Music and Arts

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The Music of Tennessee

Tennessee’s music is internationally renowned. From the legendary artistry of Dolly Parton, B.B. King and Elvis Presley, to musicians and writers who give birth to the songs, Tennessee’s music is embedded in the culture of the world. Whether it’s country, blues, soul, gospel, jazz, Appalachian, rock, pop or any genre in between, you will find what moves you in Tennessee. Standing still is not an option.

Out of the East Tennessee Hills came the “Bristol Sessions,” solidifying Bristol as the “Birthplace of Country Music.” On the rise in Nashville was the WSM Barn Dance radio show, quickly dubbed the Grand Ole Opry, now the longest running live radio show in history. Today, the unique sound and musical tradition of the Grand Ole Opry continues to attract people from around the world. The state is home to legendary country entertainers like George Jones, Loretta Lynn and the late Johnny Cash, along with modern day staples Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and Brooks & Dunn.

Memphis, fertile ground for blues, rock ‘n’ roll and soul, delivered a musical movement comprised of entertainment legends such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Sam Cooke, Jerry Lee Lewis, Al Green, Isaac Hayes and B.B. King.

Attractions across the state honor Tennessee’s music and celebrate the on-going musical energy that flows through every rural community, small town and major city. Music can be heard at more than 1,200 live venues nightly across the state, and many of the state’s 800 festivals celebrate the music of Tennessee.

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, named America’s no. 1 music festival by Rolling Stone magazine, is a four-day annual music festival produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment. The festival is held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn. and began with a primary focus on jam bands. Today, Bonnaroo has diversified its performers to include acts like The Police, Tool, The White Stripes, Ben Harper, Franz Ferdinand, The Roots and The Flaming Lips.

In Nashville, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum captures the heart and soul of this great American art form, and the Ryman Auditorium is known all over the world for its phenomenal acoustics. A National Historic Landmark and Pollstar Theater of the Year, the Ryman brings concerts to Nashville ranging from Coldplay to Neil Diamond. The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville showcases the actual musicians and session players that have played with some of the major music artists in history. Country, pop and gospel music businesses contribute to the multi-billion dollar industry dominating Nashville’s Music Row.

Nashville’s pop/rock scene is igniting with bands such as Be Your Own Pet, Kings of Leon and Luna Halo, as well as individual artists such as Will Hoge and Josh Rouse. Nashville is home to many major record labels, music publishers and recording studios. There are more than 100 live music venues throughout the city, including Exit/In, Bluebird Café, City Hall, Mercy Lounge and B.B. King’s Blues Club. Nashville also boasts the Schermerhorn Symphony Center; home to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. The $120 million center, which opened in September 2006, was inspired by some of the world’s great concert halls.

The famed Fisk University Jubilee Singers, who brought musical recognition to Nashville, are noted for helping the city claim its “Music City” designation. In 1871, the elite singers set out to raise funds for the financially struggling institution. The group brought notoriety to Fisk University and the city of Nashville by popularizing Negro spirituals through an international tour.

Memphis is also a major epicenter for musical entertainment. The city has the blues and many ways to cure it. Known as the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll and home of the blues, the Memphis music scene includes a variety of clubs and bars that capture a spectrum of genres. Rap and hip-hop, funk, alternative, hardcore punk, and blues and soul abound in and around downtown’s Beale Street. The famous street is home to such live musical
venues as B. B. King’s Blues Club, King’s Palace, Rum Boogie Café and the Hard Rock Café. A trip to Memphis for the music enthusiast is not complete without touring Elvis’s Graceland, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music or the Smithsonian’s Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum.

