Josh Thompson is going out on the Country Throwdown tour this summer with headliner Gary Allan , and it's a real dream come true for the country newcomer. Josh has been a fan of Gary's since he first hit the scene in the mid-'90s.

"That’s just another part of what I love about what I do," Josh tells the Chicago Sun-Times . "Gary is someone I have looked up to forever, and now I get to spend two months out there with him and watch his show every night and hang out afterwards? It’s surreal.”

Justin Moore and Rodney Atkins are also appearing on select dates of the Country Throwdown tour, launching May 18 in Gulfport, MS.

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