Running through seven eastern Kentucky counties, the Country Music Highway is a unique stretch along U.S. 23 that has produced more top-selling singers and songwriters per capita than any other region in the United States.
The adventure begins in Greenup County and concludes in Letcher County, passing through Boyd, Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd and Pike counties, and is in close proximity to other communities, such as Martin County.
The mother-daughter singing duo, The Judds, hailed from Ashland and featured lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. They signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991.
The Judds were one of the most successful acts in country music history, winning five Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo and nine Country Music Association awards.
Born and raised close by was Billy Ray Cyrus of Flatwoods. He is most famous for his line dancing hit “Achy Breaky Heart,” but had several other songs on the charts.
Cyrus went on to become an actor, but still performs his music. From 2001 to 2004 he starred on the television series “Doc.” Then from 2006 to 2011 he starred as Robby Ray Stewart on the Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana” with his daughter Miley Cyrus playing the title character. From 2016 to 2017 Cyrus starred as Vernon Brownmule on the CMT sitcom “Still the King.”
Tom T. Hall hailed from Olive Hill. The younger generation may not be familiar with Hall, but he was one of the top songwriters in music history. Nicknamed “The Storyteller,” Hall was also a short-story author. He wrote 12 number-one hit songs, with 26 more that reached the top 10, including the number-one international pop crossover hit “Harper Valley PTA,” which charted high on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hall is on the Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Greatest Songwriters.”
Driving on down U.S. 23 you have Ricky Skaggs from Cordell in Lawrence County. Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer and composer. He primarily plays the mandolin, but also plays the fiddle, guitar, mandocaster and banjo.
The late Keith Whitley was born in Ashland and raised in Sandy Hook. In 1988, Whitley’s first three singles from his second studio album, “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” the title song, “When You Say Nothing at All,” and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain,” all became number-one hits.
As youngsters, Skaggs and Whitley played together for Ralph Stanley and his bluegrass band, The Clinch Mountain Boys.
Most everyone has heard of the “queen” of country music, Loretta Lynn. She was born and raised on Butcher Holler in Van Lear. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. Her hits are too numerous to mention. She was also the subject of an award-winning movie about her life, titled “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” which was the title of one of her biggest hit songs.
Loretta Lynn’s sister, Crystal Gayle, also became a popular singer. Many of her songs, like “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” crossed over to the pop charts.
Driving on down toward Pikeville, both Patty Loveless and Dwight Yoakam were born a few months apart at Pikeville Hospital.
At an early age, Yoakam lived in Betsy Layne. Like many from this region, his family moved to Columbus, Ohio, but Yoakam never forgot his roots. He made numerous trips back to eastern Kentucky to visit his grandparents.
Yoakam’s musical style draws from a wide variety of influences, including alternative country, neotraditional country, honky-tonk, rock and the Bakersfield (California) sound. He is known for his distinctive tenor singing voice. He has also gotten into acting and co-starred in several movies.
In her early years, Loveless’s family lived in Elkhorn City before moving to Louisville. Like many before her, she later moved to Nashville to pursue her music career.
Loveless’ music is defined by a mix of sounds, including traditional country, country pop and bluegrass music.
Lately two more singers have made it big on the music scene.
Chris Stapleton is from Staffordsville near Paintsville. He graduated from Johnson Central High School where he played football and was class valedictorian. He tried college but dropped out to pursue his passion for music.
Stapleton is one of the most prominent country music stars on the scene today. He has several No.1 hits and his talents have crossed over into other genres.
Stapleton has won 11 Grammy Awards, 11 ACM Awards and 15 CMA Awards, including ACM Artist–Songwriter of the Decade (2019), and multiple Male Vocalist of the Year honors. He is featured in Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers (No. 170).
Another relative newcomer, Tyler Childers, is from Lawrence County. He attended both Lawrence County High School and Paintsville High School.
Childers began performing in Lexington and Huntington, West Virginia, and became a regional star. His talents have garnered worldwide attention and now sells out big venues across the United States and Europe.
Childers has produced several good albums. He won Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Honors & Awards and has had multiple Grammy nominations across categories including Best Country Album, Song and Solo Performance. His music is influenced by his home state of Kentucky and its connection to country music, Americana and bluegrass. Like others before him, he often writes about his early memories of growing up in the region.
Noah Thompson won the 20th season of “American Idol.” The up-and-coming singer-songwriter is working to make his mark in the industry. He grew up along U.S. 23 and also attended Lawrence County High School in Louisa.
This 150-mile stretch of highway has produced many great country music artists. I am sure there have been others, so I apologize if I left anyone off.
Talent in this region is incomparable. It is something eastern Kentuckians can be very proud of.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)