2020-01-02 12:51:28
Wind Down Along a Road and a Song
COUNTRY MUSIC HIGHWAY
Winding roads and mountain music define the Country Music Highway as it runs through the hills and hollers that gave birth to a prolific range of talent that includes Chris Stapleton, Loretta Lynn, Dwight Yoakum, Tyler Childers, Hylo Brown, Billy Ray Cyrus, Crystal, Gayle and more.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Ashland’s Paramount Arts Center hosts local notables who return home for a song or two. Louisa’s September Fest is in a small venue for big talent inside a fancy gas station called Kentucky Paveillon. Down the holler (as in Butcher) you’ll find Loretta Lynn’s birthplace, plus catch tomorrow’s stars at Irvine’s Steam Engine Session Room.
Down in the Valley with Downhome Music
RENFRO VALLEY KENTUCKY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
They might have to add a whole wing to accommodate the ever-growing list of Kentucky music greats at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Renfro Valley. With a music tradition dating back to 1939, Renfro’s two show theatres feature top talent. This lush valley proudly bears the title of “Kentucky’s Country Music Capital.”
Nearby and Noteworthy: Somerset’s Master Musicians Festival is just that – masterful – and proof that Kentucky attracts the best of the best. Past headliners include John Prine and Alison Krauss, while gospel echoes through the Cumberlands with that same city’s Gospel Music FanFair.
Land of Lakes and Lyrics
KENTUCKY OPRY THEATRE
The cool breeze off Kentucky Lake is a siren call, but tune your ear to the sounds of the Kentucky Opry Theatre in Benton, providing year-round entertainment. Nearby and Noteworthy: The Everly Brothers once sang, “A man in Kentucky sure is lucky to live down in Bowling Green,” and this city has produced some lucky ones, indeed -- Sam Bush, Cage the Elephant, Nappy Roots and the Hilltoppers, just to name a few. Its Quonset Auditorium once hosted Chuck Berry, James Brown, Mahalia Jackson, Etta James and B.B. King, and today its intimate Capitol Arts Center is home to the Lost River Sessions.
Central Kentucky Strummings
LOUISVILLE & LEXINGTON VENUES
Louisville’s Iroquois Amphithe ter is a great outdoor venue with stellar acoustics, as is the independently-owned local bar Headliners Music Hall. Look off the beaten path in Lexington for top spots like The Burl and Southland Jamboree.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Talented folks and attentive crowds enjoy Lexington’s Twisted Cork, a liquor store with a stage and sound system built into a corner, and Georgetown’s Slainte Public House, the oldest standalone bar in Georgetown – and the first since Prohibition ended. Proud Mary BBQ is a mainstay for live music.
Where Bluegrass Takes Root
BLUEGRASS MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM
Your one-stop for Bluegrass tutelage and entertainment is right here at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Come for the exhibits and impressive Hall of Fame inductees, but don’t miss out on the live music offered on the outdoor stage and Woodward Theatre.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Round out your bluegrass round-up with a visit to the Rosine Barn Jamboree. Central City is the birthplace of the Everly Brothers, whose harmonies influenced country and popular music, and home to Lu-Ray Park & Amphitheater, which has hosted John Prine and Chris Knight.
Rocking in the River Cities
NORTHERN KENTUCKY STAGES
Northern Kentucky’s music scene celebrates emerging and new talent on the multiple stages of Newport’s Southgate House Revival. And you can “Love the Cov” like a local at Covington’s Madison Theater, where a restored movie house is hosting headliners and up-and-comers from all genres.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Loyal as Sunday churchgoers are the local musicians who never miss Sunday Open Mic night at West Covington’s Wunderbar, which also serves a mighty good, mighty big pretzel. Ludlow’s Folk School Coffee Parlor pairs good coffee with live regional music in an intimate setting.
Mapping the Magic of Kentucky Music
What wizardry produces and lures so much talent to one place? What else besides magic could account for Kentucky’s celebrated music scene!
Do the mountains conjure up songs from another realm? Are lullabies whispered in the wind across still lakes and into cradles, fostering an ear for song and story at an early age? Does the achingly hollow sound of the saxophone quietly weave its way through Kentucky cities and towns, casting a spell?
Come take a melodic journey to discover why the Bluegrass State is such a fertile ground for music. From country and bluegrass to rock and the blues, Kentucky’s diverse talents are all over the map.
LISTEN UP!
EXPLORE THE STATE’S DIVERSE MUSIC SCENE AT KENTUCKYTOURISM.COM/KY-THINGS-TO-DO/MUSIC
Pick Your Playlist & Follow the Music
The first thing you need to know about our veritable treasure map of music is that you don’t have to stay the course. When a local tells you, “Hey, I know a place” – and it turns out to be a gas station – take their word for it. Because talent is brewing all over Kentucky, in all kinds of places.
Our state map will help you plot a course to musical treasures. Whether you’re coming from other lands, or are a Kentuckian who wants to witness what’s happening in your own backyard, these places will put you on a path to discover Kentucky’s storied musical landmarks and venues.
Choose your playlist accordingly, and get going!
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