Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance Tuesday night (Feb. 23) at the Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame banquet in Nashville.
Taylor Swift At Country Music DJ & Radio Hall of Fame banquet in Nashville
Swift came to introduce Mike Hammond, director of operations for Citadel Broadcasting in Knoxville, Tenn., who was being inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. Hammond was one of Swift’s earliest radio supporters.
“I just got back from Japan,” Swift told the gathering. “I’ve been overseas for about a month. Arigatou gozaimasu [thank you very much]. That’s Japanese.”
Swift said she got her first impression of what country radio was like in 2005 when she visited Hammond’s station, WIVK, in Knoxville. She was 15 at the time.
Hammond was so impressed by the young singer that he invited her to sing on air. Later, he posed for a photo in front of the station with Swift and her record label president, Scott Borchetta.
After describing that encounter, Swift unveiled a huge poster of the photo.
“I was talking to Kenny Chesney the other day,” she continued and then added parenthetically, “Mike, I name-drop because I care.” She went on to explain that Chesney, who’s from the Knoxville area, had remarked to her about Hammond’s importance to his career.
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