Multiple artists will be taking the stage on Sunday, July 17 th as part of “ROCK THE VALLEY” at the Red River Valley Fair. Artists include THE DOKKEN LYNCH REUNION TOUR, WINGER, LITA FORD, SWEET, STEELHEART, AND WIG WAM!

DOKKEN exploded out of the boiling hard rock/heavy metal scene in Los Angeles in the early 1980s. 1983’s “Breaking the Chains” with its catchy title track, set the stage for DOKKEN becoming the most dominant creative and commercial force in the world of Melodic Hard Rock for the following years. Such classic albums as “Tooth and Nail,” “Under Lock and Key,” and “Back for the Attack” all became multi-platinum selling smashes and the live “Beast from the East” went gold in Europe and Japan. DOKKEN is now Don Dokken (vocals), Mick Brown (drums), Jon Levin (guitar) and Chris McCarvill (bass). DOKKEN has survived and kept their loyal fans and has been embraced by a whole new generation of rock fans.

GEORGE LYNCH began learning to play the guitar at the age of 10. A naturally gifted musician, his guitar playing quickly progressed and became a creative outlet for him. When he joined Dokken in the early 1980’s, success came very quickly. As history proves, much of the band’s album sales and credibility is the result of his guitar abilities and songwriting. His worldwide success made him one of the most influential rock guitarists in modern music, even earning the band a Grammy nomination in 1989 for Best Rock instrumental. By 1998, LYNCH finished his commitment with Dokken and set out to work with the Lynch Mob. This resulted in “Smoke This,” an album that featured a culmination of his playing styles, but with a new approach. The 1999 tour that followed brought his playing to a new audience and resulted in a renewed interest in the band and GEORGE LYNCH’s influence. The most notable is his endorsement with ESP Guitars as he is held as their highest profiled endorser for close to 20 years. When GEORGE LYNCH is not recording, writing or touring, he’s creating incredible collector’s art guitars under his Mr. Scary Guitars band.

Formed in 1987, WINGER soared to immediate success with their 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles “Seventeen” and “Headed For A Heartbreak” and achieved platinum sales status. WINGER also stayed on the Billboard Top 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, “In The Heart Of The Young,” also achieved platinum status and contained the singles “Can’t Get Enuff” and “Miles Away.” The change in musical climate of the mid-90’s compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV’s popular Beavis and Butthead, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994 following the release of their critically acclaimed third album “Pull.” In 2001, the band reunited and have not looked back since. WINGER is comprised of original members Kip Winger on vocals/bass, Reb Beach on guitar, Rod Morgenstein on drums, plus long-term guitarist John Roth.

LITA FORD began her career in 1975 as a founding member and guitarist of the groundbreaking all female group the Runaways. The group’s hard rock/punk edge spawned hits like “Cherry Bomb” and “Queens of Noise.” LITA FORD and the Runaways proved their timelessness in 2014 when “Cherry Bomb” was featured in the critically acclaimed Marvel/Disney Studios hit movie “Guardians Of The Galaxy” and was nominated for a Grammy Award. LITA FORD launched her solo career in 1983 with her debut album “Out For Blood” establishing her as the premier female performer In rock and Heavy Metal. The “Lita” album solidified her as one of the most influential female performers in the music industry and earning her the title “Queen of Metal.” LITA FORD released three more studio albums following “Lita.” “Stiletto, “Dangerous Curves,” and “Black” that produced the radio and video hits “Hungry,” “Playin’ with Fire” and “Shot of Poison” again nominating her for a Grammy. 2021 marked another major milestone in her career when she presented her iconic Morice II B.C. Rich Warlock guitar to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The guitar currently is on exhibit in the main foyer at The Rock Hall.

One of the most influential British rock bands, SWEET, rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as a premier glam rock act. The band achieved a rocket ride to success with multiple mega platinum hits including “Ballroom Blitz,” “Fox On The Run,” “Love Is Like Oxygen,” “Little Willy,” “Action,” “Teenage Rampage,” “ACDC,” “Blockbuster,” and “Hell Raiser” to name a few. Around the world, the group has sold more than 55 million records. THE SWEET reformed in 2008 and together the band has toured extensively all over the world including a major South American tour with Journey. Some of the most notable acts THE SWEET was packaged with are as follows: Boston, Sammy Hager, Joan Jett, Peter Frampton, and Steve Winwood. THE SWEET’s current band includes bassist/vocalist Stevie Stewart, drummer Richie Onori, guitar virtuoso Mitch Perry, and lead singer Paulie Z.

The aptly named STEELHEART is the rock n’ roll band fronted by internationally known Croatian-American musician Miljenko Matijevic. Miljenko’s powerful multioctave vocal range is and always has been the steel, heart and soul of what is STEELHEART. Their first album reaching #40 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1990, being certified Gold by the RIAA in 1991. The band’s fanbase growing swiftly around the world as they told 33,000 albums on its first day in Japan alone. Power ballad “She’s Gone,” hit #1 on the international charts and stayed there for 17 weeks. Their next album, “Tangled in Reins,” had a more mixed eclectic song style with heavy hitting, hard driving songs like “Loaded Mutha,” “SteelHeart,” “Electric Love Child,” and fun loving “Sticky Side Up,” to tear jerking ballads such as “Mama Don’t You Cry.” With much heart and steely determination, this band has been going strong and rocking hard for 30 years and STEELHEART shows no sign of riding into the sunset.

WIG WAM was founded in 2001 and quickly became one of Norway’s most popular live bands. Prior to WIG WAM the band members were already active in the music business, playing in bands like Dream Police, Artch, Sha-Boom, Ole Evenrud, Alien and as solo artists. In 2004, the band released its debut album “667. The Neighbour Of The Beast,” which includes a hard rock version of Mel C.’s no. 1 hit “I Turn to You.” Their song, “IN MY DREAMS” was picked for the Eurovision Song Contest and made WIG WAM win the Norwegian finale. “IN MY DREAMS” catapulted the band straight to #1 on the Norwegian charts, where it stayed for over 6 weeks and went platinum. In 2019, WIG WAM unexpectedly announced an exclusive comeback on the Norwegian festival “TONS OF ROCK 2020.” Unfortunately, the Corona pandemic caused the festival to postpone, and during 2020 the re-bound members decided to finally reunite and write new music. October 27th, 2020 the single “NEVER SAY DIE” was released as a surprise few days after “TONS OF ROCK” announced new dates for 2021 with WIG WAM on the bill among Deep Purple, Europe and Scorpions.