Nashville, Tamworth Forge Closer Ties

An eight-person mission led by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean made a six-day visit during its 10-day Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival in January.

The deputation included Sister Cities of Nashville executive director Heather Cochran-Cunningham and the chair of its Tamworth committee, Garry Jackson.

They joined the 50,000-strong audience at shows, including the festival’s first Americana In The Park concert, which Tamworth Regional Council staged with promoter Geoff Bell. Dean was gifted a replica of a Golden Guitars music award trophy for Nashville.

The Americans also met with Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) stakeholders, business leaders and tourism executives. As a result, a business and tourism delegation is set to visit Nashville, most likely mid-2015.

Dobe Newton, president of the CMAA, told Pollstar, “There’s always been a strong connection between the music communities of Nashville and Tamworth. Australian musicians are spending more time there. Each year at least 50 Australians visit Nashville to record and write, and at least twenty stay for six months. In 2010, six Australian acts played the Americana Festival. Last year there were 52.

“So any initiative adding to the profile of Australians in Nashville is a good thing. If major Nashville record producers and songwriters visit Tamworth and get involved in the local music community, that would only be helpful to expanding our profile in the U.S.”