The concert, sponsored by Mobil Delvac, will be held Friday, August 27, 2010 and is our way of showing how much we appreciate you: the truck-driving backbone of our country.

Tickets will be available on-site at the show the morning of Friday, August 27th and are first come, first served. Below is a bio on each of the artist performing at this year’s show.

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Randy Houser

The passion, enthusiasm and conviction in Randy Houser’s music is utterly irresistible. One listen to his soul-drenched singing is enough to convince you that you are in the presence of a masterful performer. One scan of his deeply felt lyrics is all the proof you need to see that this is a major songwriting talent. And one meeting with this smiling, endearing, open-hearted personality is all it takes to make you believe he deserves to be a star. That indefinable something, called charisma, is all over his exceptional debut album ANYTHING GOES (Universal Records South).

Whether plunging into sadness or leaping for joy in song, Randy Houser has what all great country artists have – believability. The album is the capstone of an extraordinary run of good fortune for the singer-songwriter.

Thanks to his riveting vocal prowess, Randy received great response from both fans and radio programmers with his first single, the gripping, strikingly emotional ballad “Anything Goes” which catapulted into the Top 20 after an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman. His current hit single, “Boots On,” has positioned Randy to be among the next big artists to emerge in the genre. The record is at No. 6 and climbing at Country radio, making Randy the first new male artist with a Top 10 hit since February 2008.

As illustrated through the CD, Randy Houser is a breathtaking vocalist with fire and conviction at his core. The songs he has chosen by other Nashville writers for this album are superb showcases for the vocal side of his talent. In addition to “Anything Goes,” they include the sensual “Strange” and the ultra-cool, groove-saturated “How Many Times”–the latter featuring harmony vocals by superstar Vince Gill.

Randy grew up in central Mississippi. He was born in Jackson and raised in Lake, a small town between Jackson and Meridian. Musically, it’s a region between the Blues and R&B of the Delta and the hard-core country music of the Deep South. There was always plenty of gospel music on the radio as well.

But his true musical foundation was the artistry of his father. His parents split up when he was only seven, and thereafter Randy spent summers with the professional singer and musician. Papa Houser was a fairly well known performer in the Jackson, Mississippi nightclub scene and was also a first call studio musician in and around that area for several years. After he relocated to Biloxi, young Randy decided to follow in his footsteps.

“I started writing songs right away, at 15 and 16 years old. I was already starting, because I hated playing the ‘covers’ of the hits. I knew that if I was ever going to do anything in music, I was going to have to learn to express myself. Otherwise, it was going to be the same-old, same-old.” His father and mentor died when Randy was 21. He’d told his boy that he didn’t want to be kept alive on machines. After his father lost consciousness, this young man was put in the agonizing position of having to “pull the plug” on the mentor he idolized. That painful experience formed the basis of Randy’s emotional song “I’ll Sleep.” A few years later, Randy Houser made the big decision to move to Nashville to seek his fortune. “I can literally say that a song changed my life,” Randy reports. “I’ll tell you how I made the decision. I was sitting at home one day and thinking, ‘God, what am I doing?’ I’d been waiting around for so long and hadn’t gone and done what I always said I was going to do. And then that song ‘Life Happened’ came on the radio, and I just started bawling. And right then, I made the decision. I was gone.

“A guitar player friend from Mississippi had moved to Nashville. He said, ‘Well, come on…’ So I came up in early 2003 with an air mattress and a pile of junk in a ’92 Cougar. Two weeks later, the engine blew up in that car. I didn’t know how I was going to make a living, but knew I had to make one.”

Within two weeks of arriving, Randy ran into a woman who’d heard him perform in Mississippi. She arranged for him to sing a “demo” for a Nashville songwriter. Days later, he was getting calls to sing them all the time. Successful, Mississippi-bred songwriters Fred Knobloch and Derek George encouraged Randy. Derek took Randy to the Windswept publishing company, where Cliff Audretch, III became a booster.

Signed by Windswept in late 2003, Randy and co-writers Jamey Johnson and Dallas Davidson were on the charts with “Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk” by early 2005. Since then, Randy’s tunes have been picked up by John Michael Montgomery (“If You Ever Went Away”), Justin Moore (“Back That Thing Up”), George Canyon (“Coming From You”), among other artists. Cliff loved Randy’s own recordings of the tunes and urged producer Mark Wright to listen. Now Cliff and Mark have co-produced Randy Houser’s outstanding disc debut.

