If you are one of those music fans who saves every ticket to every show you've ever seen in the Chattanooga area, local TV personality David Carroll needs your help. He's looking for amateur photographers who might have documented any of those shows as well.
Carroll is gathering information for a book that will detail many of the national touring acts that have performed here, and he's hoping fans can help him. He hopes to have the as-yet-untitled book out in the next few months. You may be surprised to know that Garth Brooks, Cher, Itzhak Perlman and The Who have all played in Chattanooga.
"It started out as a history of Memorial Auditorium, the Tivoli Theatre and the UTC Arena, but it has become much more than that," Carroll said.
About four years ago, Carroll posted a list of the acts who played McKenzie Arena at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and it proved so popular, people suggested he do one for the auditorium. It seemed like a good idea that proved popular with fans, and Carroll said it led him down a lot of rabbit holes, which he continues to discover.
"Well, the arena one was easy," he said. "They provided me a list, and I just cut and paste. The auditorium has proven more difficult, but I found a lot of the books [schedules] that were still in existence. But then I realized I'd have to include the Tivoli, too.
"And then, I thought, I can't leave out Engel Stadium, or the Choo Choo, or Lake Winnie."
Or the Bay or Governors or the Hitching Post or Track 29 or Songbirds.
Carroll does his best to hunt down the artists who have played there as well. He's also tried to include a list of celebrities who came through town for a variety of reasons.
Photo provided by David Carroll / NBC weatherman Willard Scott made a stop in Chattanooga in 1983 and did live weather updates while here from the Riverbend music festival site.Henry Aaron was here to promote a bank, and Mickey Mantle was here to promote a men's clothing store he owned in Eastgate Mall, for example. Both are baseball Hall of Famers.
Chattanooga's proximity, especially to Nashville, has meant that "just about every big name in country music has played here, I'm pretty sure," Carroll said.
The book will include lots of lists including artist name, date and location where they performed if possible, and some of the more interesting anecdotal information as well, Carroll said.
The story of actor Jon Hamm giving his Bonnaroo wristband to Tupelo Honey waitress Abby Swartz will be included. He was in town in 2015 along with fellow actor Zach Galifianakis the day after making several appearances at the festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
If you have ticket stubs or programs or posters confirming shows and dates, or photos from those shows you would like to share, you can send them, or copies, to David Carroll at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or radiotv2020@yahoo.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.