Daily Coverage and Photos by CSO
Contributing Journalists Christy Cowan-Baker, LaQueta Eley, Helen Peterson,
Leah Anderson and Nora Mayor.
Sunday 6/10:
As we say good bye to Helen and
Leah, LaQueta and I prepare for our last day of shows and
interviews. Just a few blocks away at the Rutledge we sit down
with John Berry just prior to his fan club party. Then it was
inside where his loyal fans were anxiously awaiting his arrival.
Fan club president Sharon Eaves announced that the new album was
available to those in attendance prior to its national release. A
long line quickly formed at the chance to get their hands on
some new music. Moments later Berry entered and as he
passed the line he greeted each one with a handshake or a hug.
The fan club parties are a way
for the fans to catch up on the artist and their family and that
was evident as Berry proclaimed that get together as the John
Berry Family Reunion. And just like most family reunions they
brought everyone up to speed on the three teenage children. And
for those who may not know John’s wife Robin sings backup.
No show would be complete without
Berry singing "Your Love Amazes Me" and I was not disappointed, it
sounded like a comfortable sweater feels. He also sang a
couple of songs from the new album. "You Still Own Me", a song some
may be familiar with and like that version but Berry’s
interpretation of the song gives it a whole different sound.
In between songs and catching up
there were a few prizes given but the GRAND prize was 2 tickets
to any John Berry show anywhere in the 48 states, unlimited
number of shows.
On that high note we scouted out
and back over to the convention center where we had one last
interview with Mirrome recording artist Chris Gray and finished
just in time to catch his show at the acoustic corner.
Gray made his fifth appearance at
CMA Music Festival and there were some fans in attendance that
have made all five. He opened his show with "Not Bad For A Good
Ol’ Boy" and "I Keep It Under My Hat" both from his sophomore
album. Along with a few new songs, "South of Heaven" and
"Smaller
Pieces" both from his new album "It’s All About Me" released
during CMA Music Fest week.
But Gray’s most popular song is
"Red, White and Blue" one he wrote in 1991, while serving aboard
the USS Missouri in the Persian Gulf, that began as a letter
home.
LaQueta and I made one last trip
through the exhibit hall before wrapping up our 16th and 15th
fan fair, respectively. Still signing were Taylor Swift,
Michael Peterson, Miko Marks, Chris Gray and Ty England.
As we exit the convention center
walking slightly slower than when we entered we know that we
have maximized are time during the 2007 CMA Music Festival week. And
yes, plans are underway for next year… after a couple of days
of sleep.
Saturday 6/9:
Saturday morning we kicked back and enjoyed several hours at
Chris Young’s Fan Club Party. We’ve said it before
and we will say it again—Young is the real deal. You can’t
find much more talent, looks and personality all rolled up in
one package. Last year, a fan told Joe Nichols at his fan
club party that on the day he was born God must have been so
pleased with Himself that he sat back and smiled. Well, God must
have been grinning from ear to ear on the day Young was born.
Seeing him on stage, we were reminded again of what we saw two
years ago when we first met him. As always, he took time to
remember and thank important people in his life and all of the
fans. Of course we were excited to hear him play a few songs
before he greeted each fan individually, but it was the duet
with his Grandpa Yates of the Marty Robbins hit,
“Beggin’ To You” that made everyone in the room wipe a few
tears from their eyes. While Young posed for pictures and signed
autographs, his fans were entertained by some of his friends,
songwriter/artists Don Campbell and Billy Yates.
Once again, it was another great fan club party. Our hats are
off to all the fan club presidents. They work hard all year long
and put together these parties that are such an integral part of
the CMA Music Festival.
If you could feel how worn out we are getting, you would be
impressed with how quickly we walked to get to the Riverfront
stage to see another favorite of ours, Rockie Lynne.
He serenaded the crowd with his hit “Lipstick” and awed them
with incredible guitar solos from his latest CD, an instrumental
“Twilight.” We have always loved this venue… sitting on the
banks of the Cumberland, the warm Tennessee sun beating down
(ok, you’re right, it is burning those unprepared fans) but
there is almost always a beautiful, cooling breeze that comes
off the river.