“One day, awhile back, Mark (Wright) and I were talking about singers. He said, ‘Man, the most soulful singers in history all grew up poor.’ This really rang true for me. That’s part of the reason I sound the way that I do.”

For more information, please visit www.randyhouser.com

The Grascals

Info to come soon!

“The Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference promises to be a high-level event that will attract even more key decision makers to GATS and will bring additional informational and networking opportunities to exhibitors and attendees,” says Alan K. Sims, GATS vice president/executive director. “This new conference, in addition to our existing TruckSmart Summit educational sessions, means GATS will truly offer something for every aspect of the trucking industry.”

The CVOC will provide critical information for all segments of the commercial fleet business, including fleet executives, truck OEMs, part and component suppliers, truck dealers, distributors, maintenance and repair specialists and owner-operators.

“We recognize GATS as an event where HDMA can further support our members and reach an expanded audience, which will benefit from our program,” says Timothy Kraus, president and chief operating officer of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association. “Our goal is to bring vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers, parts and service providers and end-user fleet customers together for a day of information sharing and networking.”

Held at the Dallas Convention Center on August 25, the day prior to the opening of GATS, CVOC will run from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. with an industry networking reception immediately following. Session topics will include:

• Outlook for freight
• Future of commercial vehicle technology
• Vehicle and parts maintenance forecasts
• Fleet Market Pulse
• Government affairs

More detailed CVOC program and registration details will be available in the coming weeks. The 2010 Great American Trucking Show will be held August 26, 27 and 28 at the Dallas Convention Center. For more information on the Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference, e-mail info@hdma.org. 

About the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association

The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association provides industry leadership for the NAFTA commercial vehicle component suppliers through a range of services to members, including national and international industry news; market research reports; executive forums, councils, premier conferences and industry events; advocacy and collaboration in government affairs and within the commercial vehicle industry.

NOTE:
You will not be able to register for Exhibitor Badges until your application for exhibit space has been submitted, approved and booth assignment is made.

• Exhibitor Badges are limited to those persons working directly in your exhibit.
• Badges will include Name, Exhibiting Company Name, City and State
• Badges will be mailed in bulk to the contact listed below
• Plastic badge holders may be picked up onsite during move-in and throughout the show.
• Late exhibitor badge requests and changes will be processed and picked up onsite

August 26-28, 2010

August 25-27, 2011

August 23-25, 2012

Sponsored by:

Q: How do I get tickets to the free Friday night and Saturday night concerts at GATS?
A: Tickets are distributed on a first come, first serve basis. They will be distributed in the registration lobby starting at 9am the day of the concert. The concert is free to all registered attendees of the Great American Trucking Show. If you want tickets for both shows, you need to come each morning to obtain the tickets for the concert that evening.

Q: Is there Truck Parking available?
A: Yes, there is free Truck Parking available at the Reunion lot, which is located at Hotel street and Memorial Drive, at the southwest corner of the Dallas Convention Center. For maps/directions to the lot please follow the link below.

Click Here for more information on Truck Parking

Q: Parking at the Dallas Convention Center.
A: There are numerous pay-to-park lots around the Dallas Convention Center. There is also paid parking lot underneath the Dallas Convention Center.

Q: Where can I find local Hotels that are close to the Convention Center?
A: The Great American Trucking Show has partnered with Travel Planners to help plan you trip to Dallas.

For more information on booking your hotel for the Great American Trucking Show please Click Here.

Q: How do I enter my truck in the Pride and Polish Truck Beauty Competition?
A: Please call Linda Meaux at 205-248-1361 or visit www.prideandpolish.com

Q: Can I park my RV or Camper in the Truck Parking Lot next to the Dallas Convention Center?
A: The City of Dallas does not allow RV/Camper parking within the city limits. If you are planning on bring your RV, check out the Dallas Metro KOA Campground at www.koa.com. This campsite is approximately 25 miles away from the Dallas Convention Center. For more information, you can email them at dallasmetro@koa.org or give them a call at 817-277-6600.

Q: Are wheelchairs/scooters available for rent?
A: Yes, Wheelchairs and scooters will be available for rent. Visit Scootaround’s Web site at http://www.scootaround.com/rentals/g/gats/ for more information or to reserve you scooter.

Q: Can I bring my pet to the Great American Trucking Show?
A: Unfortunately, animals and pets are not permitted (with exception to guide dogs, signal dogs and other animals individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability) inside the Dallas Convention Center.