Celebrating the
Music of Spartanburg
Some cities celebrate their war heroes, others their sports stars, but in the Hub City, it’s all about musicians.
Meet the Music Makers of Spartanburg
Head out on the Spartanburg Music Trail, a 30-minute outdoor walking tour of the city’s incredibly robust music history. With each signpost along the way, you can learn about these celebrated artists and hear the music that lifted them onto the national stage. You’ll also discover opportunities for side trips to further explore our musical heritage.
Learn which Spartanburg bluesman lent his first name to British rock group Pink Floyd, who played electric guitar for Elvis Presley, who wrote “Duelin’ Banjos,” who was Paul Simon’s sidekick on “Loves Me Like a Rock” and who put the words and music together to create the hymn “Amazing Grace.” And of course, you can commune with the Marshall Tucker Band, superstars of Southern Rock, who put Spartanburg on the musical map.
About
The Spartanburg Music Trail is presented by the Spartanburg Philharmonic and honors musicians from the area who have made a national or international impact in the world of music. The stops highlight artists in such genres as country, gospel, soul, rock 'n' roll, and more. Ultimately the trail will circle the downtown as new inductees are added.
In 2011, the nonprofit Hub City Writers Project took the lead in organizing the Spartanburg Music Trail which was initially based on Peter Cooper’s book Hub City Music Makers: One Southern Town's Popular Music Legacy. The first 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.
The Music Trail is also supported by OneSpartanburg, Inc. and the City of Spartanburg.
“Spartanburg has an incredibly rich music history. For nearly two centuries, it’s been a place that has produced ground-breaking artists.”
— John Cribb, Author, Historian, and Spartanburg Philharmonic Board Member
