Frankie Ballard

Country vocalist and guitarist Frankie Ballard, who started singing Elvis Presley songs with his dad at age five, still covers “Hound Dog,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and other classics onstage. ∙ In 2008, after Ballard won Kenny Chesney’s Next Big Star regional competition in his native Michigan, Chesney chose him to open shows on his tour. ∙ Three songs from his second album, 2014’s Sunshine & Whiskey—the title track, “Helluva Life,” and “Young & Crazy”—topped Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. ∙ His 2016 LP, El Rio, hit No. 9 on the Country chart and earned him comparisons to his hero, Bob Seger—whose “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” he covered on the album. ∙ Ballard joined Keith Urban onstage in 2017 for a guitar duel on The Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” after which Urban posted the video, raving, “Dude’s a bad ass!!!”