Joe Nichols brings praise of small-town living and traditional values to the Monterey County Fair.

When he put out his first album in 2000, Joe Nichols was already labeled as a traditional country singer, coming after the first, second, third and fourth generations of American country music. In fact, Nichols belongs to the so-called sixth generation, even if he was always told that his songs “sound a thousand years old,” as he once said with a laugh in a podcast interview.

To an extent, it has to do with his classic country voice, and Arkansas accent, and the country melodies he’s sung since he started, 20 years ago, as a starving artist.

“I’m a traditional country guy,” Nichols, now a Grammy-nominated musician, likes to repeat.

That means no “new age” country, no chasing the Taylor Swift sound, just sticking to the originals. When it comes to lyrics, some of Nichols’ big hits have titles such as “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” or “She Only Drinks When She Smokes.” It is unlikely that it will bother the audience, especially since Nichols will be playing at night after all little Fair-goers should be already on their way to bed.

These days, Nichols and his band do about 120 shows a year. Aside from that, Nichols is an intensely private person, who puts a clear division between his work (recording and touring), and the life he shares with his wife and children.

Since Nichols settled down and wears a suit jacket from time to time, his lyrics migrated from the party love to the deeper love, remaining steamy, as in the sexy 2016 tune “Undone.” Nichols is currently promoting his new album Good Day for Living with the single of the same title, praising the slower, more honest way of life in American small towns, a typical landscape of the Southwest. “It’s a wild ride but we all got a ticket,” Nichols sings about the daily dilemmas of the working Americans. “Good thing the sunshine don’t cost nothin’,” he observes. Country star Blake Shelton does a guest collaboration on the album.

Old favorites will be played too, undoubtedly. That could include “Billy Graham’s Bible,” a song that refers to the American evangelist, considered by many as one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century. Graham repudiated racial segregation and insisted on racial integration.

JOE NICHOLS at the MONTEREY COUNTY FAIR 5pm Thursday, Sept. 1. 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey. $10 general admission and various discounts for seniors and military. 372-5863, montereycountyfair.com.