The pressure of being chosen as the opening act for the huge Tracy Lawrence tour could be enough to make any artist pass on the offer.

But singer/song-writer Sherrie Austin took on the task, and she will be opening the three-band show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the SIU Arena.

The Australian songstress sees her slot in the tour as simply doing what she does best.

Advertisement

I really wanted to (tour) because I love to play live, Austin said. It’s a great opportunity, and I’d rather be out there working than sitting down worrying about my job. I’m a singer, a songwriter and an entertainer, and it’s my job to perform live.

Austin has been performing country music live since she was 14 years old when she was still living in her native Australia. It was not long before Austin, 26, found herself opening a series of concerts for country legend Johnny Cash just shy of her 15th birthday.

It was great because he’s a big star all over the world, Austin said. He’s very big in Australia, so it was really a big deal.

Another thing the high- and sharp-voiced singer finds important is her lyrics. And the title of her debut album Words seems quite apt when Austin discusses the weight of the lyrics in her songs.

I’m pickiest about lyrics, even more than melody, and I’m a melodic person. The lyrics and the story are a big part of country music, she said. With country music, it’s a challenge to find a way to say the same thing in a way that hasn’t been said before.

With Lucky in Love and One Solitary Tear sizzling up the country music charts (and another single on the way in December), Austin said a lot of the drive that keeps her writing music surfaces from inner inspiration.

Within myself, there’s obviously competition. That’s what this business is about. I want to be a better singer/songwriter, she said. What’s important to me is my art. That’s what I have control over and as long as people want to listen to it, I’ll keep doing it. I’ll keep doing it even if they don’t.

Advertisement*

Though Austin will surely get the crowd riled up, the show is basically just beginning with her performance. The audience at the Arena can still look forward to two major country acts after Austin.

Headlining act Tracy Lawrence, and the middle act Trace Adkins, will offer the type of music that Chad Edwards, a senior in zoology from Peoria and a fan of both musicians, said is popular in the area.

The country concerts here always sell out because this is the type of area where country artists do really well, he said. There is more of a country atmosphere down here as opposed to Chicago.

Lawrence, known for such hits as Time Marches On and If the World Had a Front Porch, is touring in support of his latest release, The Coast Is Clear.

The Arkansas native has drawn inspiration from such nontraditional country artists as ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd for the majority of his recording career a career that has now spawned six studio albums and 17 No. 1 country hits in six years.

Adkins is known for The Rest of Mine and Thinking Thing.

Edwards said the nontraditional influences of Lawrence are what appeal to him most about the artist.

(Lawrence’s music) is not real twangy. It’s got a modern beat, he said. It’s more of a top-40 sound than a traditional country sound. He’s definitely in the top 20 best artists in country music today.

Austin also had positive things to say about her tour-mates.

Who isn’t familiar with Tracy Lawrence?, she said. I mean, he’s had 17 No. 1 hits and Trace Adkins is on fire now. They’re both great.

Tickets for Thursday’s Tracy Lawrence, Trace Adkins and Sherrie Austin concert are $19.50. For more information, call the Arena at 453-5341.