WYRK Fall Acoustic Show to Star Blake Shelton, with Special Guests Luke Bryan and Sarah Jones

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- WYRK-FM will present the WYRK Fall Acoustic Show Starring Blake Shelton at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. Opening acts are Luke Bryan and Sarah Johns. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Food Bank of Western New York.

Two weeks out of high school in 1994, Warner Brothers recording artist Shelton packed his guitar and headed to Nashville. In 1997, Shelton linked up songwriter/producer Bobby Braddock, who co-wrote the standards "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and "Time Marches On," to produce his debut single, "Austin," which stayed at No. 1 on Billboard's singles chart for five weeks, tying Billy Ray Cyrus' record for a debut single. Shelton also reached No. 1 for three weeks with "The Baby" in 2003. He spent most of the year on the road with Toby Keith. In 2004, he released the studio album "Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill," which included the hits "Some Beach," "Goodbye Time" and "Nobody But Me."

Capitol Records' Luke Bryan grew up in the very small town of Leesburg, Ga. By age 14, his parents bought him an Alvarez guitar. At age 16, two local songwriters who had enjoyed some success providing tunes for Nashville artists invited him to join their twice-a-week writing sessions at a local church. Encouraged by everyone who heard him play, Bryan planned to move to Nashville after high school graduation. Supported by his family, he was loading his car for the move when tragedy struck. His older brother Chris, Bryan's biggest supporter and one of his best friends, was killed in an auto accident the day Bryan was to leave town. From that time on, Bryan has continued to devote himself to music, finding escape and emotional release in its songs, like his current hit "All My Friends Say."

Newcomer BNA Records' Sarah Johns' debut single "The One in the Middle" has received a lot of attention on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and enabled Sarah to attend her first ACM Awards this year, socializing at the after-party with Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn and Miranda Lambert, to name a few. "You know what I was doing this time last year?" asked the self-described country girl with sass and spirit, "Cleaning tour buses!" After moving to Nashville, Johns cleaned artists' tour buses so she could support herself while she was writing songs and trying to get a record deal. "Honey, you wouldn't believe the stuff people leave behind on those buses," she laughed. Johns now spends her weeks riding in those very tour buses she once cleaned, promoting her feisty debut album.

Tickets for the WYRK Fall Acoustic Show Starring Blake Shelton are $20. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For more information, call 645-ARTS.