The Atwood Music Festival, the longest running festival of its kind in the state of Mississippi, is an annual festival held near the banks of the Pearl River in Monticello, Mississippi on Memorial Day weekend in May. Originally called the Atwood Bluegrass Music Festival, the event was rebranded to feature a variety of different music styles. The Festival began as a joint effort by the Pearl River Basin Development District and the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce in 1975 to promote the Atwood Water Park that had recently been completed by the Basin District.
The Festival has featured artists such as Stella Parton (sister of Dolly Parton), The Carter Family, Trace Adkins, John Anderson, Neal McCoy, Jeff Bates, Little Texas, Jamey Johnson, LoCash, Jake Owen, Chris Young, Craig Morgan, Travis Tritt, Emerson Drive, Kieth Anderson, and Charlie Daniels. Following Daniels's headlining performance in 2008, the Festival opted to contract several up-and-coming acts instead of 1 or 2 well-known headliners due to budget concerns.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Festival was moved from Memorial Day weekend in May to Labor Day weekend, September 4-5.
List of main performers 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 Hager 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, 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, Matt Carr Band 2011 - Easton Corbin, Jake Owen 2012 - Brett Eldredge, Craig Campbell, Randy Houser 2013 - Frank Foster, LoCash Cowboys, Earl Thomas Conley, Chris Cagle 2014 - Chris Janson, Craig Morgan 2015 - Chase Bryant, 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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