Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Announces Six Degrees to Tennessee Event to Celebrate Kick Off of ‘Tennessee Music Pathways’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development today announced the launch of Tennessee Music Pathways, a statewide program designed to guide visitors to their musical points of interest through an online travel-planning experience featuring hundreds of landmarks and attractions promoting the seven musical genres—blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll—that call Tennessee home.

To celebrate the launch, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development will bring a one-night-only concert experience, Six Degrees to Tennessee Roots Jam, to the home of the blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll in Memphis at the historic New Daisy Theatre on the world-famous Beale Street, a destination on the Pathways, on September 15^th with GRAMMY Award-winning group The Roots, founded by Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. The Roots will be joined on stage by guest artists Elle King, Dustin Lynch, Estelle, JJ Julius Son from Kaleo, and The Isley Brothers, whose influences signify the connection nearly all musicians have back to the state of Tennessee in six-degrees of separation or less.

“We are looking forward to bringing our jam session to Memphis! It is always a great time getting our friends together on stage to perform, and we know that Memphis will be no exception,” said The Roots.

Tickets to Six Degrees to Tennessee Roots Jam are free and will be available exclusively at www.tnrootsjam.com. For more information, follow @TNVacation on Twitter and Instagram.

“Tennessee Music Pathways connects fans to the people, places and genres that make Tennessee the Soundtrack of America. From the largest cities to the smallest communities, this state-wide program identifies, explains, and preserves the legacy of music in Tennessee,” said Commissioner Kevin Triplett, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “The Six Degrees to Tennessee Roots Jam showcases the talents of artists who share a common love of music and a direct connection to the music that is made every day in Tennessee.”

The Six Degrees to Tennessee Roots Jam will be driven by Lyft with discounted rides available for fans and visitors in the Memphis area to attend the concert in September. More information will be available at www.tnrootsjam.com.

In addition to the seven genres founded in Tennessee, the state has more musicians per capita than anywhere in the world and is home to world-renowned music attractions such as Beale Street, Bluebird, Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Dollywood, Graceland, Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, Sun Studio, and the historic Tennessee Theatre.

Tennessee Music Pathways and Six Degrees to Tennessee Roots Jam support the state’s dedication to music and tourism initiatives as part of their ongoing “The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee” campaign. For more information, visit www.TennesseeMusicPathways.com, www.tnrootsjam.com and follow Tennessee Tourism on Twitter and Instagram @TNVacation.

About Tennessee Music Pathways:

Tennessee Music Pathways is a state-wide driving tour program identifying, interpreting, promoting and preserving a broad perspective of great and well-known, as well as the important but possibly unknown, Tennessee music events, locations and stories. Working with the state historian and through internal research at the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, more than 500 possible locations for markers, including birthplaces, resting places, hometowns, high schools and churches, locations of first-known recordings or performances of the musical pioneers and legends have been identified to date.

About the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development:

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development is to motivate travel to and within Tennessee by inspiring enjoyment, creating memories, producing a desire to return and establishing key long-term relationships that result in visitors becoming residents. In 2017, Tennessee’s tourism industry generated $19.3 billion annually in economic impact, more than $1.7 billion in state and local sales tax revenue and more than 176,500 tourism-related jobs. The promise of Tennessee—the home of the blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll—is to be the global music destination of choice. To deliver an unparalleled experience of beauty, history and family adventure, infused with music that creates a vacation that is “The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee.”

About The Roots:

The legendary Roots Crew have become one of the best known and most respected hip-hop acts in the business, winning four GRAMMYS, including “Best R&B Album” for Wake Up!, “Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance” for “Hang in There” (with John Legend) and “Best Group or Duo R&B Vocal Performance” for “Shine.” This brings the band’s GRAMMY nomination count to twelve. Additionally, “The Roots Picnic,” a yearly star-studded mix of musicians, has become a celebrated institution. The Roots were named one of the greatest live bands around by Rolling Stone and serve as the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Most recently, The Roots announced that they are developing an animated children’s series, along with a live action children’s series, in partnership with Amazon.

About Memphis Tourism:
Founded in 1925, Memphis Tourism, a 501(c)(6) membership organization, serves as the official destination marketing and tourism organization for Memphis and Shelby County. The Memphis Tourism sales staff covers the convention, sports and tourism sales market segments and is supported by a marketing department that includes advertising, digital marketing, research, public relations and membership. For more information about Memphis Tourism, visit www.memphistravel.com.