Country Music has always been considered a cornerstone of the American music industry, with newcomers like Carrie Underwood taking over the mantle from industry legends such as Dolly Parton. Country music can trace its origins back to the early part of the 20th century but it was formally recognized and moved away from being labeled as hill-billy music in the 1940’s. This musical genre has produced some of the best known singer’s of all time such as Elvis Presley who started out singing country but later moved onto an edgier more rock based sound.

In recent times country music has had resurgence in popularity. Though being popular among the rural listeners, the genre dropped out of favour among the urbane in the 1990’s. However with young artistes like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift entering the foray, it has become more mainstream. In addition the country music group Lady Antebellum won five Grammy awards in 2010 and released a chart topping single- “Need You Now.”
With country music undergoing this sudden increase in popularity the 2011 Country Music
Association Music Festival is one of the most eagerly awaited events in the United States. This is a four day long music festival that features some of the best artistes in the industry and a number of other interesting events organized for the fans. Held in Nashville, Tennessee a place many consider to be the birthplace of the country music industry, this year’s show promises to be one of the best yet.

Last year over 350,000 people attended the event and they represented all 50 US states as well as 41 different nations, which underlines the popularity of this event. This year’s event promises to be even better with over 150 hours of live performances scheduled on the program. In addition fans will be allowed to meet their favourite artistes and get their autograph at specially organized promotion events through out the festival.

Downtown Nashville hotels such as the Millennium Maxwell House Nashville would be an excellent place to stay as it puts one in the centre of the action with a number of events being held in this district. However to avoid disappointment book your Nashville TN hotels early as this year’s festival is purported to be bigger than all the rest.