• Neal McCoy: Country Thunder wouldn't be the same without the Texas ball of country music energy. McCoy has played every role from opener to headliner to welcoming party host - which he will be next Wednesday when the 2010 festival opens in Florence. He has played eight of the last 11 festivals.
• Reba McEntire: The queen of country took a three-year hiatus from music to pursue a TV sitcom. When she returned to the stage in 2004, it was to Country Thunder. Over the years, she has headlined the festival at least three times.
• Brooks & Dunn: The duo brought their entire Neon Circus tour to Country Thunder in 2002. Their 2006 festival performance turns out to have been their last. Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks will be calling it quits after "The Last Rodeo" tour ends later this year. The show comes to Phoenix's Cricket Wireless Pavilion on May 21.
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• Montgomery Gentry: Few people had ever heard of the duo when they played an early-evening slot in 1999. They returned 10 years later as headliners. In all, they have played the festival four times.
• Big & Rich: The genre-breaking, musically encompassing duo played three back-to-back festivals from 2005 to '07, the year they headlined. Big Kenny - aka Kenny Alphin - returns for his debut solo gig at this year's festival.
