Jamboree in the Hills
Encyclopedia
Jamboree in the Hills, also known as the "Super Bowl of Country Music," is an annual four-day-festival of country music
in the rolling hills of Morristown, Ohio (about 1½ hours west of Pittsburgh
, and 20 minutes west of Wheeling, West Virginia
) in Belmont County. The concert, owned by parent company Live Nation
, showcases a wide variety of new, veteran, and legendary musicians, and runs Thursday through Sunday every summer during the third week of July.
The program is a spinoff of the WWVA Jamboree
. However, it does not share any affiliation with the current incarnation of the Wheeling Jamboree, which airs on WKKX
. (For a time, Live Nation and WWVA
were both owned by Clear Channel Communications
, but Live Nation was spun off from Clear Channel shortly before WWVA canceled the Jamboree, ending the relationship between the two.)
. It was the concept of Glenn Reeves along with Jerry Brightman
that brought it to fruition. It has since grown to a four-day, annual festival, bringing in more than 100,000 country music fans each year. Fans from all over the United States, and from many areas of the world, pitch tents and park campers on the hill above the amphitheater and all through the immediate region, filling camp grounds, front yards, and backyards alike, dragging wagons loaded with lawn chairs, beer, and plenty of ice.
The current outdoor amphitheater (the second site for the concert since 1977) is currently enhanced by several speaker towers and jumbotron TV screens, so even the fans at the top of the rolling hill can easily enjoy the show. Jamboree in the Hills is one of the largest and most celebrated annual country music events. The concert range is so large that it is home to its very own post office and on-site emergency ward staffed by East Ohio Regional Hospital that has, in the past, even delivered babies on the grounds.
The site is even host to a number of weddings each year. There is a photo aisle in front of the stage where fans can walk through and take snapshots of their favorite country music artists. In 2006, the barn-like stage used to showcase performers underwent a massive face lift. It was completely torn down and replaced with a bigger stage to better suit the hillside amphitheater. There is also an area on site where fireworks are shot off on a given night during the concert (traditionally, Saturday).
Usually country music stars are the main focus of the concert, but entertainers from other genres have also shared the stage over the years, including "Weird Al" Yankovic
, The Beach Boys
and the Steve Miller Band
. The entire concert is covered live on local news station WTOV, aside from a few performers who decline to go on air (usually only one or two each year). Recent examples include Carrie Underwood
(due to American Idol
contracts) and Keith Urban
. For the 2009 festival, only two days were be broadcast locally. However, all the shows are broadcast on local radio stations in the valley.
Past performers include Alan Jackson
, Brad Paisley
, Garth Brooks
, Rascal Flatts
, Travis Tritt
, Alabama
, Kenny Chesney
, The Charlie Daniels Band, Martina McBride
, Toby Keith
, Keith Urban
, Hank Williams, Jr.
, Johnny Cash
, Willie Nelson
, Tim McGraw
, Faith Hill
, Brooks & Dunn
and Merle Haggard
.
Recent years a new song, Jamboree in the Hills by Joe Zelek has been played throughout the event as an overall experience tune.
Justin Moore (Thurs)
The Band Perry (Fri)
Eric Church (Sat)
Davisson Brothers (Sat)
Rodney Atkins (Sun)
Loretta Lynn (Sun)
Neal McCoy (TBA)
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
in the rolling hills of Morristown, Ohio (about 1½ hours west of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, and 20 minutes west of Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) in Belmont County. The concert, owned by parent company Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
, showcases a wide variety of new, veteran, and legendary musicians, and runs Thursday through Sunday every summer during the third week of July.
The program is a spinoff of the WWVA Jamboree
WWVA Jamboree
WWVA Jamboree, renamed Jamboree U.S.A. in the 1960s, and the Wheeling Jamboree in 2009, is a pioneering American radio show that featured country music from 1933–2008, and again since January 2009...
. However, it does not share any affiliation with the current incarnation of the Wheeling Jamboree, which airs on WKKX
WKKX
WKKX is a News/Talk formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Wheeling, West Virginia, serving Wheeling in West Virginia and St. Clairsville in Ohio. WKKX is owned and operated by RCK 1 Group, LLC.-Programming:...
. (For a time, Live Nation and WWVA
WWVA (AM)
WWVA is an AM radio station that broadcasts on a frequency of 1170 kHz with studios in Wheeling, West Virginia, USA, and towers formerly located in St. Clairsville, Ohio, before they were destroyed in an August 2010 storm...
were both owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, but Live Nation was spun off from Clear Channel shortly before WWVA canceled the Jamboree, ending the relationship between the two.)