In Knoxville, relive the early days of WNOX, one of the 10 oldest radio stations in the United States, or the current Sundown in the City Music Festival. Music can be heard at local clubs, bars, outdoor amphitheaters and the popular Knoxville radio stations. In Bristol, in Northeast Tennessee, find the traditional roots of country, bluegrass and Americana. The city was named the official “Birthplace of Country Music” by the U.S. Congress in 1998 because of the original Bristol sessions that launched the careers of the Carter Family and Jimmy Rogers. The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance Museum in Bristol contains exhibits and artifacts featuring traditional Appalachian music and performers from the region. Further south in Chattanooga, the Riverbend Festival began in 1981 on a narrow walkway along the Tennessee River at Ross’s Landing. Originally known as Five Nights in Chattanooga, Riverbend has grown to nine nights, with six stages and more than 100 performing artists. Riverbend is now ranked in the top 10 percent of festivals in the country.

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The Performing Arts of Tennessee
The stage is always set for entertainment, with diverse performing arts venues throughout Tennessee.

Jonesborough offers the International Storytelling Center, the world’s premier institution dedicated to storytelling. The center hosts the annual, highly acclaimed National Storytelling Festival, which has ignited a revival of the art form. From June to October, the International Storytelling Center hosts Storytelling Live, a series of performances, workshops and presentations.

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville, the largest professional theatre in the state, regularly hosts an array of theatre presentations and recitals. TPAC presents a series of Broadway shows and special engagements and administers a comprehensive educational program. TPAC is also home to three residential performing arts organizations – the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Opera Association and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre.

Broadway meets Beale Street at Memphis’s historic Orpheum Theatre. This 90-year-old, restored landmark hosts operas, ballets, concerts, touring Broadway shows and gospel musicals. Originally built in 1890 as The Grand Opera House, the Orpheum Theatre has been hailed as the “South’s Finest Theatre.” The Orpheum currently hosts more Broadway touring productions annually than any other theatre in the country.

Knoxville’s Tennessee Theatre, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the official theatre of Tennessee. The venue offers classical music, vintage films, theatre and stellar performances by today’s hottest musicians. The theatre closed for a $25.5 million renovation and restoration in June 2003 and reopened on Jan. 15, 2005 as a world-class performing arts center.

Step back into the golden age of motion pictures at the Palace Theatre; the oldest silent movie theatre in Tennessee. Completed in 1938, this Crossville community theatre features rotating art exhibits from local and regional artists as well as concerts. The Theatre also features a community auditorium and shows 35-millimeter movies. The Cumberland County Playhouse is also located in Crossville and regularly produces new works based upon Tennessee and Southeastern history and culture, plus state and regional premieres and revivals of works with Appalachian themes. The Playhouse features nearly 500 performances and 1600 classes in theatre, music and dance annually.

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The Visual Arts of Tennessee
Tennessee is home to several art museums.

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting quality visual art from local, regional, national and international sources through rotating exhibits. The Nashville museum features visual art, interactive displays and educational programs for the entire family to enjoy. Unlike traditional museums, the Frist Center has become a magnet for Nashville’s rapidly expanding visual arts scene. With an exhibition schedule that has new art flowing through the magnificent Art Deco building every six to eight weeks, there is always something new and exciting to see in the spacious galleries.

The permanent collection of Chattanooga’s Hunter Museum of American Art is regarded as one of the most important gatherings of American art in the Southeast. Famed as a family destination, visitors can peer through the eyes of American artists, shape their own masterpiece or search for unique treasures in the museum store. Located on the edge of an 80-foot bluff above the Tennessee River, the Hunter Museum offers stunning views.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the oldest fine arts museum in Tennessee, offers a collection that spans from the ancient to the contemporary. Located in the heart of Memphis, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is a dynamic cultural complex consisting of 29 galleries, art classrooms, a print study room with over 4,500 works of art, a research library with over 5,000 volumes and an auditorium.

Fisk University houses one of Tennessee’s best permanent collections at the Van Vechten Gallery. Named in honor of New York critic and Fisk supporter, Carl Van Vechten, the gallery features pieces by Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Cezanne, the better-known works of Georgia O’Keeffe, and a prestigious collection by famed
photographer/art dealer, Alfred Stieglitz.

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