CMA Fest: A Fan Fair Turned Into The Biggest Country Festival In The World

0:00 This week in Country Music history,

0:02 we're going back to the handshake that changed everything.

0:05 The moment that CMA decided the fans deserve a front row seat to the music,

0:11 the beginning of Fan Fair.

0:13 Welcome to CMA's This Week in Country Music History.

0:16 It's the early 1970s.

0:18 Country Music was gaining in popularity,

0:20 and every year a convention of country radio DJs came

0:23 to Nashville to hear the latest the genre had to offer.

0:26 Fans caught wind of this high concentration of famous faces and started

0:30 to wait outside hotel lobbies hoping for a glimpse of their favorite artists.

0:34 Then the light bulb went off.

0:36 Bring fans and artists together.

0:37 And that's how Fan Fair, now known as CMA Fest, was born.

0:41 April 12th, 1972, Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

0:45 On that day, the Country Music Association launched Fan Fair,

0:49 a brand new idea built entirely around the fans.

0:53 5,000 people packed into the building for one reason,

0:56 to see their favorite artists up close.

0:59 Early Fan Fair lineups featured artists like George Jones,

1:02 Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette.

1:05 No barriers, no velvet ropes,

1:06 just a massive exhibit hall with more than a 100 booths where Country legends

1:11 sat for hours signing autographs and shaking

1:13 hands with the people who bought their records.

1:16 It wasn't just an event.

1:17 It was the ultimate thank you note to the fans.

1:20 Attendance jumped from 5,000 to nearly 10,000 almost overnight.

1:24 And by 1982, the event had already outgrown

1:27 Municipal Auditorium and moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

1:30 The message, Country Music fans are the most loyal in the world.

1:34 "What is it about Country Music that just makes it

1:36 gosh darn great?" "I just like the people." "These people.

1:39 The people." "She comes for the men." "I I come

1:42 for the men" "Who are you here to see?" "They're

1:46 here to see Garth Brooks." "I'm here just trying to keep

1:48 them calm." "What's so great about Garth Brooks?" "Oh, hey.

1:51 Just just being here." In 1996,

1:54 Garth Brooks famously stayed at Fan Fair for 23 hours,

2:00 signing autographs, refusing to leave until every fan in line had their moment.

2:05 By the early 2000s, the event had outgrown the fairgrounds.

2:09 In 2001, Fan Fair moved into downtown Nashville,

2:12 spreading across the riverfront, the convention center,

2:15 and eventually the massive stadium shows across the Cumberland River.

2:18 And as the stage grew, so did the spotlight.

2:21 CMA Fest didn't just stay Country.

2:23 It started pulling in artists from every corner of music.

2:26 You had moments where legends like Paul McCartney showed

2:29 up and rock legends like Lenny Kravitz took the stage.

2:32 We've seen the stadium turn into a massive dance party with the Backstreet Boys.

2:36 And in 2016, Steven Tyler brought his legendary rock

2:39 and roll swagger for a powerhouse duet with Martina McBride.

2:43 Then came 2019, a year that truly broke the mold.

2:46 Kelsea Ballerini brought out the Chainsmokers for an EDM infused anthem,

2:50 and Billy Ray Cyrus shocked the world when he brought out Lil Nas X and Keith

2:54 Urban to perform "Old Town Road" while it was the biggest song on the planet.

2:58 And who could forget that same year when Carrie

3:01 Underwood shocked everyone by bringing out the legendary Joan Jett.

3:04 They tore through a rock and roll medley

3:07 that had 60,000 country friends screaming every word

3:10 to "I Love Rock And Roll." Whether it was

3:14 Avril Lavigne popping up for those massive surprise collaborations,

3:17 these moments brought a new energy to Nashville.

3:20 By 2004, the event officially became what we know today as CMA Fest.

3:24 Fast forward and that little gathering has become a global phenomenon.

3:28 Nearly 90,000 fans a day descend on Nashville

3:31 from all 50 states and more than 35 countries.

3:34 CMA Fest is also one of the greatest proving grounds in Country Music.

3:38 Where else can a brand new artist or an unsigned

3:41 songwriter perform in front of a stadium-sized crowd?

3:44 Stages like the Spotlight Stage and the Good

3:47 Molecules Reverb Stage exist specifically to showcase rising talent.

3:50 More than 300 performers play those stages every year.

3:53 And for many of them,

3:54 it's the moment they go from who's that to a household name.

3:58 And here may be the most Country part of the whole story.

4:01 CMA Fest plays a major role in supporting the CMA Foundation,

4:05 which funds music education programs in schools across the country.

4:08 To date, the festival has helped generate

4:10 more than $30 million for music education.

4:12 So, while you're singing along in the front row,

4:16 you're also helping a kid in the classroom

4:18 pick up an instrument for the very first time.

4:19 It's a cycle of giving.

4:21 The fans give their energy,

4:22 the artists give their hearts, and the music keeps playing.

4:25 From 5,000 fans in a small auditorium to a worldwide stage,

4:29 CMA Fest has become the beating heart of music series.

4:33 That's this week in Country Music history.

4:35 Stay connected with CMA because next week we witness the arrival of the class

4:39 of '89 and the night a young Texan named Clint Black stepped into the circle.