Turn up the Volume: Spartanburg Music Trail
February 7, 2017
From Pink Anderson and the Marshall Tucker Band, to Marshall Chapman and the Sparkletones, music has been part of the cultural fabric of Spartanburg County. Now visitors can listen to and learn more about some of the area’s most famous native sons and daughters on the Spartanburg Music Trail.
The Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) has partnered with the Hub City Writers Project, the City of Spartanburg, and the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra to produce a new version of the popular walking tour map and made SpartanburgMusicTrail.com mobile friendly.
“These tweaks to an-already great downtown Spartanburg walking tour allow visitors to get up close and personal with the people and places that make Spartanburg such an amazing music destination,” said Chris Jennings, Executive Vice President of the Spartanburg CVB.
The tour takes about 30 minutes, said Joe Mullinax, principal of MoreView Media, the firm that produced the print and web pieces. It is audio guided by Spartanburg’s Peter Cooper, author of Hub City Music Makers: One Southern Town’s Popular Music History (Hub City Press, 1996), and a Grammy nominated artist.
“You’ll discover interesting facts about each artists, learn where Elvis played in town and where to see today’s performers,” Mullinax said.
Currently there are 18 musicians highlighted at nine stops, and Jennings noted that the walking tour is designed with both history and hospitality in mind. The printed map and guide provides more information on each musician, highlights local music venues and points of interest that tie into our musical heritage. The website is now GPS enabled, allowing users to take the tour on their smartphone. They can hear song samples, listen to narration and discover more side trips.
“We want travelers to learn how Spartanburg impacted the music of our country, take some pictures and engage on social media,” he said. “Then they can grab a bite to eat and hear live music almost every night in our rapidly-growing Downtown Cultural District.”
The Spartanburg Music Trail was produced by local media firm MoreViewMedia.com. Map and guides will be available at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center at 105 N. Pine Street, as well as the Hub City Book Shop, Spartanburg Regional History Museum in the Chapman Cultural Center, local hotels and attractions and Official South Carolina Welcome Centers.
About the Spartanburg Music Trail
The Spartanburg Music Trail opened in 2011 when signage honoring 12 musicians and bands was added along Main Street and Liberty streets. Since that time six others have been added in the area near the Chapman Cultural Center and USC Upstate’s George Dean Johnson School of Business on East St. John Street.
About the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau celebrates this amazing destination located in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Spartanburg, S.C. is a hub of activity, including rich cultural offerings, a thriving downtown, musical heritage, and an abundance of stunning landscapes. Also known for its Revolutionary War battles, a rich textile and agricultural history, Spartanburg is at the crossroads of the modern South.
Once you visit, you’ll understand there’s no place like it. There’s only one. Learn more at www.visitspartanburg.com or go on social media and use #visitspartanburg and #onespartanburg to share the story.
