KY: Kentucky Arts Council - Driving Tour of Route 23

Have you considered taking a trip down the Country Music Highway? Well, here’s your personal invitation:

“Hi, I’m Ricky Skaggs and I’d like to invite you on a journey with me down Route 23 in
Eastern Kentucky, my home territory.”

Those are the opening words of “More than Music,” an audio driving tour that guides visitors along the Country Music Highway and on side trips to little communities like Sandy Hook, David and Butcher Holler.

Ricky’s voice is not the only one you’ll hear on the three-CD set. Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Patti Loveless and other famous and up-and-coming stars share their memories of the region they all call home. Intertwined with the memories of the stars are conversations with artists and craftsmen, coal miners and farmers, people who grew up during the Great Depression and children who are proud to share their heritage and their vision of the future with visitors.

As you wind down the Country Music Highway, Ricky will talk about points of interest, and local people will fill in the details. The tour includes all the major sites, from the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham, but it also has more. It invites you to family reunions and tells you who has asked tourists to stop by for a glass of lemonade and a local history lesson on their front porch. It is a chance to get to know the region from the inside out, the way Loretta and Ricky know it.

Along with the CDs, you’ll get a booklet with maps, history and photos. It also has phone numbers and websites to help you find your way around and learn more about the area. There’s also a fourth CD featuring the music that has made this region famous, from Hylo Brown to Dwight Yoakam.

“More than Music“ was written by Community Scholar Judy Sizemore and produced by the Kentucky Folklife Program. To order a copy, or for more information about folklife along Route 23, contact Mark Brown at mark.brown@ky.gov, or call (502) 564-1792.


		Driving Tour of Route 23

		Have you considered taking a trip down the Country Music Highway? Well, here’s your personal invitation: “Hi, I’m Ricky Skaggs and I’d like to invite you on a journey with me down Route 23 in Eastern Kentucky, my home territory.” Those are the opening words of “More than Music,” an audio driving tour that guides visitors along the Country Music Highway and on side trips to little communities like Sandy Hook, David and Butcher Holler. Ricky’s voice is not the only one you’ll hear on the three-CD set. Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Patti Loveless and other famous and up-and-coming stars share their memories of the region they all call home. Intertwined with the memories of the stars are conversations with artists and craftsmen, coal miners and farmers, people who grew up during the Great Depression and children who are proud to share their heritage and their vision of the future with visitors. As you wind down the Country Music Highway, Ricky will talk about points of interest, and local people will fill in the details. The tour includes all the major sites, from the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham, but it also has more. It invites you to family reunions and tells you who has asked tourists to stop by for a glass of lemonade and a local history lesson on their front porch. It is a chance to get to know the region from the inside out, the way Loretta and Ricky know it. Along with the CDs, you’ll get a booklet with maps, history and photos. It also has phone numbers and websites to help you find your way around and learn more about the area. There’s also a fourth CD featuring the music that has made this region famous, from Hylo Brown to Dwight Yoakam. “More than Music“ was written by Community Scholar Judy Sizemore and produced by the Kentucky Folklife Program. To order a copy, or for more information about folklife along Route 23, contact Mark Brown at mark.brown@ky.gov, or call (502) 564-1792.