What do Ariana Grande, Elton John, Beyonce and Eminem have in common? Each followed a path to stardom that was in some way connected to the state of Tennessee – like pretty much all other musicians on the planet. Music fans can now more easily explore those connections through Tennessee Music Pathways, a new program launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development that highlights musical points of interest throughout the state.
The online travel-planning experience features hundreds of landmarks and attractions – at least one in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties – that are of significance to the seven musical genres with roots in Tennessee: blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll. Rather than create a music trail with designated starting, stopping and end points, the term “pathways” was chosen to reflect the various routes musicians have taken through the state for decades to achieve their dreams, says Tourism Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett. Site visitors can plan their trip by searching by genre, location or artist. In addition to related landmarks, the site will show them places where they can hear their music of choice performed live, such as Chattanooga’s new Moon River Music Festival, which highlights folk rock artists.
Through a partnership with Rolling Stone magazine, the state also created a search engine on the Pathways website that, based on the concept of six degrees of separation, connects any musical artist to Tennessee based on their influences. If you entered rapper Travis Scott, for instance, you’d find four degrees of separation between him and Tennessee: Scott was influenced by Kid Cudi, whose debut album was influenced by Pink Floyd. That band’s co-founder, Roger Waters, counts blues legend and Chattanooga native Bessie Smith among his influences.
“It’s an effort to tell the stories of the musicians that influence people around the world,” Triplett says.
Some stops on the Pathways are well-known destinations – such as Chattanooga’s Songbirds Guitar Museum and Tivoli Theatre – while others share little-known stories at locations identified by markers for the first time through the project. For example, even if you’ve noticed the unrelated sign on I-24 heading toward downtown from Missionary Ridge that identifies the road as “The Impressions Highway,” you may not be aware that it’s named after the R&B group that spawned 17 top-10 singles, or that the majority of the group was from Chattanooga. Other lesser-known Chattanooga natives that influenced music include Norman Blake, who’s played with Johnny Cash, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant; and Jules Alexander, who played with a sunshine pop group called The Association which had a string of hits in the 1960s, the most popular being the romantic ballad “Cherish.”
Currently, 110 venues and 92 historical markers are identified on the project’s website, and 52 new markers will be added throughout the state in the near future, says Triplett, who plans to add another 150 markers in the second phase of the project.
Chattanooga is home to 11 sites: the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, the Bessie Smith Historical Marker at 756 E. M.L. King Blvd., the Bessie Mural at 500 E. M.L. King Blvd., the Big 9 Legends Mural at 763 E. M.L. King Blvd., Jazzanooga, the M.L. King Mural that wraps around the entire block of 300 E. M.L. King Blvd., Moon River Music Festival, Nightfall Music Series, Riverbend Music Festival, Songbirds Guitar Museum, and the Tivoli Theatre. Other nearby locations include Buttram Cemetery in Dayton, the burial site of gospel singer R.E. Winsett; as well as Bluegrass Underground in Pelham and Monteagle’s Smoke House Restaurant, both of which routinely host live music.
To get started on your own pathway, visit tnvacation.com/tennessee-music-pathways.