Louvin Brothers Marker Added in Patten Square

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Chattanoogans have another reminder of music history downtown.

Local and state tourism officials unveiled a new “Tennessee Music Pathways” marker in Patten Square Saturday morning.

It’s in front of the building where the Louvin Brothers first performed on the radio.

Their 20-year music career even included joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1955.

“In tourism we really try to figure out what’s at the heart, what’s in the DNA of our community,” said Barry White, president of Chattanooga Tourism.  “A lot of things rise up, we’ve got beautiful scenery, we’ve got a great community attitude, people love this place. We also have this music that really touches the soul.”

“We have one in Gatlinburg where the song Rocky Top was written, we’ve got them all across the state,” said Dave Jones, division manager for Tennessee’s Tourism Department. “We want people to come when they’re coming to look for these kinds of things and go, ‘Oh, this is where this happened.’ And it’s to drive travel to the area as well.”

Tennessee is home to seven different music genres.

More songs are written, recorded, and played live in Tennessee than anywhere else in the world.