The 2008 CMA Music Fest

The CMA Celebrity Close Up Series will return to CMA Music Festival for a sixth consecutive year. The sessions, which give fans an in-depth glimpse into an artist’s life and personality, will take place on Thursday, June 5 from 1:30-3 p.m. CT; and 4-5:30 p.m. CT at the Ryman Auditorium, with GAC personality Lorianne Crook as moderator.

The first session (1:30-3 p.m.), will kick off with multi-platinum artists Gretchen Wilson, Taylor Swift and Randy Travis sharing their unique perspectives on their careers and discussing their lives. In addition, Gretchen, Taylor and Randy will answer fan questions in a forum moderated by Lorianne. Artists for the second session will be Sara Evans, Joe Nichols, Jake Owen and Bucky Covington (4-5:30 p.m.).

Great American Country (GAC) has been named the Presenting Sponsor of The CMA Celebrity Close Up Series, which will be taped and then aired on GAC in two parts. The episode with Gretchen, Taylor and Randy will premiere on Saturday, July 19. The episode with Sara, Joe, Jake and Bucky will premiere on Saturday, July 26.

"The CMA Celebrity Close Up Series provides one more connection between Country Music fans and their favorite artists," said Sarah Trahern, Senior Vice President of Programming for GAC. "These conversations frequently range from humorous to poignant, even outrageous, which makes for very entertaining television."

For the latest news, features, photo galleries and more about the featured CMA Celebrity Close Up featured artists click on the links below to visit their official GACTV.com artists sections: