1946 – The Coming of Chastain Park
Troy Chastain dies, and North Fulton Park is renamed Chastain Memorial Park in his honor.
1952 – The Mayor Makes Music
The City of Atlanta, under Mayor William B. Hartsfield, annexes Chastain Memorial Park and sponsors free concerts, beginning with a performance by Albert Coleman’s Atlanta Pops Orchestra that draws an overflow crowd of over 9,000.
Summer 1953 – Nights at the Opera
Mayor Hartsfield persuades a local opera producer to offer operettas and musical comedies at Chastain, kicking off a Chastain tradition that lasted 15 years.
June 1972 – The ASO Goes Rock Climbing
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs its first summer series with four pops concerts at Stone Mountain Park, a k a the home of the Big Rock.
June 1973 – The Birth of a Classic
Frankie Laine (singer of the themes to TV’s “Rawhide” and film’s “High Noon,” among other hits) and celebrity bandleader Richard Hayman inaugurate the ASO’s first season at Chastain Park, after the Orchestra decides to perform each of its concerts at both Stone Mountain and Chastain.
1974 – Delta Classic Chastain Comes Into Its Own
The ASO begins its reign at Delta Classic Chastain — and phase out its Stone Mountain schedule — with a mix of notable composer-arranger-performers (the late Henry Mancini, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Nero), and folk, pop, jazz, and country artists, some of whom appear with the ASO.
1984 – Setting the Standard
Delta Classic Chastain reaches its present length of 10 weeks of concerts from June through August.
1991 – A Legacy Begins
The season sets a tone of quality and versatility unrivaled in the history of Atlanta. The cachet of the ASO and Delta Classic Chastain attract superstars including Sinatra, Ray Charles, Steve Winwood, Jay Leno, Bonnie Raitt, Harry Connick, the Moody Blues, and Don Henley.
1993 – The Beat Goes On
Chastain scores as the land of one-name luminaries as Dylan, Santana, Willie, Johnny, Aretha, Emmylou, and Peter, Paul and Mary all appear.
1997 – Atlanta’s Favorite Concert Experience
In what will become a yearly tradition, the readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Creative Loafing, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle unanimously vote Chastain as their venue of choice.
1998 – Growing Around Atlanta…and Across the Country
Delta Classic Chastain attracts the most concertgoers in its history, marking the first of eight straight years that the series sets new attendance records. Chastain also ranks in the top 10 grossing venues in the US, a distinction it holds for seven out of the next eight years.
2000 – Mary J Blige Arrives
Her sold-out performance was the event of the summer, and more top-of-mind artists from world and urban music and other emerging genres would follow in the seasons to come.
2001 – High on “the Mountain”
The “Down from the Mountain” tour (music from the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou) is a Delta Classic Chastain exclusive and underscores the broad appeal of Atlanta’s longest-running series.
2003 – Norah Jones Headlines
The jazz-pop diva opens the season and returns in 2004. Both shows are sellouts and earn Delta Classic Chastain more national exposure.
2004 – Face(lift)ing the Music
A $2.3 million renovation enhances Chastain Park’s luster and increases the venue’s amenities while retaining its intimacy.
2006 – How Cool Is This!
Chill and thrill to great times and great music at Atlanta’s number one summer destination.
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