We knew we were running out of time and we hadn’t spent
much time at the Convention Center (Exhibit Hall) so we
hustled up the street and, as we expected, the center was
bustling. Long lines had formed for Carrie Underwood and
many other artists were already signing. We gave a word of
advice to one young fan who was disappointed because she
hadn’t been able to get in the line and meet her idol. We told
her that we knew, from our past experiences, how cool it is to
discover that yet unknown superstar; that ‘special’ artist
that makes that magic connection and appeals to them. They might
not be as well known as Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw
or Carrie Underwood YET, but you never know about next
year. You might have found it easy to approach Justin David,
Sage Keffer or Kristina Cornell this year but next
year it may be one of them who will have a line that circles
through the convention center and then you will be able to walk
past all those people standing in line and say, “I got my
picture and autograph when I discovered them last year!”
We heard that Miko Marks and Chris Gray, were
performing a few songs at Rippy’s, a local club down
the street, so we decided it would be a great place to catch our
breath and get a bite to eat. It has been at least 24 hours
since we have had some pulled pork-yum, and it never tastes as
good anywhere else as it does in Nashville. Too soon it was time
to get moving again. (Have we said there are tons of things to
do during this week?)
We headed back to the Riverfront Stage, to catch a few
more shows and arrived just in time to see Blue County
perform several songs, including for the first time for an
audience, their cover of the Beatles tune
“Revolution”. They announced that it had been chosen to be
on the soundtrack of an upcoming movie ‘Heaven Almighty’.
They were followed by Lila McCann and Rick Trevino and
it was nice to hear Trevino sing a song in tribute to the
legendary Freddy Fender, ‘When the Last Teardrop
Falls’. They were followed by Emerson Drive who
received an award onstage for their current hit “Moments”.
The banks of the Cumberland were packed with fans still ready to
party and let me say it once again; this is the neatest venue we
have ever seen.
Just when we thought we were going to be done for the day, we
changed our minds and went to a club on Division Street called
Code Blue, to catch the Povertyneck Hillbillies. It
proved to be a great decision because it was probably one of the
highlights of our trip. What a show, what a group, and what a
great time! Everyone, sit up and take notice…this is one
great group and what a show they give!
Well, our bags are packed and, once again, the week at the CMA
Music Festival has come to an end for us. Leah and Helen are
heading home, Christy will be here through Sunday and LaQueta
lives in this magical city. Years ago we coined the phrase Fan
Fair Fried to describe how you end up feeling at the end
of this magical, but exhausting, event. This year we decided
that CMA stands for Can’t Move Anymore and we
are definitely at that point so it is good that we have a full
year to rest up before we once again take part in country
music’s biggest party.
Friday 6/8:
The CMA fest is in full swing and we certainly realized it
today. There were so many options of things to do, we knew we would not be able to get to everything! We went in two
different directions to take in as much as we could. Helen and Leah started the day at the Convention Center and an
interview with Daniel Lee Martin, host of the television series Backstage and Backroads on The Sportsmans Channel. We have known Martin since 1999, so it was a fun interview with a
great friend. With the television show and the recent release of his newest album,
On My Way To You, he is a very busy guy. Look for the interview to be posted soon!
With only a few minutes to spare, Helen was lingering, watching lines already forming at artists booths. Leah was
tugging on her arm to get her going... she did not want to be late for our next destination - The Gibson Showcase for the
Montgomery Gentry fan club party. While waiting for the duo to arrive, fans were entertained with a DVD featuring
candid footage from the tour. They hit the stage with a bang and delivered exactly what the fans were waiting for - it was
rockin'!
We returned to our hotel and were glad we followed what our mothers told us, always have a spare car key! Thank
goodness, since we pulled up to the valet parking at the hotel and
locked the keys in the car - that spare key saved the day! That didn't slow us down much at all and we continued on to
the Exhibit Hall. where we took the time to chat with Sage
Kieffer, the artist we had just met on Wednesday. Many artists, including
Jeff Bates, Mark Wills, Bryan White, Chris Young were signing autographs and the fans were enjoying
this chance to chat, get an autograph and their picture taken with them. There was a huge line forming at the Muzik Mafia
booth awaiting the arrival of Big and Rich.
Watching the clock we cut our Exhibit Hall visit short to walk just a couple blocks to the Chevy Stage where
Daniel Lee Martin was performing. The rain that had fallen kept
people from sitting on the wet chairs but that didn't stop us country girls. We've sat down on much worse! We have only
seen Martin sing acoustically in the past so it was exciting to see him perform with a band. We were not
disappointed.
Believe it or not, we managed to stop by Coyote Ugly. One of our friends who met us there jumped up on the bar and
danced. If you have never been to one of these clubs, they are located all over the country, you are missing an
experience!
