Fort Payne native Justin Chain has been announced as the opening act for Riverfest 2014’s country night on June 14, according to The Chamber, Gadsden/Etowah County. He will perform at 6 p.m.
At age 24, Chain has already learned that if he’s going to have a dream, it’s going to be a big one. If his name sounds familiar, there’s a reason.
“I appeared on season five of The Voice on NBC,” Chain said. “Now I’m currently working on my first album, Real Country.
“I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. Hearing my mom and dad sing growing up I guess just rubbed off on me,” he said. “I sang at talent shows through elementary school, and had a band when I was in high school with a few of my buddies.”
While music is one of his great loves, it wasn’t his only love.
“Originally I had planned on going to Alabama and playing football,” Chain said. He intended to pursue a career in the medical field. In October 2008 he was hit head on by a Chevy Trailblazer while riding a motorcycle.
As a result, Chain now has 78 screws and 13 plates in his body. In fact, a passerby that witnessed the accident tried to find his pulse and couldn’t. Paramedics arrived at the accident to find Chain crawling from the wreckage on his elbows. The damage to his legs as so extreme that doctors considered amputation.
“After waking up several days later I was told I would never walk again,” Chain said, “so my dreams of playing sports were over.”
The accident didn’t keep Chain down for long, though. He received 500 stitches and staples and 25 units of blood, and spend more than half a month in the hospital before being sent to physical therapy, where he gathered the will power to stand and walk even before his first day of therapy began.
The rest, as they say, is history, and Chain will continue to add another chapter to his story will this appearance at Riverfest.
The Chamber announced earlier this month the LACS, a “hick-hop” duo from will perform at 7:30 p.m. on June 14, on the mainstage at Riverfest.
Earlier, Jacksonville native Riley Green was booked to open June 13 performances at Riverfest.