American Outdoor Hootenanny Festival: 1963
On August 8, 1963, the traveling American Outdoor Hootenanny Festival came to Parade Stadium, produced locally by Ray Colihan. Participants were encouraged to bring their guitars, banjos, and vocal chords (and $2), sit on the grass, and be discovered in the talent hunt. Then it turns out that the first two hours featured “TV and Recording Folk Stars,” including:
- The Greenbriar Boys
- Bill Faier
- The Troubadours Three
- Bob Carey
- Joan Meyers
- Dimitri and Daniel
Only then it was time for the amateurs. That made it 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday night so how many folkies were discovered that night is unknown… The top prize for original material was a publishing contract with Davidson Country Music.