Jimmy Rush has been trying to be a part of the Park County Fair entertainment lineup since he first moved to the area in 2021. This year, he made it: The Jimmy Rush Band is on the Pepsi Free Stage as the one entirely new musical group this year. 

The full band plays Friday at 8 and 9 p.m. and Rush and guitarist Tim Shaw perform Wednesday at 7 p.m. 

“We play a lot of you know high energy ‘90s country, 2000s country,” Rush said. “I am a songwriter, so we play some originals, and then we also cover some 2000s rock, you know … and we play a lot of stuff people know. I like to look out and see people singing along, get people out on the dance floor.”

Rush initially focused on performing solo, but realized how much demand there was for bands, so he worked on putting one together, but he was picky. 

“I’m real picky about the guys that I play with, and that’s kind of why I filtered through some guys throughout the years and ended up with the crew that I’ve got now,” he said. “And it’s not always that they’re the best players; they’re just great to be around. We get along well. We have great chemistry, but they’re willing to learn. They’re open.”

They’ve been popular, being regulars at Brewgards in Cody and performing in various other area venues — they even performed at a festival in Douglas earlier in the month. 

Rush is also a proud U.S. Navy veteran and performed solo at the Freedom Celebration on July 3 in Cody at the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Park. 

Rush’s solo performances and his band are popular online on YouTube, Spotify and other sites, and lately the band has gotten so popular he said they’re having to turn down gigs. 

“There’s a demand for what we’re doing,” he said. 

Rush has an idea as to why the band has become so successful. 

“We put a twist on everything that we do,” he said. “It’s cover music, but I’ve been told numerous times, ‘Man, you do that better than the original artist did. And it’s just, to me, a very high compliment … we do work hard at this, and we don’t just show up. We actually put the work in at practice.”

He also credits the talent of the band members, noting Shaw, who he’ll be doing a duo set with Wednesday, had never played country music before joining the band but has quickly managed to find a great country sound. 

And, he said as lead singer his vocals are a big benefit, as is the overall sound and energy. 

“I’ve got outstanding vocals; came from my mama, and it’s just great music,” he said. “It’s fun. We like to get people out on the dance floor, and I interact with the crowd … It’s always a good time. I’m as much of an entertainer as I am a singer as well. So it really kind of blends everything together, and it’s kind of fun because the band’s gotten into it now, and they’re coming out of their shell and  interacting with the crowd, and it’s just been fun.”