It was one of my early visits to Nashville and for reasons that soon became very clear there was no room at the (Holiday) Inn. There was no room in any Inn if truth be told and the best option was a week’s stay out at the airport a short drive out from downtown. Airport hotels are probably the most soulless places on earth and this one was no different. Once I’d finished whatever I had on that day I’d head back along the freeway to my home from home and decide that the best way to dine alone was to join the other loners at the sports bar and try my luck there with the menu. I found a good seat and soon enough I joined with the Basketball boys watching the playoffs and made friends with a fellow traveller who explained what to look out for. ‘It’s all about the final quarter,’ he told me. ‘That can go on for ever. It doesn’t kick on until then. See, the thing is…’ he confided, ‘It’s all about this.’ His thumb and middle finer rubbed almost snapping together. ‘Basketball, football, baseball…you name it, it’s all about the money.’
I didn’t bring up the music business as I’m pretty sure he’d have had the same take away. But it was good to feel part of the conversation and offer my occasional tuppence worth on how it was much the same wherever you go. It was probably my bar friend who explained why I was having to stay out there in the first place. Anyone I spoke to said the same thing. ‘Fan Fair.’
It turned out, that in my naivety, I’d picked CMA week to arrive in country music’s capital. Until 2004 this gathering of the country clans had been called Fan Fair and the regulars Tennesseeans still used the term. I didn’t really pay too much attention to what it all was as I had other song writing duties on my mind but I was aware that this was a big deal. It turned out that the Fan Fair term had now been superseded by the more all embracing CMA Fest. Essentially the same idea, CMA week encouraged country music fans to come to the city and see, at close quarters, most of their favourite artists who would perform in small and large venues in and around downtown. The last time I was in Nashville during CMA Fest all of Broadway had been closed off in anticipation of an Alan Jackson show that was to be one of the closing events of the long weekend.
The festival (as Fan Fair or under its new name) has been around since 1972 and in the early days it even featured short-term Nashville resident, Paul McCartney and (in the same year) the final performance of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner. These days you’d expect to see any country act with an album to promote in or around the city. Our man in town, Bill Demain has seen the festival grow and change at first hand and we thought we’d get him to come and give us a sense of the atmosphere at this year’s celebration. Bill will join us in the second hour of this week’s show.
Apart from that we have new music from exciting Oklahoma singer songwriter Ken Pomeroy, Cam, Jackson Dean and so much more. As ever we’re on air This Tuesday evening from eight on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sounds. Join me if you can.