LP Field promised an excellent line-up of huge artists, so we grabbed the shuttle over the bridge to the big field.
The opening artist was Bucky Covington, followed by Montgomery
Gentry. MG twice in one day - this is a great vacation! Other artists included
Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Sara Evans, Jason Aldean,and
SugarLand. There isn't a bad seat in the place. What an amazing experience to see the
artists and feel the music! Each night's show is followed by a spectacular fireworks display. We headed back to the hotel
for the night - just no more energy for the day!
Tomorrow we are headed for Chris Young's fan club party, to the Riverfront Stages, to do a couple of
interviews at the Convention Center, and more! Check back tomorrow!
Thursday 6/7:
We started our day heading over to The Nashville Palace for
Joe Nichols Fan Club Party. Nichols' party always gives the fans a chance to get a close up experience of his comedic
side. He began his performance with his hit, "Joe's
Place", a crowd favorite. A representative from the Coalition for
Pulmonary Fibrosis was on hand to present Nichols with a gift made by members of his fan club. Nichols lost his father to
Pulmonary Fibrosis, so raising funds for this charity is a priority. Fan club members have contributed to the Mike
Nichols Fund of Hope in honor of Nichol's loss and to support research and treatment in the future.
After more music, there were more questions from the crowd. Among the fun and silly questions came a couple of serious
ones, such as why did he decide to sing at Anna Nicole
Smith's funeral. His answer was phenomenal - he said he had difficulty deciding if it was the right thing to do because
there was so much negativity surrounding it. He made a choice
to honor her passing in a way that was respectful to Smith and that would set an example for those around her. It is
awesome to know that an artist is so caring and generous.
Were on our way to Music Row to peek in on a recording session at Parlor Studios.
Crystal Sands, a new artist, had spent the day laying down tracks for a project she is working
on with producers Carl Ray and Wood Newton. It is
amazing to experience the process of music recording. Sands has an incredible voice and plenty of energy and excitement.
With the influence of Ray and Newton along with the backing of 3XC Publishing, there is little doubt in our minds we
will be hearing more from this rising talent.
After some supper, and a chance to relax for a few minutes catching up with our friend
Carl Ray, we knew it was time to walk downtown. We were happy we did, because we
eventually found ourselves at a free concert by the Hard Rock Cafe featuring the
Povertyneck Hillbillies. These guys were rocking the stage! We hadn't heard much about this group
before this week but we are sure we will in the future.
It was bedtime and we were reminding ourselves what Friday was going to
bring... an interview with Daniel Lee Martin, fan club party for
Montgomery Gentry, catching some shows at the Riverfront Stage and the show tonight at LP Field with
Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Sugarland and others.
We will send pictures later... we switched hotels and are not set up as well here...
We'll be in touch!
Wednesday 6/6:
We still aren't to the halfway point but we
are starting to wear down and blisters are starting to form. If you think we are wearing out, forget
it... way too much on our agenda! Our day started out slow, but picked up
speed quickly. Downtown, the Kick Off Parade started at 2:30pm and we had a great vantage point to see the Chevy vehicles
drive by giving, for some fans, their first glance of their favorite artists. The Grand Marshall of the parade was
Darryl Worley. Other participants included Blue County, Povertyneck Hillbillies, Pirates of the Mississippe, Two Foot Fred,
Bryan White, Michael Peterson, Lantana and more.
Just down the block, the Chevy Stage was getting ready for the 2nd Annual CMA Block Party. The shows, free to the
public, began with Cowboy Troy hitting the stage and getting
the crowd moving with "Black In The Saddle", the title song
from his album just released on June 5th. Troy's kickin' combination of country and hip hop sound rocked the block! He
brought Nashville Star Season 5 winner, Angela Hacker, on stage to sing the duet
"Hick Chick", also on the new CD. We didn't have time to stick around, but the lineup for the
afternoon and going into the evening also included Jennifer Hanson, Jason Michael Carroll, Mark Chestnutt and more.
To escape the heat for a short while, we settled into a
spot at Rippy's for a nice cool drink. Things heated up when the Naked Cowboy stopped by a visit. Nothing like a cowboy
running around in tighty-whiteys to get everyone's attention. Every year, he can be seen downtown with his guitar,
wearing boots, a hat, tighty-whiteys, and well, that is it! It was time for us to split up.
