Another Musical Pilgrimage (Part 2)

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Eastern Kentucky is one of the most economically, socially, and educationally deprived areas in the United States. Despite that, it has been a treasure trove of talent, especially in the world of country music. A Kentucky representative decided to make sure anyone driving along federal highway 23 in eastern Kentucky is aware of this fact. The area from Pikeville to Ashland is officially named "The Country Music Highway." Signs at the county line along the way point out the country and bluegrass performers from that particular county. (In the photos above you see the signs in Johnson County [Loretta Lynn's birth county] and Lawrence County [where Ricky Skaggs hails from].) Paintsville (in Johnson County) is where the "Country Music Highway Museum" is located. It contains bios and memorabilia from the artists along the Country Music Highway, both the famous (Skaggs and Lynn are in the Hall of Fame, as is Olive Hill's Tom T. Hall) and not-so-famous (you probably wouldn't know a Hylo Brown song if it bit you ). I was there after hours, so I didn't get to tour it. That's okay, though. I'm elated that the region pays homage to the wealth of musical talent that, as Pikeville native Dwight Yoakam sang, "learned readin', writin', Route 23."