Page 4 of 5
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Birth of Bluegrass
Bluegrass started in Kentucky, right? Not exactly. Two brothers — Bill and Charlie Monroe — were indeed from Kentucky, and yes, they invented bluegrass, a new form of acoustic music that sounded old and drove early audiences wild. But they first recorded their legendary sound in February 1936 in a makeshift studio in downtown Charlotte. The pair had found enthusiastic audiences through constant touring and a daily show on WBT radio. Soon, RCA Records convinced them to record. These earliest sessions, which included songs like "Nine Pound Hammer," "What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul" and "Long Journey Home," established their revolutionary style: a mixture of gospel and secular music often played at lightning speed with spellbinding technique and tight, high harmony vocals.
- John Grooms
Southern Radio, 208 1/2 S. Tryon St.
Club Mix
Few cities can boast a place that has featured live music for the better part of 35 years. But the Milestone Club holds that distinction. Bill Flowers started the club in 1969 and a bunch of folks have since run it and booked a plethora of bands spanning the vast musical spectrum. Performers have ranged from John Cale to Nirvana (Cobain and Co. performed for about 20 people just prior to the release of Nevermind), the Flaming Lips to Black Flag, and Mojo Nixon to the Replacements. Truths, legends and myths are the nails and mortar that hold up this hallowed venue where Flowers once accidentally locked R.E.M. in the club overnight following a gig.
- Samir Shukla
The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.
Beach-Rockin' Beats
Though its client list includes everyone from jazz pianist Dave Brubeck to former country stars Crystal Gayle and Eddie Rabbitt, Master Sound Recording Studios is now best known as the place where hometown hip-hoppers Missy Elliott, the Neptunes and Timbaland craft their space-aged beats.
- Scott Harrell
Master Sound Recording Studio,
5249 Challedon Drive
PIGEON FORGE, TENN.
Parton Me
Dolly Parton's career as a singer, actress and all-around pop culture icon often overwhelms the original Parton story that attracted early fans of her high, lilting country vocals. That was the tale of a talented girl who grew up as part of a large, poor family in the mountains of Tennessee, dreaming of spotlights and fame, and with an implied promise that she'd never forget her roots. Turns out it was true, as Dolly used part of her fortune to create Dollywood, a massive theme park near where she was born in Sevier County, Tenn., bringing millions of tourist dollars to one of the poorest parts of the state. Among the rides, exhibits, shows and stores is a replica of her "Tennessee Mountain Home." You can also check out the original "Coat of Many Colors" that her mama made for her.
- John Grooms
Dollywood, 1020 Dollywood Lane
KNOXVILLE, TENN.
Fix It Man
When Hank Williams' flight out of Knoxville was grounded on New Year's Eve, 1952, he checked into the old Andrew Johnson Hotel and asked the manager to get him a doctor. Williams suffered constant intense pain from back problems, and carried a card in his wallet identifying him as a licensed morphine addict. Dr. P.H. Cardwell soon helped him out with two shots of the opiate. A couple of hours later, his driver, Charles Carr, loaded Williams into the back of his Cadillac, intending to drive him to Canton, Ohio, for a Jan. 1 gig. Williams woke up briefly, topped off his morphine with chloral hydrate painkillers chased with vodka, and was soon sprawled on the backseat. He died somewhere between Knoxville and Oak Hill, W.Va. At the time, his big hit on the radio was "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive."
- John Grooms
Andrew Johnson Hotel, 912 S. Gay St.
CLARKSVILLE, TENN.
Blown Away
Take heart, young guitar-slingin' gearheads: Jimi Hendrix was probably more down-and-out than you at one time. Back in 1962, before "psychedelic" was a part of mainstream vocabulary, Hendrix was stationed at Fort Campbell Army base. Aside from his duties as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, he gigged around Tennessee with his band, the Casuals. Collins Music, located in downtown Clarksville, sold Hendrix one of his first electric guitars, an Ibanez. But the then-20-year-old Hendrix couldn't afford the weekly payments of $10, so he soon returned it to the store. Records of the sale/return existed until just a few years ago, when a tornado swept through downtown Clarksville and destroyed the single remaining vestige of Hendrix's purchase — a receipt, hanging almost unnoticeably on the wall of a local deli.
- Mark Sanders
Collins Music, 325 Academy Ave.