Dalton will perform at 7 p.m. with longtime musical partner Dale Poune, just three days before her 80th birthday.

The concert will be the opening performance of the Casino Star Theatre Foundation’s 22nd live season and will give local audiences an opportunity to hear a performer whose career has included country radio hits, appearances alongside some of country music’s biggest names and a signature song that has become closely associated with Nashville’s songwriting community.

For longtime country music listeners, Dalton’s music may bring back memories of songs such as “Crazy Blue Eyes,” “Takin’ It Easy,” “Hard Times,” “Black Coffee” and “16th Avenue.”

Dalton’s road to country music success, however, began far from the bright lights of Nashville.

Before signing with Columbia Records, she worked a variety of jobs to support her family. One of those jobs was waiting tables at a truck stop, where she would eventually step away from serving customers and onto the stage to sing.

That combination of working-class experience and musical determination became part of the story behind Dalton’s career.

In 1979, “Crazy Blue Eyes,” which she co-wrote with longtime friend Mary McFadden, reached No. 7 on the Billboard country chart. The success helped launch Dalton onto the national country music scene, and she was named the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist.

More hits followed, including “Takin’ It Easy,” “Everybody Makes Mistakes,” “Hillbilly Girl with the Blues,” “Hard Times” and “Black Coffee.”

But perhaps no song became more closely identified with Dalton than “16th Avenue.”

The song tells the story of aspiring songwriters who travel to Nashville hoping to have their music heard and become part of the city’s music industry. For generations of musicians and country music fans, the song has served as a tribute to the writers and performers who work behind the scenes to create the music heard around the world.

Dalton’s career has also taken her onto stages with some of country music’s biggest stars. She has performed with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr. and Charlie Daniels.

She later joined Nelson on his platinum-selling album Half Nelson, where she was the only female guest artist.

Her voice has been one of the defining features of Dalton’s career. With a sound that combines country, rock, folk and Americana influences, she developed a style that was difficult to confuse with anyone else.

People magazine once compared her to Bonnie Raitt, a description that reflected Dalton’s ability to move comfortably between musical styles while maintaining a distinctly country foundation.

Nearly five decades after her first major success, Dalton continues to perform.

She was inducted into the North American Country Music Association International Hall of Fame in 2017 and received a Lifetime Career Achievement Award from the Josie Music Awards in 2022.

Her most recent album, For the Black Sheep, was released in 2024.

A special stop before Nashville

The timing of Dalton’s appearance in Gunnison adds another element to the concert.

She turns 80 on Oct. 13, just three days after her Casino Star Theatre performance. On Oct. 15, she is scheduled to celebrate her birthday in Nashville at 3rd & Lindsley with a group of fellow performers that includes Jimmy Fortune, David Frizzell, Terri Gibbs and Michelle Wright.

Before heading to Nashville for that celebration, however, Dalton will make her stop in Gunnison.

Dalton has expressed an appreciation for small venues and historic theaters where performers can connect directly with audiences. The Casino Star Theatre provides that kind of setting.

The theater opened in 1913 as both a movie house and vaudeville auditorium and has remained a part of Gunnison’s entertainment scene for more than a century.

Today, the Casino Star Theatre Foundation continues that tradition by presenting movies, concerts, educational programs and community events.

For Dalton, the Gunnison performance also provides an opportunity to bring her music to a theater where the audience is close to the stage and the atmosphere is considerably different from the large concert venues where she has performed throughout her career.

A longtime musical partnership

Joining Dalton for the Gunnison concert will be Poune, a longtime musical partner who performs with her on guitar and mandolin.

The two have worked together not only as performers but also as educators. Their work has included several years teaching songwriting, music theory and guitar through the William James Arts in Corrections program in California.

Dalton’s interests have also extended beyond music.

She has been a longtime advocate for America’s wild horses and burros and co-founded the nonprofit Let ’em Run Foundation.

Her career has consequently included much more than recording and touring. Through music, teaching and advocacy, Dalton has remained active well beyond the period when many artists begin stepping away from the stage.

The Oct. 10 performance represents the beginning of another season for the Casino Star Theatre Foundation.

Following Dalton’s concert, the foundation’s 22nd live season will continue with the Bar D Wranglers on Nov. 7 and Kurt Bestor on Dec. 15.

Tickets for Lacy J. Dalton with Dale Poune are $30 for premium seating and $24 for classic seating. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.

Tickets are available through the Casino Star Theatre website.

The Casino Star Theatre Foundation’s 22nd live season is supported by Roland Christensen; Dr. Richard Nay; Jim and Suzanne Sanders; Golden Drug; and Mountain Country Foods. Additional support comes from the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement, the Utah Office of Tourism, and Creative West with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Established in 2004, the Casino Star Theatre Foundation oversees the historic theater, which has served Gunnison audiences since 1913. More than a century after its doors first opened, the theater continues to provide a place for movies, live performances, arts programs and community events in Central Utah.

For local country music fans, Dalton’s Oct. 10 appearance offers a chance to see an artist whose career stretches from the early days of her success on country radio to the present day — and to hear that distinctive voice just days before she celebrates her 80th birthday.

I kept the tone more like a local newspaper feature/story than a promotional press release, while retaining the important dates, career milestones and Casino Star history.