Conner Haynie will be the opening performer during the 2025 Fur Festival on Friday, Jan. 10, from 6-7 p.m.

Haynie’s family had always been surrounded by music. His great-grandfather Willie had a Cajun French band, and his Maw Sue always showed videos of them when he was younger. When his dad and uncle were kids they formed a band called Steel Shot and they are still together to this day. That really sparked his interest in music.

Haynie said, “when I was younger I can remember my mom having a Johnny Cash CD, and I had this little red guitar, a black cowboy hat, and boots and I would play the CD over and over again in my diaper just strumming the guitar to the CD.” But he didn’t really start playing guitar until he was 8 years old.

When his dad would get off of work theywould sit in the living room and his dad would teach him different tunes. Haynie was really shy at first so he would only play guitar. He didn’t really come off out of his shell with singing until a few years ago. He would always sing in the shower and his mom would hear and tell him that I had a good voice but he always thought she was just being the typical mom telling her son that he can sing good.

One day Haynie was playing at his grandparents’ house and his uncle asked him to sing. He told his uncle “I don’t sing” who looked at him and said “you’re gonna sing one day I know it.”

Now here he is.