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The Atwood Music Festival started in 1975 as the Atwood Bluegrass Festival. It began as a joint effort of the Pearl River Basin Development District and the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. These two groups wanted to attract more interest in the Atwood Water Park shortly after the Basin completed work there, so they decided to have a bluegrass festival. The first festival was held June 20 and 21, 1975 and featured the music of Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass, and Doc Watson a bluegrass singer and guitar player. The first festival featured a fishing rodeo, turkey calling contest, tennis tournament, bluegrass contest and canoe race. Since then, it has grown and in 1984 the name was changed to Atwood Music Festival due to the different genres of music being featured. During the early years the headliners would perform two shows, one in the afternoon and one at night. As the festival grew and demands from headlining artists changed, the shows changed to just one performance by each headliner. The Atwood Music Festival is the longest running music festival of its kind in the state of Mississippi.
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Artists Featured Each Year:
1975 - Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
Doc Watson
1976 - Grandpa Jones
Jim Jesse and the Virginia Boys
1977 - Minnie Pearl
Paul Ott
1978 - Dave and Sugar
Kurt Kilpatrick
1979 - The Hagar Twins
Jimmy Martin
1980 - Stella Parton
The Carter Family
1981 - Dave and Sugar
Rattlesnake Annie McGowan
1982 - Helen Cornelius
Razzy Bailey
Paul Ott
1983 - David Frizell and Shelly West
Jimmy C. Newman
Elmer Fudpucker
1984 - Charly McClain
Vern Gosdin
Lorrie Morgan
Linda Nail
Kent Westberry
1985 - Justin Tubb and the Texas Troubadors
Jacky Ward
Helen Cornelius
Kathy Twitty
1986 - Dan Seals
Robin Killen
1987 - Tom T. Hall
Mark Gray
1988 - Jim Ed Brown
Shelley Mangrum
1989 - Billy Crash Craddock
Mike Snider
Vicki Bird
1990 - Baillie and the Boys
Irlene Mandrell
Jimmy C. Newman and Cajun Country
1991 - Connie Smith
Scott McQuaig
1992 - Gene Watson
1993 - Ronnie McDowell
Mac McAnally
1994 - Jimmy C. Newman
John Conlee
Pearl River
1995 - Terry McBride and the Ride
James Dixon
Dave and Sugar
1996 - Paul Overstreet
Lee Roy Parnell
1997 - Ronnie McDowell
Confederate Railroad
1998 - Wade Hayes
Doug Supernaw
1999 - Suzy Bogguss
Aaron Tippin
2000 - Ricky Van Shelton
Cletus T. Judd
Tracy Byrd
2001 - Tracy Lawrence
The Bellamy Brothers
The Kinleys
2002 - Highway 101
Trace Adkins
John Anderson
2003 - Neal McCoy
Doug Stone
Ricochet
2004 - Sammy Kershaw
Jeff Bates
Honky Tonk Tailgate Tour
Chad Brock, Rhett Akins, David Kersh,
and Daryle Singletary
2005 - Joe Diffie
Pam Tillis
Andy Griggs
2006 - Marty Stuart
Exile
Little Texas
Billy Dean
Kelsey
2007 - Emerson Drive
Keith Anderson
Shane Prather
2008 - Charlie Daniels
2009 - Jamey Johnson
LoCash Cowboys
Honky Tonk Tailgate Tour
(Mark Wills, Trent Willmon, Jeff Bates)
The Lost Trailers
2010- LoCash Cowboys
Colt Ford,
Chris Young
2011 -Easton Corbin
Jake Owen
2012-
Brett Eldredge,
Craig Campbell
Randy Houser
2013- Frank Foster
LoCash Cowboys
Earl Thomas Conley
Chris Cagle
2014- Chris Jansen and Craig Morgan
2015- Chase Bryant and Travis Tritt
2016 - Jeff Bates
Brothers Osborne
The Bellamy Brothers
LOCASH
2017 - William Michael Morgan
Little Texas
Drake White and the Big Fire
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