some singers, actors, entertainers and yes, even radio personalities, have been known to change their name. It's called a stage name. When I got into radio years ago, I thought about changing my name but finally decided on keeping my real name because most of my friends here knew who I was. This brings me to country star Frankie Ballard. I can't imagine saying Frankie's whole name on the radio -- Frank Robert "Frankie" Ballard IV. According to Wikipedia, that's his full name. I don't know if he decided to go by "Frankie Ballard" before or after going into the music business, but I think it was a wise decision to shorten it either way.

Ballard has been around for awhile now, signing a record deal in 2010 in Nashville. But like so many artists starting out in the record business, it took him several years to develop his career and now the struggle is starting to wane. Ballard burst onto the country music scene with his debut appearance on the Grand Opry in 2011. In that same year he released "A Buncha Girls" that charted onto the Billboard Top 40 country charts. But it wasn't until the release of "Helluva Life" in 2013, that he got heads turning, showing that the Battle Creek, Michigan native was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the ever-changing music business.

The album Sunshine & Whiskey produced his first #1 single in early 2014, the title song of the album. Most recently, Ballard hit the top of the charts with another #1 single, "Young and Crazy," his third song off the album.

The future for this singer/songwriter is very bright. That's why we're very excited to bring him to Texarkana on November 14 for the 2015 Taste of Country Christmas Tour. Tickets are available online only for just $15 for a limited time. Get yours now before prices go up. You also have a chance to win two tickets in our VIP Club to the concert by entering here.

Check out this video of Frankie Ballard performing the Bob Seger classic "Night Moves."

Here's more Frankie Ballard videos.

Here's one of my favorite songs off the album Sunshine and Whiskey.

Here's the story behind the song.

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