History and Tradition
Jamboree in the Hills (often abbreviated as JITH or "Jambo") began as a two-day outdoor music festival in July 1977 and was held at Brush Run Park near Morristown, OhioMorristown, Ohio
Morristown is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 299 at the 2000 census.-History:The community's name has also been spelled "Morris Town" in the past....
. It was the concept of Glenn Reeves along with Jerry Brightman
Jerry Brightman
Jerry Brightman is a pedal steel guitarist who played for Buck Owens and the The Buckaroos and featured on television's Hee Haw along with performing on many top 10 records with Buck, Susan Raye, Tony Booth, and others. Impressing audiences at an early age, he began playing professionally in 1966...
that brought it to fruition. It has since grown to a four-day, annual festival, bringing in more than 100,000 country music fans each year. Fans from all over the United States, and from many areas of the world, pitch tents and park campers on the hill above the amphitheater and all through the immediate region, filling camp grounds, front yards, and backyards alike, dragging wagons loaded with lawn chairs, beer, and plenty of ice.
The current outdoor amphitheater (the second site for the concert since 1977) is currently enhanced by several speaker towers and jumbotron TV screens, so even the fans at the top of the rolling hill can easily enjoy the show. Jamboree in the Hills is one of the largest and most celebrated annual country music events. The concert range is so large that it is home to its very own post office and on-site emergency ward staffed by East Ohio Regional Hospital that has, in the past, even delivered babies on the grounds.
The site is even host to a number of weddings each year. There is a photo aisle in front of the stage where fans can walk through and take snapshots of their favorite country music artists. In 2006, the barn-like stage used to showcase performers underwent a massive face lift. It was completely torn down and replaced with a bigger stage to better suit the hillside amphitheater. There is also an area on site where fireworks are shot off on a given night during the concert (traditionally, Saturday).
Usually country music stars are the main focus of the concert, but entertainers from other genres have also shared the stage over the years, including "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and the Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of the classic rock radio format.-History:In 1965, Steve Miller and...
. The entire concert is covered live on local news station WTOV, aside from a few performers who decline to go on air (usually only one or two each year). Recent examples include Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
(due to American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contracts) and Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
. For the 2009 festival, only two days were be broadcast locally. However, all the shows are broadcast on local radio stations in the valley.
Past performers include Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
, Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
, Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt
James Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
, The Charlie Daniels Band, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
, Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
, Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
, Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
and Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
.
Jamboree in the Hills Theme Song
Penned in 1978 by Mayf Nutter, the Jamboree in the Hills theme song is proudly played annually at the festival. The lyrics to the song describe the first Jamboree and the excitement that surrounded the event.Recent years a new song, Jamboree in the Hills by Joe Zelek has been played throughout the event as an overall experience tune.
The Redneck Run
There are only a few seating arrangements or assigned places at the Jamboree site, referred to as lawn seats, which are green lawn chairs. Each morning during the event, hundreds of country music fans stampede through the gate with their blankets, tarps, and lawn chairs, and try to get a space as close to the stage as possible. This is often a muddy and chaotic event and has been dubbed over the years as "The Redneck Run." (videos available)Tips for the Redneck Run
Wear tennis shoes (Sheriffs usually enforce this and send those in sandals to the back of the line). This may be the only time during the week that you wear them, but they are well worth it. Always stretch before the run, and be wary of drunk runners and crashes. Any early injury can spell doom for the seats and everyone relying on you. Main Gate flys first at 8:00 am sharp, with gates 2, 3 and 4 opening shortly after. Devoted fans seek the gate line the night before, but a 6:00 am start is usually guaranteed a good spot. Lastly, protect yourself at all times because serious injury can result, and have a good time. Make sure your wallet (if you carry one) is secured. Tent stakes are not allowed to hold your tarp down, so plan accordingly—some people bring socks packed with sand, others gather rocks. The weather during the day sometimes can be windy which will disturb your tarp site. Fastening it down to the ground is a good idea. MOST OF THE TIME your tarp site will not be disturbed by Jambo goers, but some people aren't so courteous. Realize that your tarp may be moved or stolen when you are not inside the concert area.2011 line-up
Artists announced as of March 14, 2011 (dates according to artist tour pages)- Miranda Lambert (Thurs)
Justin Moore (Thurs)
- Tim McGraw (Fri)
The Band Perry (Fri)
- Toby Keith (Sat)
Eric Church (Sat)
Davisson Brothers (Sat)
- Montgomery Gentry (Sun)
Rodney Atkins (Sun)
Loretta Lynn (Sun)
Neal McCoy (TBA)