Menu:
The history of the CMA Music Festival...
...or Fan Fair as it was originally known
Every summer, Music City U.S.A. comes alive with excitement, music and more as fans from all over the world pour into Nashville for Fan Fair-- an annual celebration created to honour and entertain Country Music fans.
Often noted as a "lovefest" between Country artists and their fans, Fan Fair, which is presented by the Country Music Association, has experienced tremendous growth in its 37 year history. Approximately 5,000 people attended the first Fan Fair in 1972.
Fan Fair was created to relieve congestion during the annual Country Music DJ convention in Nashville in October. Because of the large number of artists attending the convention, fans converged on Nashville hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. Music industry leaders concluded that if a festival was created especially for fans at a different time during the year it would undoubtedly be well‑attended and successful. Fan Fair was born.
The first
Fan Fair, held April 12 - 15, 1972 at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium, hosted some of Country Music's most noted artists who performed during more than 20 hours of concerts. Featured artists included
Roy Acuff, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Freddie Hart,
Nat Stuckey, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Ernest Tubb,
Del Wood, Pee Wee King, and others.
More than 100 exhibit booths were set up so fans could indulge in picture taking and autograph sessions with their favourite artists.
The first Fan Fair had scarcely begun when fans and artists began inquiring about future dates. Fan Fair 1973 was moved to June – a peak travel month which provided better weather conditions – a tradition which continues today. Just over 10,000 fans – twice as many as the first year – attended in 1973.
Porter Wagoner and
Dolly Parton made history at Fan Fair number three when they performed as a duo for what would be the last time in more than a decade. The festivities were also highlighted by an unexpected visit by former Beatle and Country Music fan
Paul McCartney.
With the exploding popularity of Country Music, Fan Fair continued to grow. In 1982, the event was moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds to accommodate more fans. Also that year, the celebrity slow‑pitch softball tournament was replaced by the All American Country Games competition. This event was held each year through 1988 and benefited Tennessee Special Olympics. In 1989, more shows were added to take the place of the games.
Fan Fair celebrated its
20th Anniversary in 1991 with an expanded show schedule. More than 65 Country artists appeared in more than 34 hours of live stage shows for
Fan Fair audiences. In addition, more than 200 entertainers set up booths for autograph sessions. A quick comparison of artists who appeared at the first
Fan Fair and made a return appearance at the '91 event illustrates the enduring nature of Country Music and its entertainers.
Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman and Freddie Hart made both lists.
Some of Country Music's most popular performers, including Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Kathy Mattea, Wynonna and a high-energy newcomer named Billy Ray Cyrus, appeared at the 21st Fan Fair in 1992. More than 600 media representatives from countries including Switzerland, Japan, Brazil, Sweden, Spain, England, Ireland, Luxembourg and France covered the event.
In
1993, Alan Jackson's "Chattahoochee" booth took first prize in the booth competition.
Doug Stone and "Music City Tonight" star Lorianne Crook arrived at Stone's booth dressed as
Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara, while Lorrie Morgan took an "out of this world" approach in her booth with a crashed UFO and aliens.
Travis Tritt signed autographs from the inside of a giant Gibson guitar.
There were lots of things to see on the Fan Fair stage, too. Billy Ray Cyrus surprised the crowd by pulling pop star
Bryan Adams on stage for a few tunes. Adams said backstage, "I'd never seen Fan Fair before. There's not anything like it in rock 'n' roll!"
In
1994, nearly 100 Country entertainers performed during the weeklong celebration.
Willie Nelson made a surprise appearance at the Liberty Records show as the label's newest artist. Also on the Liberty show,
John Berry made his anticipated return to the stage following brain surgery. He performed his No. 1 hit "Your Love Amazes Me."
Reba McEntire also surprised the audience when she joined Linda Davis on the Arista Records show to sing their
CMA and Grammy award-winning song, "Does He Love You."
1996 marked the 25th Anniversary for Fan Fair. More than 100 artists performed for the sold-out crowd of 24,000. Fans flocked from all over the world to meet their favourite Country
artists, pose for photos and get autographs. During the week,
Garth Brooks made an unexpected appearance and signed autographs for more than 23 consecutive hours. “Good Morning America” was on hand for live coverage of the event, while
CNN and other media covered it as well.
