The latest addition to the historic books about Chattanooga is also one of the largest to date.
David Carroll’s “Hello Chattanooga! Famous People Who Have Visited the Tennessee Valley” is a 700-page book featuring some two hundred photos, more than a hundred years of history, and a full index allowing the reader to instantly track down the date that Tammy Wynette played Lake Winnie, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Chickamauga Dam, or Winston Churchill slammed the door of his Read House hotel room in the face of a newspaper reporter.
Carroll, who anchors the nightly news on WRCB-TV, and writes a weekly column for 50 newspapers and his website ChattanoogaRadioTV.com, has compiled the only historical record of famous folks who have visited the tri-state area. It is Carroll’s third book, following “Chattanooga Radio and Television,” (2011) a pictorial history of local broadcasting, and “Volunteer Bama Dawg,” (2016) a collection of his most popular columns.
“It started out as a history of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium,” he said, “and then it became much bigger. I realized the Tivoli Theater should also be included. As I told people about the project, they said I should include the Riverbend Festival, and then the UTC Arena, and so on. The deeper I got into it, I decided it should be a complete history that includes all of our famous visitors, with some stories and pictures mixed in. So I included all our area stages and venues, indoors and outdoors, plus every notable politician, president, movie star, athlete, author, military figure, and evangelist, plus a listing of the movies and music videos that have been filmed here.”
The book lists visitors from each category in chronological order, beginning in 1900, continuing to the present day. Carroll said, “The Chattanooga area has attracted some of the best-known celebrities and entertainers in the world, thanks to our historic venues, beautiful scenery, and powerful people. This book will finally give readers the opportunity to settle a few arguments as they learn the dates and places that your favorite star (or president) visited here.”
“Hello Chattanooga” also lists local residents who have achieved national and worldwide fame in all fields, including political figures like Bill Brock and Estes Kefauver, athletes such as Rick Honeycutt and Reggie White, and entertainers from Samuel L. Jackson to Usher to Kane Brown.
Amid the show listings and photographs are stories tracking the history of each local venue, especially Memorial Auditorium and the Tivoli, each nearing the 100-year mark. There are also stories detailing famous people who appeared on our local stages before they were famous, from Frank Sinatra, to Billy Graham, to Jimi Hendrix, to John Goodman.
The book also points out that many of today’s superstars played Chattanooga venues as opening acts, who were hired to fill some time as audiences found their seats while waiting for a headline act to perform. Among them are Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Jeff Foxworthy, Kenny Chesney, and Taylor Swift.
There are also stories about big names who had a personal connection to the Chattanooga area, either through early jobs (Jim Nabors), a quickly-arranged wedding (Dolly Parton), or even run-ins with the law (Johnny Cash.)
Carroll said, “As I wrote in the introduction, I cannot claim that every single celebrity who has visited here is in the book. It is impossible to list every single one, and it is difficult to confirm every rumor or distant memory, because some famous people either slipped in and out of town quietly, or didn’t want their visit publicized, so it is lost to history. But I found enough big names to fill 700 pages, and share some information that can now be added to Chattanooga’s incredible story.”
“Hello Chattanooga: Famous People Who Have Visited the Tennessee Valley” is available in softcover ($29.95) and hardback (39.95), with signed copies at ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. It is published by Fresh Ink Group. Carroll is available for speaking engagements and book signings and can be contacted at RadioTV2020@yahoo.com.
