Music of East Tennessee

Pioneers in the Great Smoky Mountains

Pioneer settlers of the Great Smoky Mountains created old-time music ballads, before their relocation, by the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To help celebrate this heritage, Townsend, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and other locations in the Great Smoky Mountains, host annual festivals, some of which feature folk and bluegrass music. The Great Smoky Mountains Association also promotes events with mountain music, and has released several albums, featuring various artists. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, in Townsend, also helps to preserve this pioneer cultural heritage. In addition, the Museum of Appalachia, in Norris, hosts occasional folk music performances.

Mountain City Fiddlers' Convention

In May 1925, the now-legendary Fiddlers' Convention was held in Mountain City. Pioneering fiddler G. B. Grayson won first prize for his rendering of the folk song, "Cumberland Gap", besting rivals Ambrose G. "Uncle Am" Stuart, Charlie Bowman, and Fiddlin' John Carson.

Cumberland Gap

The song was named for Cumberland Gap, a narrow pass through the Cumberland Mountains, which was explored by Daniel Boone in the 1770s, as he blazed the Wilderness Road. In recognition of this heritage, the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, hosts the monthly "Cumberland Mountain Music Show", with live gospel, bluegrass, and country music.

Laurel Bloomery festival

To commemorate the Mountain City Fiddlers' Convention, the nearby community of Laurel Bloomery hosts the annual Old Time Fiddler's Convention. The event is held every summer, at the town's Old Mill Music Park. Area musicians travel to attend this festival, which features old-time folk and bluegrass music.

G. B. Grayson is buried in Gentry Cemetery, in Laurel Bloomery. He mentions the town in the 1928 Victor recording of the song, Train 45: "I'm a goin' to Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee, Henry..."

Bristol sessions

The Bristol recording sessions, held in 1927, have been called the "Big Bang" of modern country music. They helped launch the careers of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, among others. In 1998, the U.S. Congress formally recognized Bristol as the "Birthplace of Country Music", and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum opened in 2014.

Johnson City sessions

Though less-known than the Bristol sessions, the Johnson City sessions, of 1928 and 1929, also played a significant role in helping to popularize country and bluegrass music.

Knoxville sessions

In 1929 and 1930, a series of recording sessions was held in Knoxville. Some historians say that these, also, influenced early country music. The sessions are documented at the East Tennessee Historical Society's East Tennessee History Center, which is also located in Knoxville.

The Oak Ridge Boys

The Oak Ridge Boys, of Oak Ridge, are one the oldest and best-known musical acts from East Tennessee. Since the 1940s, they have sung country and southern gospel music hits.

Dolly Parton and Dollywood

Dolly Parton, from Sevierville, is a country and gospel music legend. Her theme park, Dollywood (located in nearby Pigeon Forge), features live music performances, and is home to the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame. Parton's western-themed Dixie Stampede, a dinner theater restaurant, (also in Pigeon Forge), has daily shows as well.

Country Tonite Theater

The Country Tonite Theater, in Pigeon Forge, has operated since 1996. Its award-winning shows have included performers such as Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, and The Bellamy Brothers.

Songs inspired by East Tennessee

Places in East Tennessee have been the inspiration for many songs. Perhaps the most well-known is Rocky Top. Recorded and released by the Osbourne Brothers in 1967, it is one of the ten state songs of Tennessee. Ronnie Milsap's 1980 song, Smoky Mountain Rain, is also one of Tennessee's state songs. Dolly Parton's hit, My Tennessee Mountain Home, served as the centerpiece of her 1973 album, My Tennessee Mountain Home. Parton also reminisced on her rural childhood in her 1984 song, Tennessee Homesick Blues.

Chattanooga Choo Choo, originally published in 1941, tells the story of a train trip to Chattanooga. In 1957, the British musician Lonnie Donegan had a No. 1 UK hit with a skiffle version of "Cumberland Gap". In addition, Dixieland Delight, released by Alabama in 1983, was inspired by a highway drive through Rutledge, Tennessee.

Davy Crockett

The Ballad of Davy Crockett helped to popularize the 1955 film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. First recorded and introduced on the television series Disneyland in 1954, it has been covered by a number of artists, most notably Tennessee Ernie Ford. The song's lyrics say Crockett was "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee", but his actual birthplace was Limestone, Tennessee, the home of Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park. In addition to his renowned frontier exploits and military service, Crockett served East Tennessee as a state legislator and Congressman.

Daniel Boone

The folk hero Daniel Boone, who helped explore East Tennessee, was honored in the soundtrack for the television series Daniel Boone, which ran from 1964 until 1970. The last of three versions of the theme song was sung by The Imperials, a Grammy-winning Christian music group.

Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls, a waterfall inside the Lookout Mountain Caverns, has inspired multiple songs. Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison wrote and recorded the song "See Ruby Falls", on Cash's 1970 album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash. Country artist Ray Stevens also included a song named "Ruby Falls" on his 2011 album, Bozos's Back Again.

Kenny Chesney

Country superstar Kenny Chesney, (originally from Luttrell), has described scenery from his East Tennessee youth in many of his songs, especially I Go Back. Chesney also includes imagery from the area in songs such as Back Where I Come From, (performed at many of his concerts), and The Boys of Fall, as well as "Touchdown, Tennessee", a limited-edition single, which was released in 1998.

Music festivals

The music of East Tennessee is celebrated throughout the region at annual festivals. The Museum of Appalachia hosts the Tennessee Fall Homecoming each October. The four-day event has featured headliners such as Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Mac Wiseman, Janette Carter, and Rhonda Vincent. The Kingsport "Fun Fest" is held each July, and has included Charlie Daniels, as well as The Newsboys, among others. Heritage Days, a street festival event, is hosted each October, in Rogersville. The Shady Valley Cranberry Festival, also in October, has live country, bluegrass and gospel entertainment.

East Tennessee State University bluegrass program

East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, is the only four-year university in the world with a comprehensive bluegrass music program. The program includes faculty members who have worked with major recording artists, such as Kenny Chesney (an ETSU alumnus).

Current stars

Artists from East Tennessee, such as Kenny Chesney and Rodney Atkins, continue to help define the country music industry. Greeneville, home to The Band Perry, also features occasional performances by the group.