Friday, December 27, 2024

Question: When was the state’s popular song “Rocky Top” written?

Answer: “Rocky Top” was penned by husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 in the Gatlinburg Inn while they were writing songs for country superstars Archie Campbell and Chet Atkins, both East Tennessee natives. In 1974 the pep band jazzed up “Rocky Top” for the 1974 Conference Coaches Association tournament, and that version is the one we hear today. In 1982, “Rocky Top” officially became one of Tennessee’s state songs.