Rocky Top

Rocky Top. Written in room 388 of the Gatlinburg Inn. Among the most well-known bluegrass songs of all time, “Rocky Top” was written in room 388 of the Gatlinburg Inn in August 1967. Originally recorded by the Osborne Brothers, it has become a standard. It was inducted as one of Tennessee's official state songs and became the fight song of the University of Tennessee's football team, the Volunteers., Although “Rocky Top” resembles Appalachian folk songs and fiddle tunes, it was written by the husband and wife team of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. The Bryants had written hits for Buddy Holly (“Raining in My Heart”); the Everly Brothers (“Bye, Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Wake Up, Little Susie”); Little Jimmy Dickens (“Country Boy,” “We Could”); and many others. In the early 1950s, they were among Nashville's first professional songwriters., In 1967, east Tennessee singer-comedian-television star Archie Campbell asked the Bryants to write some “autumn of my life” ballads for his forthcoming Golden Years album. The Bryants often spent part of the summer in the Smoky Mountains at the area's oldest hotel, the storied Gatlinburg Inn. They were deep into work on Campbell's album when they decided to take a break with a bluegrass-style hoedown song. Within 10 or 15 minutes, they had finished “Rocky Top.” To them, it was a nonsense song about a fictional place., In Nashville, the Bryants lived near bluegrass singer Sonny Osborne of the Osborne Brothers. They took “Rocky Top” to him, and Sonny liked it enough to rehearse it with his brother. The song was recorded on Nov. 16, 1967, and released shortly before year-end. The Osbornes' record peaked at No. 33 on the country charts but the song has become a standard, recorded by many artists and performed by many more., The University of Tennessee's Pride of the Southland Band first played the song during halftime of a football game against the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide on Oct. 21, 1972. Music arranger Barry McDonald, who had worked on ABC's “The Johnny Cash Show,” created the arrangement. It quickly became a staple at every game. The Bryants' heirs subsequently gave the university the right to play the song royalty-free as often as circumstances dictated., On Feb. 15, 1982, “Rocky Top” became one of Tennessee's official state songs., The Bryants moved to Gatlinburg in 1978. They were inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991. Boudleaux died on June 25, 1987, and Felice on April 22, 2003., Captions: , (Top) The country songwriting team, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, who wrote “Rocky Top”. Image courtesy of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. , (Bottom) The Osborne Brothers. Image from the collections of the Center for Popular Music, Middle Tennessee State University.