5 Things to know about: The Clovis Music Fest

link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

Geraldine Offutt, 93,

of Clovis waits to get

a program from 2014 Pioneer Day Rodeo Queen Janay Blevins before Thursday’s show. Offutt said she came to see Will Banister & The Modern Day Ramblers.

Thursday night cranked up the volume on the Clovis Sound once again, as the Clovis Music Festival began at the Curry County Events Center.

Here are five things to know about the annual event, which started in Clovis 27 years ago.

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Organizers hit the shuffle button. Following the 2009 festival, organizers felt the annual festival could reach a bigger audience by going beyond the Buddy Holly era of music.

The lineup since then is certainly testament to that. Over the last five years, there have been two country-centered acts — Saturday’s twin bill of the Kentucky HeadHunters and Phil Vassar, and Lonestar.

But it’s not just a country festival. The festival went late 70s/early 80s just last year with Great White and Night Ranger. The year before that, it went with the 60s and Chubby Checker’s “Twist.” And two years before that, it was “I Love the 80s” with Starship.

“That was a great year, when we had Starship, for sure,” Clovis Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ernie Kos said. “We thought we’d try country (again). The people that were there (in 2013) had a great time, but we just didn’t sell enough tickets.

Though the premiere evening has moved to bigger artists, the festival tries to stay grounded in the Clovis Sound.

The Clovis Sound dates back to the heyday of Norman Petty Studios on Seventh Street in Clovis. The studio that still stands today was the recording site for Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Fireballs, Waylon Jennings and many others.

The most famous song recorded at the studio was “Sugar Shack,” a hit from The Fireballs that spent five weeks as the Billboard No. 1 song in late 1963.

Norman Petty, Holly’s recording engineer and one-time manager, had an unchallenged reputation for producing records.

The Friday night show includes the Highway Men Live Tribute, with Michael Moore as Willie Nelson, Bob Gill as Waylon Jennings and Philip Bauer as Johnny Cash. Johnny Rogers, well known to the festival in the role of Buddy Holly, will also appear.

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The festival reflects the old Clovis sound of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, but there’s also a sound from the people around Clovis.

The Thursday show was dedicated to local bands:

• Will Banister, a Portales native, was a featured artist a few years ago at Wembley Stadium. But he has recorded both of his CDs, “Turned Her on to Country,” and “Turn Back Time,” at Johnny Mulhair’s recording studio in Clovis. Banister played with the Modern Day Ramblers.

• The festival also features the reformed band Marshall Law, which bills itself as the city’s only true hard rock and classic metal cover band. The band, made up of Tim Short, Bob Farkas, Greg Garcia, Mark Puente and Carlos Molina, covers Metallica, Journey and others.

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There was the day the music died, and for a few years the music took a break. Though the festival is celebrating its 27th anniversary this year, the festival went into hibernation in 2000. Those who brought it back to life said the show had gone too far from its roots and become a venue for country acts.

“We’re conscious about making sure we still had ties to the music legacy here,” Kos said.

She noted she got a reminder of the importance of keeping the roots in place Thursday, as the museum has already seen a dozen visitors from England. Kos said she was expecting less than half of that.

The festival previously had a Buddy Holly musical, but Kos doubts that is coming back. The musical was performed primarily in Lubbock, and Clovis piggybacked off of it while it was showing. If the musical was to play again, Kos said she’d be interested in a Clovis performance, but it’s not really up to her.

The event will also draw a biker crowd, with Clovis also hosting the New Mexico Hog Rally. All registered bikers were given free general admission for each night of the music festival.

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It’s a community festival, with outside agents playing a role.

Saturday is the busiest night at the festival, but it’s also the busiest day for activities. Starting at 8 a.m., local Rotary clubs will conduct a rummage sale at Hillcrest Park at the main entrance near 10th and Sycamore.

Two hours later, the Desert Cruzers will join the festivities with the annual Run to Hillcrest Car Show. The show and the rummage sale both go until 4 p.m.

“This is where we give away the car for Make a Wish,” board member Carl Melinat said of the raffle. “We usually draw a pretty good crowd.”

This year’s raffle car is a 2006 Mustang, and the club is hoping it can build on last year’s show, which featured 152 vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Foxy Drive-In will have its noon-2 p.m. “Back to the 50s” celebration with staffers dressed up in the era’s dresses, hair and makeup.