Cradle of Country Music
Walking Tour

Location: Downtown Knoxville
Time to Complete: Approximately 1 Hour

Knoxville’s rich musical heritage includes A-list stars like Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers, Chet Atkins and Roy Acuff, all of whom have strong ties to this community. But the musical roots go even deeper to musicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries - performers whose names are known only to scholars, but who left their marks on popular music as we know it today.

The complete history of music in Knoxville is unwritten and will likely remain so. The city’s most interesting and original developments were most often unnoticed by contemporary chronicles. However, we have more than enough clues to conclude that Knoxville has been among America’s more dynamically musical cities - remarkable for its part in the development of jazz, blues, and rock and roll but critical in the development of what we now call Country Music.”

— Jack Neely, author of Knoxville’s Secret History

The Cradle of Country Music Walking Tour Map

Click the corresponding number on the map below to read more about each stop
as well as to get step by step directions to find each location.