Another highlight in 1996 was an appearance by the Beach Boys. The group teamed up with the best in Country Music for a Friday morning “Fun In The Sun” show including
Lorrie Morgan, Ronnie Milsap, Collin Raye, Doug Supernaw and
James House.
The 1997 Fan Fair was celebrated with two special shows. “The Working Man’s Show” featured host George Jones, Merle Haggard and the late Johnny Paycheck teaming up for “Yesterday’s Wine.” They also jammed with Steve Wariner, Sara Evans and Charlie Daniels. The “Honky Tonk Finale” with Hank Thompson capped off the festivities.
Surprises characterized
Fan Fair in 1998, as Dolly Parton joined Lee Ann Womack during the
Decca Records show to perform “Jolene,” making it Dolly’s first appearance at
Fan Fair in more than a decade. Garth Brooks unexpectedly took the stage to perform “Burnin’ The Roadhouse Down” and “Long Neck Bottle” with
Steve Wariner during the Capitol Nashville show. To top off the excitement,
Vince Gill danced his way onto the stage to perform “You’re The Once That I Want” with
Olivia Newton-John during the MCA Nashville show.
1999 was an exciting year for collaborations as
Waylon Jennings joined RCA newcomer Andy Griggs for the classic “I Don’t Think Hank Done It This Way.”
Lorrie Morgan joined Sammy Kershaw during the Mercury show, and
The Oak Ridge Boys joined Atlantic’s South Sixty-Five for a rendition of “Bobbie Sue.”
Fan Fair once again had a major economic impact on Nashville in 1999, estimated conservatively at over $10 million by the
Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
2000 marked the last year “The World’s Biggest Country Music Festival” was held at the
Tennessee State Fairgrounds. From Diamond Rio’s soaring rendition of the
National Anthem during Fan Fair’s opening ceremony, to the antics and activities throughout the week, more than 200 artists participated, including platinum and multi-platinum artists such as
Alan Jackson, Lonestar, Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes and
SHeDAISY. The weeklong event drew 21,627 attendees who were treated to more than 30 hours of live entertainment and given the opportunity to meet some of their favourite artists in the
Fan Fair exhibit booths.
Big changes came with
Fan Fair 2001, which marked the return of Fan Fair to Downtown Nashville. The event was held in four different venues, with nightly all-star concerts at The
Coliseum, the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. One hundred fifteen artists performed on the
Fan Fair stages, and more than 175 artists appeared in the Exhibit Hall at the
Nashville Convention Center. Some of the hottest names in Country Music performed, including
Tim McGraw who caused quite a commotion when he unexpectedly joined then-tourmate
Kenny Chesney on stage. Popular additions to the long-weekend included: the
Family Zone, a free festival area; the addition of television stars from
NBC Daytime dramas “Days Of Our Lives” and “Passions;” and Fan Fair After Hours, a collaboration of
Downtown Nashville clubs staging late night events at the conclusion of
The Coliseum shows.
Fan Fair 2002 built on the successful move to
Downtown and drew its largest crowd in history, boasting an aggregate attendance of 126,500 fans over four days! Making their second consecutive appearances in 2002 were the
NBC Daytime stars, as well as the famous puppets of PBS’ “Between The Lions,” who performed for children at the
Family Zone. The cast of Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit PAX television series “Doc” turned up to sign autographs in the
Exhibit Hall, and the “Wheel of Fortune” Wheelmobile rolled into town to audition contestants for a
2003 Country Music Week. As always, the biggest stars in Country came out to perform and to meet the fans. And
Fan Fair continued its “Cause for Celebration!” charitable program, making donations to charities designated by participating artists.
Fan Fair is living proof of the special bond existing between the Country Music fan and the Country Music artist. There's nothing like it anywhere in the world.
For additional information on Fan Fair, visit the official Internet website www.fanfair.com. Created and maintained by the Country Music Association, FanFair.com offers up-to-the-minute information on “The World’s Biggest Country Music Festival.”
Reprinted by permission of the Country Music Association – with thanks.
Hot 'n' Gold plays the "Latest and Greatest Country and Country Rock songs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week".
If you have any comments or want to know more about us here at Hot 'n' Gold or indeed this website, please get in touch - studio@hotngold.co.uk
