ABC’s nationally televised Hootenanny show featured the nation’s top folk singers and was taped on college campuses before live student audiences. Presented by Nahheeyayli, Hootenanny concerts were held at UT on January 21 and January 22, 1964, in the Brehm Animal Science Arena. Tickets to the shows, distributed by the Nahheeyayli Board, were free.
Those attending sat on a tarpaulin on the floor or in the permanent seats in the arena. A special “couples only” section was established and was the section most frequently shown in audience shots from the event. The January 21 event featured Pete Fountain and his jazz group, Homer and Jethro, the Goldbriers, the Geezinslaw Brothers, Lydia and Brooks, the Serendipity Singers, Doc Watson, and Bill Monroe and his group. The January 22 concert featured Eddy Arnold, comic Vaughn Meader, Sheb Wooley, the Simon Sisters, the Carter Family, the Travelers Three, Hoyt Axton, and the Serendipity Singers. UT’s Cumberland Trio also appeared.
The three thousand students who attended each performance (and more also attended the dress rehearsals) were enthusiastic about the performances. Prior to the performances, however, there was significant opposition to the show’s taping and the image that would be presented.