Explore Kentucky's Country Music
Kentucky may be best known for bluegrass, but our country music traditions are just as deeply rooted. With a heavy footing in Appalachian folk music styles, country music originated in the rural South and West in the early 20th century. As broadcast radio popularized the new genre, shows like Kentucky’s Renfro Valley Barn Dance (premiered Oct. 9, 1937) gained immediate popularity and exposed country music to a nationwide audience.
Country Music Highway (U.S. 23)
The stretch of U.S. 23 from Ashland south to the Virginia border has produced more hit country stars per capita than any place in the world. Musicians who hail from this area of Kentucky include: Loretta Lynn, The Judds, Chris Stapleton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, Crystal Gayle, Tom T. Hall and Keith Whitley.
There are many places to stop and visit or take in a live performance on the Country Music Highway. Tour Loretta Lynn’s Homeplace in Van Lear. The Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville displays memorabilia from more than 14 artists and hosts live bluegrass on Thursday nights. Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg hosts the Kentucky Opry, and many national country acts
take the stage at Paramount Art Center in Ashland throughout the year. Explore the Country Music Highway
.
Country Music Festivals & Venues
Outside of Eastern Kentucky, there are several more places that country music fans should visit. Renfro Valley has been called Kentucky’s Country Music Capital, and is home to both the legendary Renfro Valley Entertainment Center and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum, whose country inductees range from Merle Travis to John Conlee to Skeeter Davis. Kentucky also plays host to numerous festivals focused on music, including ROMP Fest, Spirit in the Bluegrass Music Fest, Poppy Mountain Music Festival and Manchester Music Festival.
Hatfield & McCoy Trail
Involving land disputes, doomed love affairs, courtroom drama and violent clashes, the conflict raged for more than five decades on both sides of the Tug River, which carves out the border between Kentucky and West Virginia.
This deeply tangled story takes many twists and turns throughout Pike County in scenic Southeastern Kentucky. Stop by the Pike County Tourism Office in Pikeville to pick up free self-guided Hatfield & McCoy Driving Tour materials, which point out flashpoints in the feud and paint a vivid picture of the many colorful characters from both families.
Experience Country Music in Kentucky
