HARRINGTON — Felton guitarist and singer Quade Gannon is ready to make his dreams come true on a famous stage adjacent to his hometown.
He will round out the final night of the Delaware State Fair, as one of the opening acts for the Turnpike Troubadours. The concert is July 27 at 7 p.m. at the M&T Bank Grandstand.
The 2022 graduate of Lake Forest High School attends Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where he majors in criminal justice and plays on the baseball team.
However, his goal is to be a professional singer. Next week’s performance is a step in that direction.
“It’s a lifetime dream come true to even be able to be on that stage for any amount of time,” Mr. Gannon said.
He’s been playing the guitar and singing, as well as dabbling a bit on the piano, since his early teen years.
“I have been singing since I was 13 or 14 years old,” he said. “Really what got me into it was the fact that, growing up, there was always an instrument around the house, whether it was a piano or guitar. My dad played guitar in college, so his guitar was always close by.”
Those family influences are a big reason he enjoys performing.
“My Uncle Tate, who inspires me a lot because he also played music my whole life growing up, he was always playing guitar and music,” Mr. Gannon said. “It was something that we always did as a family.”
And that support is just continuing to grow.
“My family inspires me a lot because I know they all enjoy listening,” he added. “And it’s neat to see the music knowledge, and wanting to absorb more music has happened more. Like my parents have branched out more into what they are listening to, and my sister listens to more music.”
Though he found his talent young, Mr. Gannon said songwriting is the last piece of the puzzle for him.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced was writing. Writing took a long, long time,” he noted. “I started playing guitar and everything at 13 or 14, but I didn’t start writing something for the first time until I was probably 17.”
Then, in April, he was able to finally pen a song he really enjoys. He released “Homewrecker” and is witnessing his hard work pay off.
“It was a very surreal feeling when it happened,” Mr. Gannon said. “I was away at college when I released it. But to see how everyone at college reacted to it was pretty neat.”
The song was recorded at his school, among friends in a podcasting booth, so he wanted to celebrate with those who assisted him in getting it ready for release.
“We sat in a dorm room, ... me and a group of my friends, until midnight, and we all were just sitting on our phones, refreshing our Spotify, just waiting for something to come up,” he recalled.
Since then, he has released three other tracks and is working on more.
But he also wants to make the most of his time performing and doesn’t turn down many chances to do so.
“Every opportunity I get to do it, I do it,” Mr. Gannon said. “I really enjoy it, and it’s just fun for me.”
Coincidentally, along with his family, it was a state fair concert that propelled him toward his stage aspirations.
“I tell a lot of different people that, the first time I ever watched somebody play and went, ‘That’s what I want to do,’ was when I was 12 years old at the Delaware State Fair, watching Jon Pardi the first time he came here,” Mr. Gannon said. “I was in the pit maybe two rows back from the stage.”
Regarding music’s role in his future, “I would really like for this to be a career,” he said. “Right now, I work a regular job from 7 o’ clock to 3 o’ clock in the summer, and I am a full-time college student, playing baseball and everything.”
However, he has grown to understand that the music industry here is not as large as other places, such as Nashville, Tennessee.
“The music scene here, aside from the shows at the state fair, is very minimal, especially in Kent County. There is only a handful of restaurants that have any type of live music or have a venue suitable for it.
“I hope that I inspire people to try and grow the live music culture around here.”
Grandstand concerts
The Delaware State Fair, which opened Thursday, will hold a concert or event each night at the M&T Bank Grandstand:
- Thursday — Rick Springfield with Starship featuring Mickey Thompson at 7:30
- Friday — Jon Pardi with Walker Montgomery, 7:30
- Saturday — Ludacris with DJ Infamous, 7:30
- Sunday — Jordan Davis with Greylan James, 7:30
- Monday — Cooper Alan with Thomas Mac, 7:30
- July 23 — We the Kingdom with Consumed by Fire, 7:30
- July 24 — Brantley Gilbert with Mike Ryan, 7:30
- July 25 — Harness racing, 7
- July 26 — Demolition derby, 7
- July 27 — Turnpike Troubadours with Tyler Halverson and Quade Gannon, 7
For information and to purchase tickets, visit delawarestatefair.com .
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