Paducah, Kentucky - Music in Paducah

Music in Paducah

The town of Paducah has given birth to artists from various genres. The top mainstream artist is Steven Curtis Chapman, the greatest selling Christian artist of all time. Rockabilly Hall of Fame artists Ray Smith, whose recording of Rockin' Little Angel was a hit in 1960 and Stanley Walker, who played guitar for Ray Smith and others. Terry Mike Jeffrey, who has been showcased on national television is a resident of Paducah.

The local community boasts an"underground" musical environment, with acts finding some success due to the recent promotion of musical growth in the city with the new Middletown project. The plan is similar to the Lowertown Artist District. The focal point of Middletown will be the Metropolitan Hotel, where many blues and jazz musicians played during the mid-20th century.

The town celebrates its local musicians many times in the year, but most notably during its annual Summer Festival and the Rock The Vote-sponsored Paducahpalooza festival. The Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center is a beautiful new addition to downtown Paducah, hosting various musical artists, theater productions and local musical acts.

Paducah is one of only two cities named in the world-famous song "Hooray for Hollywood" that opens the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards (The Oscars). The 1937 song, with music by Richard Whiting and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, contains in the second verse: "Hooray for Hollywood! That phony, super Coney, Hollywood. They come from Chilicothes and Padukahs..."

Both cities were misspelled in the original published lyrics, though that may have been the fault of the publishers rather than Mercer, who was famous for the sophistication and attention to detail he put into his lyrics. The correct spellings are, of course, "Chillicothe" and "Paducah".

See also: Urban planning, Gentrification

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Famous quotes containing the word music:

    Sound all the lofty instruments of war,
    And by that music let us all embrace,
    For, heaven to earth, some of us never shall
    A second time do such a courtesy.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)