Country Music Bonanza

06/15/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Bruce Haring

(6/15/98) - It's the closest thing the country music has to Lollapalooza. It's the annual International Country Music Fan Fair, which opens today at the Tennessee State Fair Grounds in Nashville. At Fan Fair, which runs through Saturday, top country stars not only perform, they sign autographs and talk to fans for hours. In 1996, Garth Brooks spent 23 consecutive hours signing autographs.

Yet those who don't have tickets already are out of luck. The event, which will host 24,000 attendees, sold out four months ago. This year, the list of talent includes such top country attractions as Patty Loveless, Tim McGraw, Dixie Chicks, the Mavericks, Bryan White and many more.

Adding to the festivities are the TNN Music City News Country Awards, which will be held tonight at the Nashville Arena. The show, which will be broadcast on the Nashville Network, will be hosted by Jeff Foxworthy and feature performances by Vince Gill, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood and others.