Livermore veteran wins private backyard country concert

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- In the East Bay Tuesday night, a well-known country signer headlined a backyard. Colt Ford was there as part of a contest to identify his biggest fan, but as ABC7 News found out, the show turned out to be a lot more than that.

Country music star Colt Ford was searching for his biggest fan. That's when he found Greg Solberg living in a house on a storage lot in Livermore.

"He just seemed like a good ol' boy, kind of like me. He's pretty good sized boy, kind of like me, and he's got a beard so we got a lot in common," Ford said.

Solberg submitted a video to the contest sponsored by a phone app called Redneck Kingdom.

He won a private backyard concert for 50 of his closest friends.

"His music is definitely fun and upbeat," Solberg said. "It just wakes you up in the morning."

"He is such a humble guy. Recently, he raised money to have heart defibrillators at the Livermore Rod and Gun," said Solberg's friend Angela Mollica.

Solberg is also a soft-spoken Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan as a scout. He came home to help other veterans adjust and find new careers.

"I definitely think that veterans sell themselves short, and people want to hire vets," he said.

"He's somebody that's fought for our country, that's fought for our freedom, and he continues to give back to our country and that makes it even more special for me," Ford said.

Many of his friends never came back. Solberg tried different careers then found his place helping other vets. Because of that, Solberg is dedicating the concert to the 25 fellow Marines he left behind in Afghanistan.