HISTORY OF THE GUITAR SHOWHISTORY : 1978 - 2008 From its humble beginnings in a small meeting room of a Dallas hotel in 1978, to140,000 square feet of display space at Dallas Market Hall today, the Dallas International Music Festivalcelebrates 31 years of bringing musicians, guitar makers, collectors, celebrities and music enthusiaststogether. Today there are more than 2,000 guitar shows and festivals staged around the world, but theguitar show phenomenon actually began in Texas with the vision of Dallas guitar shop owner Charley Wirz.Charley conceived the idea of establishing and promoting a vintage guitar show similar to othercollectible shows, with booths leased to dealers and collectors. Build it and they will come, he thought.And they did. In partnership with John Brinkmann and Danny Thorpe, he staged the first Dallas guitarshow. The partnership was dissolved after the 1981 show, and Charley continued to stage the Dallas showuntil his untimely death in 1985. That first show – the Greater Southwest Vintage Guitar Show - was amodest success for the 10 exhibitors who leased booth space to show off and sell their prized vintageguitars. Each year, the Show attracted more exhibitors and attendees, changing venues to accommodate thegrowing crowds. But in 1985, show founder Charley Wirz died unexpectedly. Charley's Guitar Shop and therights to the Guitar Show were then purchased by Mark Pollock, one of Charley's closest friends, a goodcustomer and a touring musician himself. Mark had some ideas about the show’s size and location, so hebegan a series of changes that have led to its’ prominence today. Mark's first big change was to expandthe show by moving its location to the Dallas Convention Center. He envisioned bringing together bothguitar purists and everyday music fans, so he hosted a party on Saturday night and hired some outstandingmusicians to entertain. Thus, the annual Saturday Night Jam was born. In 1989, Mark initiated a secondmajor change by bringing guitarist and 1978 Show exhibitor Jimmy Wallace in as his partner. A record10,000 attendees moved through the gates the following year, and Mark and Jimmy were onto something. TheDallas show kept growing larger, and Mark and Jimmy moved the location to Dallas’ Fair Park in 1996. In1997, the 20th annual show was expanded to include Music Fest, a celebration of local, regional andnational bands performing on two stages throughout the weekend. This was Mark and Jimmy’s third majorchange and it added even more appeal to the general public. In 2004 Mark and Jimmy moved the show toMarket Hall, the largest privately-owned exhibition hall in the USA. This new venue features a larger,more flexible exhibit hall, easy access, and plenty of free parking. The layout of the Hall easilyaccommodates the variety of displays and live music that make up the Dallas International GuitarFestival. For 2008, there will be more artists in attendance, performing and mingling with the attendeesthroughout three days of guitar heaven. This is the original guitar show, the first of its kind in thenation, and 2008 promises even more innovation and surprises for all. Please join us for THE guitar eventof the year.
For event info visit, performance schedules and advance ticket sales go to: www.guitarshow.com
