Willo was chosen for the tribute through a joint decision by the Country Music Association of Australia and Tourism Tamworth.

"It is to recognise his general contribution to Australian country music as he hasn't been formally recognised as yet," Tourism Tamworth marketing man

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ager David Woodward said.

"It's also a great opportunity to incorporate the injection of well-known artists back into Hats Off.

"We knew that by paying tribute to John Williamson, other artists would want to be involved."

Joining Willo for his tribute concert will be Gina Jeffreys, Beccy Cole, Sara Storer, Brendon Walmsley, Lindsay Butler, Brian Young, Tracy Coster and Jeff Brown.

Tourism Tamworth media and promotions co-ordinator Kim Donaldson said this year Hats Off was getting back to how it started by saluting an artist.

"The Festival is getting back to when we saluted people who had made a contribution to country music like the Hats Off to Slim concert," she said.

The concert is not the only event for the four-day Festival, with the Tamworth Camerata Graduation Concert kicking off the Festival on Thursday night, July 5, the CCMA Winter Talent Quest, and other concerts by Aaron Bolton, The Baileys, the Young Balladeers and Chad Morgan to name just a few.

There will be more than 50 artists and more than 150 hours of entertainment on offer.

"We are absolutely thrilled by the line-up and program for the 2007 Hats Off to Country Festival – the big names, the new names, the young ones and the old favourites all coming together in the Country Music Capital," Tourism Tamworth general manager Rebel Thomson said.

Tourism Tamworth is currently producing the Festival program which will be available by mid-May.

Tickets for The Golden Guitars Salute the Songs of John Williamson and many other Festival events are available from Tourism Tamworth.