Located in the southeast region of the USA, Tennessee is unique in that it shares a border with eight states. Tennessee has always been a melting pot of
musical styles. From the eastern mountains came Appalachian folk songs and
bluegrass, while
country music flowered in Nashville. Gospel, blues, rockabilly, and ultimately,
rock ’n’ roll, all stemmed from the Mississippi belt.
Nashville is a major music performance and recording center and also boasts a host of fine colleges and churches. To the southwest is
Memphis, home of the blues
and the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, near the Mississippi border. Tennessee’s largest city and a major trading center, Memphis is known chiefly for being the location of
Graceland, the home of
Elvis Presley.
Over on the southeastern side of the state, perched next to the
Tennessee River, is
Chattanooga. This bustling city, with its train, was made famous by Glenn Miller’s song ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo.’
More than half of Tennessee is
forested, and great tracts have been set aside as state and national parks, forests, wilderness areas and game preserves. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are the starting points for trips into the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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