Music of East Tennessee facts for kids
East Tennessee has a super cool history when it comes to music! It played a huge part in creating modern country and bluegrass. Two important towns here are Bristol and Johnson City. Bristol is even called "the birthplace of country music" and has a museum about it. Johnson City is famous for its early recording sessions. The music from East Tennessee is mostly country, gospel, and bluegrass, and it all started from Appalachian folk music.
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The History of East Tennessee Music
Early Music in the Great Smoky Mountains
Long ago, pioneer settlers in the Great Smoky Mountains created old-time music songs, called ballads. They made these songs before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created and they had to move.
To celebrate this history, towns like Townsend, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge host yearly festivals. Some of these festivals feature folk and bluegrass music. The Great Smoky Mountains Association also promotes events with mountain music. They have even released award-winning albums like Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend helps keep this pioneer history alive. Also, the Museum of Appalachia in Norris sometimes has folk music shows.
Mountain City Fiddlers Convention
In May 1925, a famous Fiddlers' Convention took place in Mountain City. A great fiddler named G. B. Grayson won first prize. He played the folk song "Cumberland Gap". He beat other famous fiddlers like Ambrose G. "Uncle Am" Stuart and Fiddlin' John Carson.
The Song "Cumberland Gap"
The song "Cumberland Gap" is named after a narrow pass through the Cumberland Mountains. Daniel Boone explored this pass in the 1770s. He helped create the Wilderness Road there. To honor this history, the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee hosts a monthly "Cumberland Mountain Music Show." It features live gospel, bluegrass, and country music.
Laurel Bloomery Festival
To remember the Mountain City Fiddlers' Convention, the nearby town of Laurel Bloomery hosts its own annual Old Time Fiddler's Convention. This event happens every summer at the town's Old Mill Music Park. Musicians from all over come to this festival to play old-time folk and bluegrass music.
Bristol Recording Sessions
The Bristol recording sessions happened in 1927. Some people call them the "Big Bang" of modern country music. These sessions helped start the careers of famous artists like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. In 1998, the U.S. Congress officially said that Bristol is the "Birthplace of Country Music." The Birthplace of Country Music Museum opened there in 2014.
Johnson City Recording Sessions
The Johnson City sessions happened in 1928 and 1929. Even though they are not as famous as the Bristol sessions, they were also important. They helped make country and bluegrass music popular. Some songs recorded in Johnson City even influenced later musicians like Bob Dylan and Doc Watson.
Knoxville Recording Sessions
In 1929 and 1930, more recording sessions took place in Knoxville. Some historians believe these sessions also influenced early country music. You can learn about these sessions at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville.
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys, from Oak Ridge, are one of the oldest and most famous music groups from East Tennessee. Since the 1940s, they have sung many 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 (in nearby Pigeon Forge), has live music shows. It is also home to the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame. Dolly Parton's western-themed Dixie Stampede restaurant, also in Pigeon Forge, has daily dinner shows.
Country Tonite Theater
The Country Tonite Theater in Pigeon Forge has been open since 1996. Its award-winning shows have featured famous performers like Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, and The Bellamy Brothers.
Songs Inspired by East Tennessee
Places in East Tennessee have inspired many songs.
Famous Songs About East Tennessee
Perhaps the most well-known song is Rocky Top. The Osbourne Brothers released it in 1967. It is one of the ten state songs of Tennessee. Even though it's often played at Tennessee Volunteers football games, it's not the official fight song of the University of Tennessee. Also, Rocky Top, Tennessee is now a town northwest of Knoxville. It changed its name from Lake City in 2014.
Ronnie Milsap's 1980 song, Smoky Mountain Rain, is another one of Tennessee's state songs. Dolly Parton's hit, My Tennessee Mountain Home, was the main song on her 1973 album. Parton also sang about her childhood in the countryside in her 1984 song, Tennessee Homesick Blues.
East Tennessee Blues, written in 1926 by Charlie Bowman from Gray, is still a popular bluegrass song today.
Please Come to Boston, recorded and written in 1974 by Dave Loggins, has been sung by many artists. The song ends with the line, "I'm the number one fan of the man from Tennessee." Loggins was born in Mountain City in 1947.
Chattanooga Choo Choo, released in 1941, tells the story of a train trip to Chattanooga. In 1957, the British musician Lonnie Donegan had a number one hit in the UK with a skiffle version of "Cumberland Gap." Also, Dixieland Delight, released by Alabama in 1983, was inspired by a drive through Rutledge, Tennessee.
Davy Crockett's Song
"The Ballad of Davy Crockett" helped make the 1955 film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier popular. It was first heard on the TV show Disneyland in 1954. Many artists have sung it, especially Tennessee Ernie Ford. The song says Crockett was "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee." But his actual birthplace was Limestone, Tennessee, which is now Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park. Besides his famous adventures, Crockett also served East Tennessee as a state lawmaker and Congressman.
Daniel Boone's Theme Song
The folk hero Daniel Boone helped explore East Tennessee. He was honored in the theme song for the TV series Daniel Boone, which ran from 1964 to 1970. The last version of the theme song was sung by The Imperials, a Grammy-winning Christian music group.
Songs About Ruby Falls
Ruby Falls, a waterfall inside the Lookout Mountain Caverns, has inspired several songs. Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison wrote and recorded "See Ruby Falls" on Cash's 1970 album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash. Country artist Ray Stevens also included a song called "Ruby Falls" on his 2011 album, Bozos's Back Again.
Kenny Chesney's East Tennessee Roots
Country superstar Kenny Chesney, who is from Luttrell, has described scenes from his East Tennessee childhood in many of his songs. This is especially true in "I Go Back". Chesney also includes images from the area in songs like "Back Where I Come From" and "The Boys of Fall". He also released a special song called "Touchdown, Tennessee" in 1998.
Music Museums and Centers
East Tennessee has many museums that show how much the region has contributed to country and bluegrass music:
- Birthplace of Country Music Museum, in Bristol
- Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame, in Pigeon Forge
- Mountain Music Museum, in Kingsport
- Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, in Townsend
- Museum of Appalachia, in Norris
- Museum of East Tennessee History, in Knoxville
Music Festivals in East Tennessee
The music of East Tennessee is celebrated at yearly festivals all over the region. The Museum of Appalachia hosts the Tennessee Fall Homecoming every October. This four-day event has featured famous performers like Doc Watson and Ralph Stanley. The Kingsport "Fun Fest" happens every July and has included Charlie Daniels. Heritage Days, a street festival, is held every October in Rogersville. The Shady Valley Cranberry Festival, also in October, has live country, bluegrass, and gospel entertainment.
East Tennessee State University Music Program
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City is the only four-year university in the world with a full bluegrass music program. The teachers in this program have worked with major recording artists, including Kenny Chesney, who also went to ETSU.
Current Music Stars from East Tennessee
Artists from East Tennessee continue to shape the country music industry. These include Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, Rodney Atkins, and Ashley Monroe. Greeneville is home to The Band Perry, and they sometimes perform there.
Images for kids
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The Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee
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The Peter Brickey House, a pioneer home in Wears Valley, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee
