Country singer Jana Kramer to perform new single

Country singer Jana Kramer was building an acting career, a few years ago, getting cast on “One Tree Hill,” and appearing in “Friday Night Lights” and “Entourage.”

But she gave up Hollywood for Nashville to focus on her music career.

That’s why she will perform a new single, “I Got The Boy,” on Thursday at Green Valley Ranch Grand Events Center for 95.5-FM’s annual “All-star Guitar Pull” concert ($44-$129).

So what happened to her acting desire?

“I haven’t done acting in about four years. I just wanted to pursue music full-time,” she said.

She said music is her passion. But she also said something incredibly honest about her profession.

“In the country format, they really want to know your authenticity, so I have to stay true to that,” she said.

Since I’m a former Southerner who once lived in Tennessee, my brain translated what she said into: Country fans want their stars to seem like down-home country folks, and not L.A. slickified.

She misses parts of acting (“I”m a creative person, so I never want to stop creating), so she hopes she can combine music and acting someday — but only if it’s authentic to country music, she said.

Kramer (possibly the best-dressed woman in country music) told me she’s looking forward to playing blackjack in Vegas.

Is she a winner or a loser at the tables?

“I’m a winner,” she said. “I have a really bad strategy. My fiance makes fun of me, because he’s, like, ‘You have to play slow and steady.’ I’m like, ‘No, I have a feeling I’m going to get blackjack right now.’

“I have to listen to my gut. And that usually works.”

Thursday’s Guitar Pull (acoustic performances with storytelling) co-stars Montgomery Gentry, Josh Turner, Kramer, Austin Webb, A Thousand Horses and Mo Pitney.

Contact Doug Elfman at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman. Find him on Twitter: @VegasAnonymous.