It’s been a one-word, simple question posed to the co-founder of Blame My Roots since the first two-day concert in 2019.
Why?
Well, this time he started to answer three different times in three different ways.
“The No. 1 reason … boy, I know you’ve asked me that before, and I don’t know if I’ve given one … .”
“I felt that there was so much to continue … .
“It was just such a shame because we were such big fans ourselves of Jamboree and of that third weekend of July … .”
And then finally.
“Other than farming, working the campground for Jamboree was my summer job, and it was a lot more than just the one week when everyone stayed there. There was a lot to it, but when it all went away after 28 years of my life, it was depressing,” Dutton said. “That’s when I thought there was an opportunity and that we could do it. We could put on a country music festival right here.
It’s just one big party, right?
“And I’ve always loved throwing parties. I planned a lot of our weddings that had to do with the entertainment because my parents always threw parties during the summer, and I was always involved. That’s why, when it came to Blame My Roots, I knew I could throw one hell of a party,” Dutton explained. “Now, the learning curve was extremely steep, and it still is because I’m still traveling it because there’s a lot more about it than just throwing a party. That was Lesson No. 1.
“But I am confident I can still do it and continue to learn and to continue to make the weekend better and better as long as we continue having people show up for the shows,” he explained. “Ticket sales are going great, and anything that has a capacity attached to it like the cabanas and the VIP section is already sold out. It’s the general admission sales that come in during the next 30 days, and our ticket salespeople will be very busy the days of the shows because so many people wait to see what the weather will be.”
The Country Crawl
Jamboree in the Hills continued for more than 40 years before Live Nation pulled the plug following the 2018 weekend.
That’s when the Charlie Daniels Band, Travis Tritt, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Toby Keith performed in that red, metal barn that has rested silently ever since. Joe Diffie, Trace Atkins, Neal McCoy, Joe Dee Messina, Lee Brice and Miranda Lambert have been big names at Blame My Roots so far.
This year, Dierkes Bentley, Chase Rice, Ashley McBride, and Niko Moon are set to perform during the three-day event that is scheduled for July 14-16. Local singer/songwriters Luke Burkhardt and Gage Joseph also will perform during the weekend.
“One big thing I’ve learned is that Nashville is a huge town, but this industry is very small because it all comes down to a few people most of the time,” Dutton said. “One example was when the people from Dierkes Bentley told me that their production guy was going to talk to Miranda Lambert’s production guy to make sure everything went all right last year. When he said I thought, ‘So, this all comes down to two guys and one conversation. Talk about perspective.
“We’re always happy to have the local acts in the show,” he said. “We feel we have the best from this area with Luke and Gage, and we also have the best from the Pittsburgh and the Columbus areas, too, so we’re pleased with that scheduling. They all have a great stage presence so we know the crowds are going to love them.”
Fans will notice several changes from last year’s weekend, but most of the details will mirror 2021. Campground entertainment has been scheduled, the food truck rally will offer a number of different food options, cabanas once again are available, and the beer will be sold on the inside.
“Listen! Jamboree is gone for a lot of reasons, and most of them are business reasons, and in many ways, that’s why we do what we do for Blame My Roots,” Dutton said. “I wish everything still worked and would allow Jamboree to still be around. My summers would be a lot easier going than they have been the last couple of years, but with that said, we are very proud of the product we have put out there with Blame My Roots, and we’re just going to make it better and better.
“The number one issue that we deal with, though, is staffing,” the co-founder added. “We hire more than 180 people, and it will be difficult to find that many people who want to work the beer tents and the parking lots, and last year we didn’t have enough until the week of the event. We have been trying to improve on that this year, and trust me, it’s not because we’re not paying enough. That’s why I have no idea why, but once again we’re struggling to find people for the staff.”
