Joe Nichols was looking for a politically correct way to say that he was not surprised by the success of his album, "Man With a Memory."

Released July 23, 2002, the album has spawned three top singles and is just short of selling 1 million copies.

He didn't want to sound cocky, but the album was recorded the way he wanted it to be with the backing of people who have made a difference in country music.

He acknowledged there was no guarantee "Man With a Memory" would catch on with country fans.

"In the climate that country music was in when we were in the production phase of 'Man With a Memory,' it was very scary," said Nichols, who performs Saturday at the Stoneboro Fair. "It was different than the more successful things out there."