The Spartanburg Music Trail is open in downtown!
A remarkable number of prominent musicians hail from the Hub City. Music Trail signage and an audio tour have been installed in downtown Spartanburg honoring twelve of the best. Explore this website to hear their music, see videos, and learn about the history. (Photo: Clara Smith sign)
February 07, 2011
How these artists were chosen
All of our initial honorees on the Music Trail are musicians who are deceased or are bands that no longer perform in their original makeup. A broad-based committee organized by the Hub City Writers Project in 2006 selected these artists. The Music Trail Committee will select two artists (living or dead) every two years based on nominations from this website.
As publisher of the book Hub City Music Makers: One Southern Town's Popular Music Legacy the non-profit Hub City Writers Project took the lead in organizing the Spartanburg Music Trail more than five years ago. Among the organizations that came together for initial discussions about the trail were: the Spartanburg County Historical Association, the Spartanburg Philharmonic, the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, HUB-BUB, and others.
The initial honorees were chosen because they represent a wide variety of music styles, a broad demographic of our county, and almost 200 years of music-making history. To be considered for this honor musicians must have made a national or intenational impact in the world of music.
Ultimately we want to circle the downtown with signs honoring Spartanburg musicians. We anticipate adding twelve more musicians during the next dozen years. As anyone who follows Spartanburg music knows, there are many more artists who have made a substantial impact in the music industry. So participate in this site and stay tuned!
