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
Read more about this topic: Paducah, Kentucky
Famous quotes containing the words music in and/or music:
“The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The time was once, when thou unurged wouldst vow
That never words were music to thine ear,
That never object pleasing in thine eye,
That never touch well welcome to thy hand,
That never meat sweet-savored in thy taste,
Unless I spake, or looked, or touched, or carved to thee.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)