Enjoy a walk through beautiful downtown Mountain City, where a series of murals tell the story of Johnson County's rich musical heritage. Pick up a map on the front porch of Johnson County Center for the Arts or download your printable PDF Map here:
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Johnson County Center for the Arts offers easy parking and the perfect place to start your tour. Here you will see the 1925 Fiddlers Convention mural. Walk down and look at the faces, the clothing, the instruments and read the plaques with names of those in the mural and the artists who painted it. This mural was a community project, painted by more than 20 local artists and led by Cristy Dunn. From here, stroll across the front porch of the Center for Arts looking in the window at a wonderful place to enjoy and make art and onto Mulberry Street.
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The 1925 Fiddler's Convention was a watershed in the development of early country music. It was the first of the big conventions and the $50 gold piece put up by Buster Brown shoe company ensured that every noteworthy fiddler in the Southeast made the trip. The press of the crowd at the Old High School (now Heritage Hall) auditorium was so large, they were afraid the floor would fall through and opened the courthouse and Elementary School for overflow. |
Travel down Mulberry to Main Street where you will see Johnson County Bank and "smell the smoke" from The "Lopsided 3" mural painted by Temple Reece. It is located on the building of Smith and Cockett Attorneys which you will continue walking past as you walk down Main St. to the next red light. There you will see the mural "First Sunrise" by Cristy Dunn. You can hear the music of Fiddlin 'Fred Price, Clint Howard and Sons.
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Everybody loves train songs, and they found their way into the repertoire of Johnson County's musicians. Train 45 was one of G.B. Grayson's biggest hits. Doc Watson, Fred Price and Clint Howard recorded New River Train. In his younger days, Clarence "Tom" Ashley and G.B. Grayson spent a lot of time buskin' at train stations and in the Coal Fields. |
Fiddlin' Fred Price and Clint Howard formed a group with Clarence "Tom" Ashley and were discovered by Folklorist Ralph Rinzler. They knew a young guitar picker named Doc Watson, who was playing on the streets in Boone and together the group hit the road. Among their many show dates were the University of California, the Pete Seegar Show, the Newport Folk Festival, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. Clint and Fred later formed a band with their sons and recorded The Ballad of Finley Preston, which tells the story of the last legal hanging in Tennessee. The hanging took place on the old courthouse lawn, which you can see from the mural site. Turn left onto Murphy St and listen for Clarence "Tom" Ashley playing for his pony in the mural at the end of Donnelly Street, painted by Cristy Dunn.
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At the end of Murphey Street, take a left and follow Donnelly Street to see Clarence "Tom" Ashley playing music for his pony. Ashley's influence on early country music cannot be overstated. He called his signature clawhammer tuning "Sawmill Key" or "Lassy Makin' key" and his unique sound influenced a whole generation of folk musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Jerry Garcia. This was the first of the Musical Heritage Murals, painted in 2013 by Cristy Dunn.
In 2013, the Library of Congress added the album Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's to the National Recording Registry along with Simon and Garfunkle's The Sound of Silence and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. |
Next, step up to S Church St and walk past the Tomahawk Newspaper to the Corner of Church and Main. Next, step up to S Church St and walk past the Tomahawk Newspaper to the Corner of Church and Main. Take a left and on the other side of the building on the corner, you'll see I'll Fly Away. This mural was done by Cristy Dunn and Temple Reece in 2021, and this one was designed so that you complete the picture. Be sure and share your snapshot with us on the Long Journey Home facebook page!
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After you've gained your wings, turn around and go back toward the redlight. Cross over to Mountain City Antiques and walk up the sidewalk to see Tom Dooley cooling his feet in the creek in the mural honoring the music of G.B. Grayson painted by Cristy Dunn.
Walk a few more steps to the WMCT radio and wave at the DJ sitting in the window seat. |
The infamous Tom Dooley was captured in Johnson County, on the banks of Doe Creek. And Blind Fiddler G.B. Grayson recorded the earliest version of The Ballad of Tom Dooley back in 1929. This mural depicts Colonel Grayson with a rock in one hand and a pistol in the other. The legend is that he arrested Dooley with the rock and held the pistol on the North Carolina posse to keep them from hanging him on the spot. He made sure Dooley got home safely for a fair trial. The man painted on the brick is beloved fiddle player and nephew of Colonel Grayson, Frank Grayson.
You can now cross over to Food Country and walk down to the City Square where you can relish the site of seven murals on the Farmers State Bank building. They were painted as a community effort led by Cristy Dunn entitled "Legacies". The murals depict visual representations of albums recorded by Johnson County's legendary musicians. Albums and Singles Represented include (left to right)
House of the Rising Sun by Clarence "Tom" Ashley Handsome Molly by G.B. Grayson Amazing Grace by Clarence "Tom" Ashley Train 45 by G.B. Grayson The Ballad of Tom Dooley by G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter The Ballad of Finley Preston by Fred Price, Clint Howard and Sons Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's by Clarence "Tom" Ashley, Doc Watson, Fred Price and Clint Howard |
We hope you have enjoyed your tour and learning about the musical heritage of Johnson County. You are invited to celebrate with us during the Long Journey Home Festival held every Labor Day weekend.