Small town, big money: How Country Thunder became a multimillion-dollar business

This week, the tiny village of Craven, Sask. will explode from a population of about 260 people to more than 25,000 ready to rock out with some of country music's biggest names.

What started as Big Valley Jamboree in 1983 has morphed and changed, becoming part of a Country Thunder brand that now includes five multi-day festivals across North America. At the helm sits Country Thunder president and CEO Troy Vollhoffer, who was born and raised in Regina, but is now a huge name in Nashville.

"I love what I do. I wake up every morning and I don't feel like I'm going to work, which is a real blessing," Vollhoffer told host Sam Maciag on CBC's This is Saskatchewan podcast.

Coming from humble beginnings — his dad was a carpenter at the original festival — Vollhoffer said he's sometimes blown away at the life he gets to lead, bumping elbows with movie stars, pro athletes and, of course, musicians. 

"There's kind of a moment of starstruck, you know, when I can sit and [think], 'I'm playing golf with Gretzky!'... That's a moment where I pinch myself and go, 'That's pretty darn cool.'"

So just how did Country Thunder attract big names like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Blake Shelton – and this year, headliners Def Leppard, Jason Aldean and Bailey Zimmerman — to this sleepy village just north of Regina?

Vollhoffer describes his career path as a slow but steady climb to the top. Back in the 1980s, when the festival was still called Big Valley Jamboree, he helped by building the stages and being a stagehand, learning the business from the ground up.

By the time he was 20, he'd already collected lighting and stage equipment. He launched his own company in 1987, thanks to a signing bonus he received as a hockey player from the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead of buying a fancy house or a boat like his teammates, he lived frugally with the hope of building a career in music.

"That's where I thought, build it, they will come," he said.

In 2000, the Craven festival had moved away from its country roots and into rock, rebranding as Rock 'N The Valley with Kinsmen, as it attempted to boost its profitability. It didn't work.

When Vollhoffer came on, he saw an opportunity to bring the festival back to its country roots, calling it Craven Country Jamboree. He became the concert's promoter and wheeled and dealt his way into booking Tim McGraw in 2005.

"At this time, Tim McGraw was the biggest name in country music," he said.

That booking was a big turning point for the festival's future.

"That was the rebirth of Craven." 

In the 20 years since, Vollhoffer has re-branded the festival to Country Thunder and expanded to include festivals in Alberta, Arizona, Florida and Wisconsin. He's also launching a new festival in Edmonton, Rockin' Thunder, the same weekend as Country Thunder Saskatchewan. Vollhoffer also owns Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alta.

"You know, we spend probably close to $22- to $23-million a year on talent and so we're a pretty big player," he said, adding that agents are now pitching acts to him, instead of him chasing talent. "I mean, we're not Live Nation, but from an independent standpoint, we spend a lot of money and the acts are costing a lot of money."

Sometimes that talent comes with a complicated public image for stars. That includes Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean, who have weathered storms for personal acts and/or political views.

But Country Thunder isn't about the musicians' lives, Vollhoffer said.

"At the end of the day, it's all about the music," he said, adding that's the beauty of a festival like the one that will take over Craven this week.

"You're supposed to be the happy, feel-good pill. And I think we should stay with that."

Vollhoffer said it's a joy to give people that privilege of enjoying amazing music where he grew up and where his roots still lie — in Saskatchewan. 

"I just thank the good Lord for giving me this opportunity to be living my dream."

This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, the podcast covers local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.

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