Country singer Chad Brock, Thursday night’s grandstand entertainment at the Freeborn County Fair, performed to two packed audiences and brought the crowds to their feet with his hits &uot;Ordinary Life&uot; and &uot;Yes.

Friday, August 03, 2001

Country singer Chad Brock, Thursday night’s grandstand entertainment at the Freeborn County Fair, performed to two packed audiences and brought the crowds to their feet with his hits &uot;Ordinary Life&uot; and &uot;Yes.&uot;

Brock, a native of Ocala, Fla., stomped across the stage all night, backed by a lively fiddle and strong guitar corps. He performed songs from traditional country artists such as Merle Haggard and George Jones, as well tunes he penned himself.

Brock also gave the fans a preview of his upcoming album, due for release in late September. If songs like &uot;Livin’ in Las Vegas,&uot; &uot;The Thought of Being in Love&uot; and &uot;Park the Pickup – Kiss the Girl&uot; are any indication, his new album is destined for success.

Brock has been performing full-time since 1993 in clubs and honky-tonks around the South. In 1998, after releasing his first album with the Warner Bros. label, he toured with Alan Jackson, and a dedicated fan base started to grow.

&uot;I think people are starting to get it – to catch on a little bit,&uot; Brock said of his storytelling style. &uot;We (in the music industry) got off the focus of the song and got on the focus of image, of what somebody looks like. We needed to get back to the music. The most important thing is the song.&uot;

Brock’s career took off last year when his single &uot;Yes&uot; topped the charts. Now Brock is writing more music and focusing on traveling the summer fair circuit as his own headliner.

The crowds Thursday night proved he can pack his own grandstand.

&uot;I just like to sing,&uot; Brock said. &uot;But I don’t want to do a song that I can’t make you feel.&uot;