West Tennessee Music

West Tennessee Music Museum

Inside the West Tennessee Music Museum, you’ll learn the reason the highway between Nashville and Memphis is known as “Music Highway.” Many great artist have called West Tennessee home, including legends such as Carl Perkins, Tina Turner, “Sleepy” John Estes and, of course… Elvis Presley! 

The story of West Tennessee’s rural and town music is largely that of the local developments of Anglo and Afro-American styles and traditions and their interaction with one another. The interaction has been affected by poplar urban musical influences emulating especially from Memphis and Nashville and by the mass media of radio, television and recordings. Older musical traditions in the African-American community included spirituals, call-and-response children’s songs, group work songs, hollers and instrumentals by banjo, fiddle or fife and drum bands. Anglo-American folksong tradition cultivated ballads, game and play-party songs, hymns and instrumentals by fiddle or by string bands.

In the twentieth century, new forms of music emerged in the southern states, drawing elements from the older folk music traditions but placing greater emphasis on individual expression and often featuring newly introduced musical instruments such as the guitar, piano and harmonica. The most important of these forms in West Tennessee have been blues, gospel and country music. After the middle of the century, rock and roll emerged, followed soon by soul music.

The music of West Tennessee has continued to evolve and is represented by sounds as diverse as The Jackson Symphony Orchestra and contemporary rock group Fuel. In recent years established stars in a variety of popular music styles have settled in the region, such as blues and soul singer Denise LaSalle in Jackson and country music singer Hank Williams, Jr. in Paris. With a rich legacy of folk and popular music, West Tennessee is destined to make significant contributions to American music long into the future.

Featuring … many great musicians who call West Tennessee home - these are just a sample of those you’ll learn about during your visit.