And as official festival virgin for the 45^th Tamworth Country Music Festival, there was no better way to broaden my musical horizons than a walk down Peel Street on day one of the 10-day party that stops the city.

The usually-sleepy pace of the main drag was turned up a few decibels as buskers strummed, plucked, blew and tapped their way through scores of all kinds. 

From Adelaide’s young Taylor Pfeiffer, whose bewitching banjo-picking was matched by her stop-you-in-your-tracks yodelling, to the more traditional tones of Slim Dusty covers, the buskers proved country music comes in all shapes and sizes. There was Western Australian whip-cracker Nathan Griggs and the foot-stomping tones of Matty Rogers.

One usually associates country music with guitars and boots – I even bought a pair of red Cubans on a recent trip to Nashville for the festival – but TCMF is far from a one-horse show. 

The buskers – some in Akubras and Ariats, others in singlets and pluggers – created an atmosphere that truly was special, and left your wallet that little bit lighter. 

As the sun closed out on day one at the official opening concert at Bicentennial Park, the red boots finally lost their virginity in a way that won’t be forgotten.