photo by Mike Carroll

This was the first official day of the 2013 CMA Fest!  The day got started with Lady Antebellum participating in the ceremonial ribbon cutting, officially opening the brand new Music City Center which was home to the Fan Fair X exhibition hall.  This is where hundreds of booths were set up offering fans everything from food, artist booths, label booths, media booths, autograph signings, memorabilia, merchandise, stages of live music, and more!

HCM’s Mike Carroll with Joe Diffie

After I attended the ribbon cutting, I went downstairs to the media room to interview Joe Diffie.  He was a real friendly guy, and I had a good chat with him.  You can read the interview here.  From there, I entered Fan Fair X to explore the new expanded exhibition space.  While the space was bigger, there didn’t seem to be more booths set up than last year, instead there was just more open space between each section of exhibitors.  It was a bit disappointing that they didn’t utilize the extra space better.

HCM’s Mike Carroll with Mark Wills

The highlight of the Fan Fair X to me was the Durango Stage hosted by 650AM WSM, where several of my favorite ’90’s stars performed throughout the festival.  As I wandered around, I was able to meet Mark Wills, Payton Taylor, Sarah Darling, Daryle Singletary, Craig Morrison, Lizzie Sider, David Ball, and Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member Bill Anderson, all with very little or no wait in line!

HCM’s Mike Carroll with Bill Anderson

My encounter with Bill Anderson was quite memorable.  Most meet & greets consist of a handshake, a photo, an autograph, and an exchange of pleasantries.  Not with Bill Anderson!  He saw my media pass and asked about the business.  After finding out that I was from South Florida, he asked me my thoughts on the Heat’s potential against the Spurs in Game 1 later that night.  We had a nice 3 minute conversation, and it left me with a memory I will never forget.  It’s rare that a star takes the time to get to know someone in a meet & greet line, so kudos to you Mr. Anderson!

HCM’s Mike Carroll with Sarah Darling

I then was able to schedule a last second interview with Sarah Darling, which you can read here.

photo by Mike Carroll

photo by Mike Carroll

photo by Mike Carroll

photo by Mike Carroll

I rounded out my visit to Fan Fair X by seeing Daryle Singletary, Buddy Jewell, David Ball and Riders in the Sky perform on the Durango Stage before I departed to meet Lee Greenwood at the Country Music  Hall of Fame for an interview.

HCM’s Mike Carroll with Lee Greenwood

You can read the interview here.  Greenwood was a very well-spoken and engaging person to talk to, and it was an honor to get to talk to someone that I am a huge fan of.  I highly recommend that you read his new book, “Does God Still Bless the USA?”  And if you get a chance to visit Nashville this year, make sure you go to the Country Music Hall of Fame to see his exhibit!

photo by Mike Carroll

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