Forecastle founder: E.Ky. is the cradle of music culture, and we should help it grow.
They say the sun shines bright on My Old Kentucky Home, but it should shine just as bright on the hollers of Eastern Kentucky – a melting pot of global cultural influence.
Back in late February 2020, Eastern Kentucky natives Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers performed a sold-out show at Rupp Arena, on the first leg of a nationwide tour. I felt this show had the potential to be a defining moment for Eastern Kentucky, solidifying it as Kentucky’s contemporary music epicenter, responsible for a nationwide resurgence in traditional and old-time music built on a long history of artistic pioneers, who for centuries carved out a living in farms and foothills, writing universal themes from rural areas.
As Kentuckians, it’s vital to support our developing creative class and industry, which provides a 150 percent return on investment to our local economies. And there’s no area of the Commonwealth with more potential than the one that’s had the most extracted from it: Eastern Kentucky.
The mountains of Appalachia are a cradle of cultural significance. In his book “A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music,” author Jason Howard goes beyond Bill Monroe’s banjo, Loretta Lynn’s lyrics, and the Everly Brothers’ harmonies, to unearth the creativity, honesty, spirit and pedigree that make our mineral-rich soil critical to the creation and performance of nearly every American musical genre.
For years as a festival producer and now as a festival consultant, I’ve focused on pushing local culture to the forefront. We recently helped facilitate the first ever cultural economic analysis of Eastern Kentucky with our partners at Sound Diplomacy. Focused on Morehead and Rowan County as a sample, the study found that music accounts for more than 5 percent of all employment in the county. That’s almost four times higher than the national average of 1.3 percent, and puts this community on par with New Orleans, a city widely recognized for its distinct music and culture. Another city with strong musical tradition, Austin, Texas – home of Austin City Limits and the South by Southwest music festival – came in at just 2.74 percent.
Moreover, direct employment generated by the music ecosystem represented more than 4 percent of the Rowan County workforce, far outpacing traditional sectors such as real estate (1.5 percent), finance and insurance (2.3 percent), agriculture (2.4 percent), and on par with construction (5.8 percent).
Lastly, and perhaps most impressive, Rowan County’s music output – the economic resources generated in relation to population – is $1,000 per capita. This easily tops the $444 national average. For cities with famously high flows of music tourism such as Austin, New Orleans and New York City, this figure is $1,899, $1,721 and $1,604 respectively. Rowan County and Eastern Kentucky share some remarkable company.
The opportunity for all of us to continue writing Kentucky’s next musical chapter is one I committed myself to nearly 20 years ago, when I created Forecastle Festival as a showcase of Kentucky talent, and a foundation to protect our most endangered natural places. From 60 fans to 75,000, Forecastle has delivered more than $100 million in economic impact and an unquantifiable amount of attention to our state. It changed the landscape, making Kentucky a more interesting, attractive, progressive and philanthropic place.
Today, I see this promise strongest in Eastern Kentucky. While Chris Stapleton’s chart-topping songwriting and sold-out tours come top of mind to many, there is a distinct identity and underbelly of musicians on their way up, who deserve our attention and support. Artists like Cole Chaney, the Local Honeys, the Price Sisters, Abby Hamilton and more keep the region’s creative fire burning. With everyone listening, together we can foster more of the music that puts Kentucky communities on the map of America’s best “music cities.”
Eastern Kentucky deserves our attention and resources. It’s a place that continues to inspire, motivate, generate, and foster creativity that is holistic in artistic merit and boundless in cultural influence. Let’s work together to harness the creative energy of this incredible place and time. Let’s attract critical cultural investments in our artists and community infrastructure to foster and grow the rich musical legacy of Eastern Kentucky and all of the Commonwealth.
The mountains of Appalachia are in all of us, and with its future at a crossroads, it is deserving of our attention.
JK McKnight is the Founder of Art of Impact, Forecastle Festival and the Forecastle Foundation. He can be reached at jk@artofimpact.com or www.artofimpact.com.