Michael Ray has opened for several of country music's biggest artists, including Kip Moore, Brantley Gilbert and Darius Rucker. But while he is grateful for those opportunities, the singer-songwriter says he is glad he isn't opening for anyone this summer, so he can play the shows he wants to play.

"We’ve been very fortunate to be on tours, but with that, you don’t get to do a lot of the festivals and stuff. So we’re doing that a lot through the summer," Ray revealed to The Boot and other reporters at a recent media event, "and then we’ve got some plans in the fall that we’re working on right now, which haven’t been completely inked yet, but we’re excited."

One of the benefits of not being part of a major tour this summer, for Ray, is the chance to perform at a Fourth of July show in Florida. At the concert -- a free radio station event in Jacksonville, Fla. -- he will have the chance to honor those in the Armed Forces and pay tribute to them for their extraordinary sacrifices.

"We get to always play some sort of festival to give back to the men and women of our military. That's an awesome part of what we get to do," Ray shares. "We pretty much have played every July 4 for the last four years. So, with that, we get to throw a party for the men and women of our military, hang out with them."

Ray recently released a new single, "Get to You," from his upcoming sophomore album. The song is available for download on iTunes, and a list of all of Ray's upcoming shows is available on his website.

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