LaQueta and Christy were off to The Texas Troubadour Theater for Billy Yates Fan Club Party. This was not a typical
fan club party because this show was also called The Countriest of the Country Show with a line up that was truly
pure country. Billy Yates is a traditional singer/songwriter who has had songs recorded by
George Jones, John Micheal
Montgomery, Gary Allen, Tracy Lawrence and most recently "Flowers"
by Nashville Star and ACM nominated Chris Young, just to name a few.
The show was filled with crowd favorites like Ken Mellons, Ricky Lynn Gregg, Highway 101, David Frizell, Joe
Diffie, Tammy Cochran, David Krol and Chris Young. Billy joined
Chris to sing Flowers which is on Chris' debut album. There was a songwriter session with three prolific songwriters,
Bryon Hill, Georgia Middleman and Kerry Kurt Phillips. We had not
anticipated a show as star studded as this and unfortunately did not allocate enough time in our schedule to enjoy the
entire show.
It was back downtown to the Hard Rock Cafe for the Fashion Show to benefit
Musicians On Call. Musicians On Call provides live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in
healthcare facilities. Since 1999 this program has not only raised patients spirits , it has been proven to help in the
lowering of their elevated blood pressure, reduce depression and anxiety in hospitalized patients. The artists truly
had fun stepping out of their comfort zone and onto the runway as they modeled fashions from local Flavour Clothing
Boutique, Wrangler and jewelry by Tiffany. It was hosted by Clay
Walker. Artists included Blue County, Dean Sams and Keach Rainwater from Lonestar, Ty Herndon,
Brian and Ericka White, Chris Young, Tanya Tucker and Trick Pony just to name a very few. The evening was
concluded with an acoustic set featuring nearly each artist.
While they headed that direction, Leah and Helen went across the street to Jack's BBQ for a bite to eat. We try to get
to Jack's at least once each year - the food is great. Then we headed to the Wildhorse Saloon to attend the
Andy Griggs/Tracy Byrd fan club party. With over 1000 screaming fans
in attendance, the party was broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio. Griggs and Byrd were on stage with some of their
songwriting friends, including Marty Brown and Neil
Thrasher. They were relaxed and enjoying performing with each other;
you can certainly tell these guys are all great friends. After a few songs,
Blake Shelton surprised the crowd and after some convincing he sat down and sang his song, 'Don't Go
Lovin On Nobody But Me".
The show went on and we worked our way up to the Exhibit Hall to get a sneak preview of the booths that were set up.
Inside the Convention Center, exhibitors were busy getting the booths set up and ready for tomorrow's crowd. The
Convention Center has much to offer and we enjoyed our sneak peek! We met
Sage Keffer, a new artist anxious to share his music. We checked out his CD, Rules of the Game, and really
enjoyed it. Fans who get a chance to meet him this week are in for a treat. His voice is unique and he's not too hard on
the eyes, either! The third track, Again, is our personal favorite.
We decided to wander downtown along Broadway to see what was going on in the local clubs and noticed a crowd forming
outside of The Stage. The doors were closed but we could see through the window and noticed a duo performing. Maybe we
should say The Duo....Brooks and Dunn. People were stopping, trying to capture the image on their
cameras and for those who didn't know the first rule of the CMA Music Fest,
always be prepared with a camera, pulled out their cell phones and snapped a picture. We turned around and not even 10 feet
from us Eric Church was posing with fans. We went a few
blocks further to catch up with Christy and Queta and outside the Hard Rock Cafe,
Chris Young had a crowd around him and after he left, Jason Michael Carroll showed up. They each
took time to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Yep, you just never know who you might see.
It was another late night for us and we are looking forward
to tomorrow. There is so much going on and we are going to catch as much of it as we can. Check back tomorrow to see
what we're up to!
Tuesday 6/5:
Our first full day here at the CMA Fest and the schedule is
busy! We headed to The Gibson Showcase for Chris Cagle's
fan club party. The Gibson Showcase just happens to be
attached to the Opry Mills outlet mall - you know we weren't going to pass up a chance to shop. We had arrived pretty early,
so we hustled into the mall for a few "necessities"
(shoes). One can never have enough shoes...
