Chris Daniels & The Kings with Freddi Gowdy take the Rock & Rails stage July 18

Rock & Rails summer concerts continue on Thursday, July 18, with the opening act starting at 5 p.m. and the headliner lighting up the stage at 6:30 p.m.

This week's opener, Mark Oblinger, a five-time Emmy winning and Grammy nominated composer/producer, will be treating the crowd to his unique blend of original music with tones of folk and pop. His vocal-forward arrangements are an inspiring and interesting way to start the night. Oblinger is joined on tour by Linda Lawson, Christian Teele, Chris Engleman, and Eric Moon.

Headlining this week will be Chris Daniels & The Kings with Freddi Gowdy. Now celebrating the band's 40th Anniversary, Chris Daniels & The Kings will be performing songs from their most recent album, "40 - Blues with Horns Volume II." This album includes eclectic music genres such as funk and blues. The flow and excitement of the music from this Boulder band invites the crowd to get on the dance floor and enjoy themselves.

Gowdy, formerly of the Freddi Henchi Band, joined Daniels in 2010.

According to the band's website, "Chris (Daniels) was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame in 2013 with Judy Collins and the Kings have been the backup band for Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Oates, Bonnie Raitt, The Coasters, The Drifters, Sonny Landreth, Al Kooper, David Bromberg, Sam Bush, John Cowan and Bo Diddly, and also appeared with The Lumineers, Uncle Kracker, Blues Traveler, The Neville Brothers, The Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, The Pretenders and Toto,.... and the list goes on."

The tip jar recipients for this week's concert are the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms and Niwot Community Connection. The "Cookie Momsters" raise funds to cover postage and shipping costs for the care packages, including cookies, sent to men and women serving in the U.S. armed forces. Niwot Community Connection uses funds to support the many programs offered for the 50 and over residents of the Niwot area.

So bring your chairs and hope for great weather in Niwot to listen to two great acts on Thursday, July 18.