You'd think that John Rich never has much downtime and you'd be right.  An idea born in a conversation with Full House Productions President Bob Durkin took on a life of its own, growing by leaps and bounds into the Carolina Country Music Festival.

John Rich said it was about a year ago when he was talking with Full House Productions President Bob Durkin about his new lifestyle line and the need for a country music festival in the Southeast.

“I trademarked the phrase ‘Redneck Riviera’ and I have a lifestyle line,” he said. “What better place [than Myrtle Beach] to have a country music festival?”

Rich said he planted the seed with Durkin and Full House Productions to bring a large-scale music festival to Myrtle Beach leading to the January announcement of the Carolina Country Music Fest.

Plant a seed and see where it takes you!

Big & Rich will be one of the 35 acts performing during the three-day music festival Friday through Sunday on the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion property which includes headliners Eric Church, Rascal Flatts and Lady Antebellum. There also will be a kickoff concert Thursday featuring Sam Hunt.

A casual conversation can turn into huge undertaking, if you talk to the right people.  And Rich knows exactly who to talk to in order to get things moving.

“It’s massive,” Rich said. “It makes sense for Myrtle Beach because it’s in this 400-mile stretch in the south that has the highest concentration of country music fans. … These are people who work hard and play hard.

“There are people from more than 100 miles away [from Myrtle Beach] Tweeting me and telling me they’re coming. You have to go 200 miles south or north or west before hitting another [similar festival]. There was a huge light bulb missing for the country music fans.

See A Need & Fill It!

Did you get a chance to go? Let us know what you thought!

Find out how it all came to fruition at: The State.

Photo Source: The State