Back over to The Gibson, where the Cagleheads were anxiously awaiting his arrival. They would certainly not be
disappointed! The party is what all Fan Fair goers look for - great music and a chance to be up close and personal to an
artist they love. One thing that could not be missed is what a huge heart Cagle has! He spoke to the crowd about his
passion and interest in therapeutic horseback riding for people with mental and physical disabilities,
particularly his involvement with an organization called Saddle
Up. The Cagleheads have recently raised $3050 for this organization,
which is enough to support three horses for an entire year! As if that is not cool enough, Cagle shared some of his other
ideas for raising money for this as well as other charities during the upcoming year. Some of these included the sale
of exclusive merchandise available only to fan club members. If you love
Chris Cagle, now might be the time to join! He also talked about releasing a cooking DVD - yes
ladies, he likes to cook!! His final song was "Chicks Dig It" and the crowd was having a blast. He spent some time
answering questions from fans, and we rushed out.
Our next appointment was at the NashRock Entertainment offices near Music Row for an interview with
Justin David, who appeared on season three of Nashville Star. For many years
prior to that and still, he tours with Roy Clark, playing the mandolin and the fiddle. His career as an artist is
picking up speed. His upcoming shows will be posted on his website soon,
www.justindavidmusic.com. David will be signing in
his booth at the Convention Center here in Nashville throughout the week, so if you stop by or get a chance to meet
him somewhere else, make sure to let him know that CSO sent you! We will post more details about his interview soon.
Off to our next event! As we were doing the interview, Christy and LaQueta were shopping at
Off Broadway Shoes. Can't keep us from shopping even when we are busy!! We headed
downtown to The Stage for The Country Beach Party hosted by Darryl
Worely. This event raised over $40,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Country artists
Danielle Peck, Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence, Chris
Young and led by Darryl Worley, performed song after song of their hits while Worley was
encouraging fans to donate money for the cause by purchasing a number items that
included signed hats, shirts, Gibson guitars and kisses. A fan offered up $500 for a slow dance
with Tracy Lawrence. He took her up on the offer and they were
serenaded by Tracy Byrd singing one of the most classic love songs, 'Keeper of the Stars'. The dance maybe
generated money for the CF foundation but for her, the memory was priceless. This evening beach party showed another example
of the huge hearts of country artists and their fans. The money donated certainly helped 'take aim at
finding a cure' for this life threatening, genetic disease that so far, has no cure.
We ended the evening visiting a few more clubs on Broadway offering live music and back to the hotel to rest up for
Day 3. Yep, bedtime was after midnight again... starting to be a habit with us. Will we make it to Sunday when the
week at the CMA Music Festival ends? Stay tuned each day to find out if we have crashed!
Monday, 6/4:
While driving down Highway 74 through Illinois,
we, Leah and Helen, are still making phone calls finalizing plans for
the upcoming week. Passing by numerous Waffle house signs and billboards
for Sonic, we knew we were getting close. It was 5:30pm as we were checking into the hotel and by 6:30,
we were arriving at our first event of the week, Lonestar and Friends Strike Out for St. Judes.
At the same time, Christy was flying in from Detroit. No rest for her either, skipping the stop at the hotel, she
went directly to the 40th Annual IFCO show at the historic
Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville.
At 1:30 a.m., we were all back in our room reflecting on our evening. The Lonestar and Friends 'Strike out for St
Judes Children's Research Hospital' bowling party raised money and awareness for research at St. Judes. Many celebrities
donated their evening to bowl with fans and donated a variety of items that were auctioned off in a silent auction. The
first artist we saw was Chris Young, ACM nominee for top new male artist, signing autographs for numerous fans. He
was unable to join the group for bowling because he was off to the IFCO show (more later). Other
celebrities in attendance included Bryan White, Danielle Peck, Tanya Tucker,
Trent Tomlinson, Buddy Jewell, Darryl Worley, Jimmy Wayne, members of
Emerson Drive, Little Texas, Lonestar of course, and
many more. After the first round, a fan beat out the artists for the top score of 178.
The IFCO 40th Annual Fun Fest Show was, for me (Christy), the official start of CMA Music Festival week.
The Johnson sisters, the founders of the International Fan Club Organization (IFCO), have been an
integral part of the relationship between the artist and the fan. This year the Tex Ritter
Award went to Porter Wagner, and the Johnson sisters were surprised with an honorary Tex Ritter Award as well. The IFCO Fun Fest will benefit the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital in Vanderbilt. Watch for more details on the event to
come soon!
Today, Tuesday, we are off to a fan club party for Chris Cagle, and interview near Music Row, a charity event at the
Wildhorse Saloon, and a Beach Party at a club downtown, and maybe even squeeze in a little shopping! Check back
tomorrow for details...
CMA Music
Festival - Fan Fair 2007