Music, Bands and Venues

The Bluegrass State - "United we stand, divided we fall"

Kentucky Music - Bluegrass, Folk, Country, Jazz, Blues, Bands and Venues

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A Bluegrass Band

Kentucky's Music and Bill Monroe

The Bluegrass style of music popularly associated with Kentucky has its origins largely in Appalachian Folk Music centered mainly in the east of the state.

Bluegrass music was mainly developed by Bill Monroe, mandolin player and singer/song-writer, and became very popular.

Bill Monroe (1911-1996) was born in Ohio County and formed a local band called the Blue Grass Boys named after Kentucky's famous blue grass pastures.

Merle Travis

Merle Travis was also born in Kentucky in Muhlenberg County and added his own distinctive guitar picking style to the Kentucky music genre. Merle became known as an interpreter of traditional American folk music, whose own songs "Dark as a Dungeon" and "Sixteen Tons", have become classics of folk, country and popular music.

Music Venues

Major music venues in Kentucky include Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, the Paramount arts Center, in Ashland, Sturgill's Music Center, the Kentucky Opry, and Prestonsburg's Mountain Arts Center, and West Point Country Opry in Louisville.

The Kentucky Opry

The Kentucky Opry in Draffenville, Marshall County, Kentucky 5 miles south of Kentucky Dam, and close to Paducah, offers a Live Country Music Show every weekend with a cast of 12 singers, musicians and comedians, and frequent guest entertainers. The Opry Talent Show, "You Can Be A Star", takes place between January and May. Opened in 1988, this popular Kentucky Lake attraction offers families & tour groups, good clean family entertainment.

Paramount Arts Center

Originally built in the 1930s as a movie theater, primarily to show motion pictures produced by Paramount Studios, the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY, is now a non-profit venue for a wide variety of performing arts and entertainment with a mission to offer educational and cultural opportunities for people young and old. This 1400 seat theatre puts on over 100 shows a year including gospel choirs and singers, country music and other events which showcase the area's Appalachian traditions.

Mountain Arts Center

For an exciting evening of family musical entertainment, you need look no futher than Prestonsburg, Kentucky. Billie Jean Osborne’s Kentucky Opry, the resident group of the Mountain Arts Center, presents a sizzling variety of country, bluegrass, and gospel favorites. See the MAC website for other upcoming events.