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Backstage Country

Carrie, Blake, Keith, And More Tell CMA Fest’s Story In New Doc

The CMA has announced the launch date for CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair. It’s an original documentary film about the world’s largest and longest-running Country Music festival, CMA Fest. Debuting…

Carrie, Blake, Keith, And More Tell CMA Fest’s Story In New Doc
Jason Kempin x3/Getty Images

The CMA has announced the launch date for CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair. It's an original documentary film about the world’s largest and longest-running Country Music festival, CMA Fest. Debuting on Hulu Wednesday, July 5, CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair marks CMA’s first feature-length film.

The 75-minute documentary features exclusive interviews with many of Country Music’s most notable artists, including Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, BRELAND, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce, Jeannie Seely, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, and Chris Young.

Told through interviews, never-before-seen archival content, and CMA Fest performances, “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair” celebrates the festival’s beginnings as Fan Fair in 1972. That drew 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. Then it moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in 1982 and then ultimately to downtown Nashville in 2001, which now draws 80,000 fans a day, across four days, with attendees from all 50 states and 39 countries.

CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said in a statement, “CMA Fest has taken several shapes throughout its storied history. As we step into our 50th year, our hope with this film is to underscore the one thing that has remained with the festival—its heart. We are thrilled to share the evolution and magic of this incredible event with the Hulu audience.”

CMA Fest will celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary on June 8-11, 2023, in downtown Nashville. It will feature hundreds of artists performing across multiple stages.

CMA Fest is uniquely programmed with artists donating their time so a portion of ticket proceeds can be invested in high-quality music education programs. They are across the U.S. through the organization’s philanthropic arm, the CMA Foundation. ABC will air its annual “CMA Fest” network primetime special later this summer.

After two years of CMA Fest being canceled due to COVID, it was back this year in full display with country superstars like Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, and many more taking the Nissan Stadium stage in Nashville.

We gathered some highlight photos of this past weekend's CMA Fest in Nashville.

Nicole Kidman - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 09: Actress Nicole Kidman is seen backstage during day 1 of CMA Fest 2022 on June 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Keith Urban - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 09: Keith Urban performs during day 1 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Zac Brown, Darius Rucker - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 09: (L-R) Darius Rucker and Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band perform during day 1 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Kane Brown - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: Kane Brown performs during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Carly Pearce, Wynonna - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: (L-R) Carly Pearce and Wynonna Judd perform during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Thomas Rhett - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: Thomas Rhett performs during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Kelsea Ballerini - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 10: Kelsea Ballerini performs during day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Dierks Bentley - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 12: Dierks Bentley performs during day 4 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Dierks Bentley, Elle King - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 12: (L-R) Dierks Bentley and Elle King perform during day 4 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Luke Combs - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 11: Luke Combs performs during day 3 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Luke Bryan - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 11: Luke Bryan performs during day 3 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


Carrie Underwood - CMA Fest 2022

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 11: Carrie Underwood performs during day 3 of CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium on June 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.