“Rocky Top” may be one of Tennessee’s nine state songs, but bluegrass is just one of the musical genres that make up the Volunteer State’s virtual playlist.
This story originally appeared in the May/June 2016 edition of Living Intown Magazine.
The strains of soul, country, bluegrass, rock and various hybrids of each echo across Tennessee’s mountains and through its city streets. The state turns up the volume through its music-related attractions, festival events and tourist stops that continue to lure eager listeners.
Each summer, this gargantuan music festival, now celebrating its 15th year, overtakes Manchester, Tenn., with four days of almost perpetual live music. The exhaustive experience, known to rock into the dawn, is best known for its musical lineup and surprise artist conglomerations. Pearl Jam, Dead & Company, LCD Soundsystem, Ellie Goulding and Death Cab For Cutie barely scratch ’Roo’s 2016 dance card.
But there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to take in all Bonnaroo has to offer: stand-up in the Comedy Theatre; an entire crowd wearing headphones seemingly dancing to nothing as a DJ transmits his mix in the Silent Disco; morning yoga; a raucous party barn decorated for Christmas; and a looming, inflatable water slide provide just a sampling of festival activities.
Accommodations can make or break the experience. Having experienced Bonnaroo firsthand, I suggest only diehards and those with youthful abandon brave the general camping area, which gets packed tightly with minimal to no shade. Rolling in an RV, or springing for a luxury camping tent or cabana, is more than worth the investment. Those who can’t handle any aspect of roughing it can book a room at a nearby hotel and take a shuttle service.
June 9-12. Great Stage Park, 1560 New Bushy Branch Road, Manchester. bonnaroo.com
Insider tip
Arts, crafts and food options are plentiful at Bonnaroo, but make sure to leave enough room for a melt-in-your-mouth doughnut from the Amish Baking Company.
When visiting Nashville, set aside some substantial time for this deep dive into the past and present of country and western music. This crash course wrangles an exhaustive collection of memorabilia, artifacts, and video and audio recordings into one overstuffed package. The permanent exhibit, “Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the Present,” takes a chronological journey across the genre’s historical landscape. The contemporary section alone, which focuses on the 2000s and beyond, features more than 100 artifacts, including stage duds and instruments used by such performers as Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and others. Visitors can even catch a glimpse of the museum’s design gallery, where curators prep memorabilia for display.
Take a look at the most legendary faces in country music history in the Hall of Fame Rotunda, which feature plaques of such Hall members as Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn, along with their respective career biographies. Rotating exhibits include a newly opened spotlight on Blake Shelton. Don’t overlook the pair of historic properties that serve as part of the Hall; the hit-making hallowed ground of RCA Studio B; and letterpress outfit Hatch Show Print, which created poster art for the Grand Ole Opry and just about every famous name under country music’s umbrella.
222 Fifth Ave., Nashville. 615-416-2001. countrymusichalloffame.org
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Drive along Memphis’ Bellevue Boulevard between Heistan Place and Williams Avenue and you’ll be greeted by colorful murals of Sam & Dave, Otis Redding and others along the road to Soulsville, U.S.A. A few short turns later, you’ll arrive at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, ground zero of the 1960s Memphis soul explosion. The original site of Stax Records, home of the aforementioned artists, as well as Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG’s, the Staple Singers and more, deteriorated until its demolition in 1989, but this spot-on recreation in the same location keeps its musical embers burning. Step inside for the Stax story told in audio-visual fashion with a wealth of artifacts from Booker T. Jones’ Hammond organ to Isaac Hayes’ gold-trimmed 1972 Cadillac El Dorado. The sparkling Hall of Records teems with almost 1,000 singles and 300 albums lining the walls.
926 E. McLemore Ave., Memphis. 901-942-7685. staxmuseum.com
Elvis Presley may have taken his final bow in 1977, but each year more than 600,000 visitors make the pilgrimage to his Southern Colonial Revival mansion in Memphis. The interactive iPad tour throughout Graceland and its grounds gives guests an immersive, royal treatment. As visitors explore the King’s castle, the tablet offers information specific to each portion of the tour, including home movies, family photos, audio snippets and more. Walk into the kitchen and watch a video on the tablet of Elvis preparing to eat, and you can almost smell the peanut butter and banana.
The site overflows with Presley’s personal artifacts, including his ornate jumpsuits, his “’68 Comeback Special” leather duds and his wedding tuxedo. Other exhibits offer different perspectives on Presley, including one dedicated to his fleet of collectible automobiles. Beginning in October, guests can bunk like the king at the Guest House at Graceland, a 450-room resort located a short walk from the mansion. Designed to echo Graceland’s architecture, the Guest House will boast a pair of restaurants, a 464-seat theater for live performances and film screenings, and suites fit for an entourage.
3734 Elvis Presley Blvd., Memphis. 800-238-2000. graceland.com
Imagine grooving to bluegrass and roots music inside a mammoth cave 333 feet below the surface. Lovers of finger-picking tunes can do just that at Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tenn. Grab a seat in the jaw-dropping Volcano Room, a cave that features a spacious stage and a chandelier overhead. The unconventional venue has featured such touring acts as Riders in the Sky, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and others. The Volcano Room serves as the location for the PBS TV series “Bluegrass Underground.” A recent season six taping captured St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the Lone Bellow and Atlanta’s own Drivin’ N’ Cryin’.
1437 Cumberland Caverns Road, McMinnville. 931-516-9724. bluegrassunderground.com
Approximately 100 acts perform on five stages in downtown Chattanooga for this annual summertime festival that doubles as a street party. Organizers estimate approximately 650,000 people typically visit Riverbend across its eight-day span, which this year runs from Friday, June 10 through Saturday, June 18 (taking a breather on Monday). This year’s performers include Heart, Trampled By Turtles, Salt-N-Pepa, Fishbone and Blackberry Smoke. Attendees pay for tickets, but other listeners can take boats, hit the Tennessee River and anchor near the banks for a Riverbend soundtrack.
June 10-18. Downtown Chattanooga. 423-756-2211. riverbendfestival.com
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