Country music will once again echo from the hills as the Headwaters Country Jam fires up on June 27-29 at the festival grounds known as “The Bridge,” on Montana Highway 2 west of Three Forks.

Following in the footsteps of the popular Rockin’ the Rivers rock music festival at The Bridge (which actually used to span the Jefferson River at nearby Sappington Junction), the Headwaters Country Jam is in its sixth year. Past headliners have included Charlie Daniels, the Kentucky Headhunters, David Allan Coe, and the Bellamy Brothers. Area country bands like the Dirty Shame, Ten Foot Tall & 80 Proof , and Montana Rose have appeared in the past to lure the locals in to this three-day country music extravaganza also dubbed “Rockin’ the Rednecks,” and this year‘s lineup is exciting as well.

The show gets started on Thursday, June 27, with the Bad Intentions hitting the main stage at 6:00 pm. The Bad Intentions began as an acoustic guitar collaboration between Montana State University-Bozeman rodeo team members Kalyn Beasley and Jason Mills, who began playing Bozeman bars together initially. They added fiddle player Ross Brown and drummer BJ Clement to the mix, and the band’s high-energy shows soon began to gain them acclaim from appreciative crowds and club owners in both Montana and Wyoming. The Bad Intentions play outlaw country alternative covers as well as their own brand of Honky Tonk originals, and are sure to please the Country Jam crowd. The Bad Intentions will also close out Thursday’s main stage entertainment beginning at midnight.

Jack Ingram takes the big stage after the Bad Intentions at 8 pm. This Texas-born singer-songwriter, who won the 2008 Academy of Country Music’s award for Best New Male Vocalist, had been on the road wowing crowds and critics for more than a decade before receiving that honor. Ingram, signed to the independent record label Big Machine Records, has more than a dozen album releases under his belt, and 18 singles, seven of which have made it into country music’s top 40 over the years, including his originals “Barefoot and Crazy,” “Measure of a Man,” and “Wherever You Are.” Ingram was featured in the 2013 Superbowl commercial lineup describing what it takes to be a “true Texan,” and the Country Jam crowd will surely be on the lookout for a little bit of true Texas when Ingram entertains them.

Thursday’s headliner is a former professional golfer and a sensation in the modern world of country music. Colt Ford, whose real name is Jason Farris Brown, approaches country music through the genre of rap, or “hick-hop,” an un-classic approach to country that has fans hooked. Ford has even collaborated with country music legend John Anderson in a rap re-do of Anderson’s hit song “Swingin’,” featured in the 2012   movie “Super Zeroes.” Colt Ford’s hits include “No Trash in My Trailer,” “Cold Beer” (with Jamey Johnson), “Country Thang,” and 2012’s top 40 hit “Back” (with Jake Owen). The stage-side crowd during Ford’s performance is sure to make some memorable moves.

Friday’s main stage entertainment kicks off with the multi-faceted Bozeman band Western Skies at 4:00 pm. Western Skies consists of band manager Mark Longie on lead vocals, guitars, and mandolin, Jeff Lilly on vocals and bass guitar, singer and lead guitarist Jim Swenson, and Clayton Damjanovich covering drums and percussion. These musicians are no strangers to the Country Jam crowd, having played the venue three times previously. The band plays everything from Hank Williams to ZZ Top, and they’ll be back on the main stage at midnight on Friday.

Another Montana band, The Cold Hard Cash Show, hits the stage at 6:00 pm. Formed in 2005, the band is a self-described “original and innovative tribute to the music of Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Three.” The Cold Hard Cash Show features guitarist and singer Merle Travis Peterson, Travis Yost on bass, and drummer Fel Torres. The band performs Cash classics to a T, and they have even appeared on The Late Night Show with David Letterman. The Cold Hard Cash Show is no stranger to Bozeman country music fans, and the Country Jam folks will welcome them enthusiastically.

At 8:00 pm Confederate Railroad rolls onto the main stage. The band released their first CD 20 years ago, and it appears they are in an anniversary frame of mind that promises to bring good tunes to the Country Jam. Confederate Railroad is lead singer and vocalist Danny Shirley, Mark Dufresne on drums, Wayne Secrest on bass, Rusty Hendrix on lead guitar and Bobby Randall on steel guitar, fiddle and vocals. This award-winning country band loves to have fun with their audience, and that will suit Country Jam fans just fine.

Headlining Friday’s entertainment is country music’s six-time vocal group of the year, Diamond Rio, hitting the stage at 10:00 pm. Their debut single hit “Meet in the Middle,” became the first debut single in county music history to reach number one on the country music chart. They have gone on to have 32 more Billboard charting hits, including “Beautiful Mess,” Norma Jean Riley,” and “One More Day.”

The show wraps up on Saturday, June 19, and promises to be another day filled with music, though not all Saturday acts were finalized by press time. The Teka Brock Band gets the crowd rolling at 4:00 on the main stage. This five-piece Wyoming-based band plays a self-described brand of “country with a splash of southern rock and a twist of bluegrass” that should get the crowd going right.

At 8:00 pm Country Jam veteran Sammy Kershaw is scheduled to perform. With 10 albums under his belt, and more than 25 top 40 singles, including the number one hit “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” Kershaw is a seasoned country music performer who also dabbled in the world of politics for a time, running for lieutenant governor in his home state of Louisiana in 2007. He lost his bid for the office, but was inducted in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame the following year. He also made a unsuccessful try for the Lt. Governor’s seat in 2010, but remains a certain success in the world of country music.

The Headwaters Country Jam features country music star Craig Morgan for its 2013 finale. A U.S. Army veteran with nearly 20 years of service, Morgan has also worked as an EMT, a contractor and a sheriff’s deputy. Morgan says he thought his music was going to be simply a hobby, but after being nominated to the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, he says he knew he was going to follow his father, who was a bass player in Nashville, into the world of country music full-time. Morgan also hosts an outdoor show on cable television’s Outdoor Channel. His country chart hits include “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” and “Tough.” Morgan’s act should keep fans animated to the end.

Local bands will also be performing on the side stage at the Headwaters Country Jam, and other activities include horseshoe tournaments, dancing competitions, mechanical bull riding, and up to 20 vendors offering up goodies ranging from food to clothing. Beer and liquor are available on the concert venue proper, and a country store has staples like ice, pop, and other groceries available for concert-goers and campers. For information on tickets, camping and lineup updates, go to headwaterscountryjam.com or call 1-877-494-4841. Get your country on, and head for the Headwaters Country Jam in June!

Pat Hill is a freelance writer and music lover from Bozeman Montana.