Fan Fair 2004

It is never too early to make plans to go to Fan Fair next year. The 33rd International Country Music Fan Fair will be held June 9 - 13, 2004.

Fan Fair is the entertainment destination for any Country Music enthusiast in 2003. Each June, more than 20,000 Country Music lovers journey to Nashville, TN to meet their favourite artists for autographs and photos and enjoy more than 30 hours of live performances.

Fan Fair was created to relieve some of the excessive congestion during the annual Country Music DJ convention in Nashville, which took place in October. Because of the large number of artists attending the convention, many fans converged on Nashville, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars. CMA and the Grand Ole Opry concluded that if a festival were created especially for fans at a different time during the year, it would undoubtedly be well attended and successful. Thus, 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 more than 20 hours of live entertainment. Featured were artists such as Roy Acuff, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Freddie Hart, Nat Stuckey, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Ernest Tubb, Del Wood, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper and Pee Wee King, among others. Approximately 5,000 people attended the first Fan Fair. In the more than 100 exhibit booths, fans could indulge in picture taking and autograph sessions with their favorite artists. The Odessa Chuck Wagon Gang of Odessa, Texas, served up their "Texas Menu" of barbecue, beans, slaw, onions, pickles, bread and beverages.

The first Fan Fair was scarcely started before fans and artists began inquiring about the date for the next year. Fan Fair 1973 was moved to June, a peak travel month, which provide better weather conditions than April. Just over 10,000 fans - twice as many as the first year - attended.

Fans in attendance at Fan Fair 1974 witnessed Country Music history as Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton 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 each year. In 1982, the event was moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds to accommodate more fans. Also that year, the celebrity 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.

In 1985, Patty Loveless asked Vince Gill for his autograph at Fan Fair and had her photo taken with him. She wasn't a star, but told Vince she would be soon. Two years later, Vince sang on her record, and she eventually won CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year.

Fan Fair celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1991 with an expanded show schedule. Over 65 Country artists appeared in more than 34 hours of live stage shows for Fan Fair audiences. In addition, over 200 entertainers set up booths for autograph sessions. Kathy Mattea was under strict orders from her doctor not to talk because she had injured her vocal cords. She still managed to communicate with her fans via a personal computer. A quick comparison of artists who appeared at the first Fan Fair and who made return appearances at the '91 event gives evidence of the enduring nature of Country Music and its entertainers, as 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 International Country Music 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 several exciting happenings on the Fan Fair stage. Billy Ray Cyrus surprised the crowd by pulling pop star Bryan Adams onstage for a few tunes. Adams said backstage, "I'd never seen Fan Fair before. There's not anything like it in rock 'n' roll!" Shania Twain met her husband, producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, backstage at Fan Fair in 1993. Although they had developed a great telephone friendship after Mutt got Shania's phone number from pal Bryan Adams, they didn't actually come face-to-face until they arranged a meeting at Fan Fair.

In 1994 almost 100 Country entertainers performed during the 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 in May. 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." Actor Danny Glover also made an appearance at Fan Fair.

Movie and television stars, sports stars and rock 'n' roll legends have visited Fan Fair over the years. In 1995, Maureen McCormick ("The Brady Bunch"), Branscombe Richmond ("Renegade"), and bull riding champ Tuff Hedeman could be seen signing autographs and meeting fans. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman visited Fan Fair in 1995, and in 1996. Vince Gill's fans admitted to getting up as early as 4:15 AM to nab a spot in his autograph line. Vince got comfortable while greeting fans, attired in shorts and even taking off his shoes. Toby Keith didn't let a torn ligament hamper his Fan Fair activities. He hobbled to his booth on crutches and also performed on the Fan Fair stage, seated on a stool so he didn't put any weight on his injured leg. Tammy Wynette and George Jones reunited onstage for their first live performance together in 17 years.

1996 marked the 25th anniversary for Fan Fair. Over 100 artists performed for the sold-out crowd of 24,000 during the week. During the week, Garth Brooks made an unexpected appearance and signed autographs for 23 consecutive hours. "Good Morning America" was on hand for live coverage of the event. Alan Jackson arrived via helicopter for his Fan Fair show. In addition, Fan Fair went to the "beach" for its 25th anniversary. The Beach Boys 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.

1997 featured two special shows on Friday. "The Working Man's Show" featured host George Jones, Merle Haggard and 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.

1998 was a full year of surprises 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 over a decade. Garth Brooks unexpectedly took the stage to perform "Burnin' The Road House 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 One That I Want" with Olivia Newton-John during the MCA Nashville show.

1999 brought an exciting year of "two-for-ones" 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, estimated conservatively at over $10 million by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Since its inception, Fan Fair has contributed $150 million to the Nashville area economy.

Fan Fair 2000 included participation from more than 200 artists, including more than 40 platinum and multi-platinum acts such as Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Lonestar, Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, and SHeDAISY. Newcomers, including Alecia Elliott, Billy Gilman and Phil Vassar also mingled with fans. Even Country Music legends Janie Fricke, Loretta Lynn, Ronnie Milsap and Charley Pride joined in the week's festivities. Chely Wright got to enjoy time as a fan herself when Wright and Pam Tillis found the Country Music icon, Loretta Lynn, would be in the Grand Ole Opry's booth, they both asked if they could come in and sign with her. As the threesome climbed on top of the booth, it marked a classic moment in Country Music with three generations of performers coming together.

2001 marked a new era for Fan Fair as the event made an impressive return to Downtown Nashville June 14-17 with an aggregate daily attendance of more than 124,000 -- the biggest crowd ever in Fan Fair's history. Fans who attended the World's Biggest Country Music Festival were introduced to the many new sights, sounds and venues that made up the all-new Fan Fair -- including Adelphia Coliseum, the location for nightly, star-studded concerts complete with state-of-the-art staging and finale fireworks displays; the Nashville Convention Center, packed wall-to-wall with fans, artists and media partaking in the air-conditioned popular exhibits and autograph sessions; Riverfront Park Stages, which presented a rich assortment of artists from both major and independent labels and represented a broad range of musical influences and styles from classic to alternative Country, Hispanic music to gospel; and Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, home of the Family Zone, an alcohol-free environment for families which included the Fan Fair Carnival, Fan Fair 2001 National Barbecue Championship Cook-Off, concerts and activities for all ages. Long after the concerts were finished at Adelphia Coliseum, the music and fun were still alive at some of Nashville's most popular downtown nightspots during Fan Fair After Hours, yet another new element in 2001. And, soap fans who flocked to Fan Fair 2001 caught their favorite actors from "Days of Our Lives" and "Passions" performing and signing autographs for a multitude of fans. As new elements are being considered and improvements being made, look to Fan Fair 2002 to be the biggest and best ever, earning it's place in history as the World's Biggest Country Music Festival.

Truly a unique event, Fan Fair is living proof of the special bond between Country Music fans and the Country Music artists. There's nothing like it anywhere in the world.

barlowb@shaw.ca