Billy Ray Cyrus

Background: Billy Ray Cyrus (William Ray Cyrus) was born in Flatwoods, Kentucky in 1961. He grew up listening to bluegrass, gospel and country music; all of which he says have influenced his music greatly. He is a country singer-songwriter and is best known for his hit single ‘Achy Breaky Heart’.

Flatwoods: Flatwoods is a city in Greenup County. Its latitude is 38.52N and its longitude is 82.71W. It is a very small city and only has a total land area of 4.5 square miles.

Kentucky: Kentucky is a state in the south of America. It boarders seven other states: West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
Kentucky is divided into five regions. These are the Cumberland Plateau (in the east), the Bluegrass Region (in the north), the Western Coal Fields, the Pennyroyal Plateau (in the south and west) and the Jackson Purchase (in the far west).
Kentucky’s climate is a humid subtropical climate. This is a climate which is characterised by its hot humid summers and very cool winters. Kentucky has experienced many weather events because of this climate. These include the Mid-Mississippi Valley Tornado Outbreak (1890), the Ohio River Flood (19367), the Super Outbreak of tornadoes (1974) and many more recent ones such as the January Ice Storm in 2009.

Billy Ray Cyrus' best known song is 'Achy Breaky Heart' which sold millions of records. It is one of the most well known country songs and has nearly all of the characteristics of country music.



Video from Youtube
Picture from Google Images

Dolly Parton

Background: Born on the 19th January 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly Parton is one of the most well known country singer-songwriters. She came from a very poor background with a family of twelve children. One of her most famous songs, Coat of Many Colours’ was about her family’s lack of money.

Sevierville: Sevierville is a small town in Tennessee, America. The latitude is 35.751N and the longitude is 83.693W. Sevierville is a very hilly town as it is located in a small area between the Great Smokies and the Tennessee Valley. The Great Smoky National Park is located ten miles from Sevierville and is where Sevierville gets most of its tourism from.

Tennessee: Tennessee is a state located in the south of the United States. Its bordering states are Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, Arkansas and Georgia. The state is trisected by the Tennessee River which is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and also cuts through part of Alabama and Mississippi. The State is split into three sections: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee.
Dolly Parton loves her hometown and she wrote a song about it called 'My Tennessee Mountain Home.' I have posted the lyrics so that you can see what she says about her hometown.

http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/parton-dolly/my-tennessee-mountain-home-13951.html



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Picture from Goole Images

Carrie Underwood.

Background: Born on the 10th of March 1983 in Checotah, Oklahoma.
Carrie Underwood won American Idol in 2005. She had no previous vocal training and has now sold millions of records.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma is a state located in the south of America. It is the 20th largest state in America and is located between the Great Plains and the Ozark Plateau. Oklahoma is one of America’s most famous states for flora and fauna. 24% of Oklahoma is covered by forests and marshlands, and these areas are home to over 300 vertebrate species. The Ouachita Mountains are home to many animals including the red fox, black bear, river otter, grey fox and many more.

Checotah: Checotah is a city in McIntosh County, United States of America. The latitude of Checotah is 35.47N and the longitude is 95.522W. It is quite a small area compared to the other American cities but has many attractions. These include a Civil War battle site and many antique malls. Checotah is home to Lake Eufaula. This lake was once the largest man made lake in America, with 640 miles of shoreline.
Checotah started as a settlement for the Creek Indians. The Creek Indians originally lived in Alabama but were removed in the 1830’s.
Carrie Underwood is very proud of her home town and she wrote a song about Checotah. The song is on her Album ‘Some Hearts’ and is called ‘I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore’.
The lyrics are as follows and I think they show the cultural differences between Checotah and the other American cities.

http://www.lyricsbay.com/i_aint_in_checotah_anymore_lyrics-carrie_underwood.html



Video from Youtube
Picture from Gogle Images

Hi!

Hey!
My name is Stephanie and for my transition year geography blog I have decided to do the geography of country music!
Enjoy! :)