West Tennessee counties celebrate rockabilly music heritage

JACKSON, Tenn. — A major highway in West Tennessee could soon have a new name.

“Highway 45 is actually Rockabilly Highway, and in Mississippi it’s actually called Rockabilly Way,” McNairy County Director of Tourism Jessica Huff said.

McNairy County and Chester County officials are working together to rename Old Highway 45 to “Rockabilly Way.”

Rockabilly ties are strong in the area, starting in Jackson and running all the way to Tupelo, Mississippi.

“It just makes sense to connect, and then we’ll be across two states, and it will be a great tourism destination for all of us,” Huff said.

And with this project of renaming Old Highway 45 to Rockabilly Way, they’re connecting anything and everything any rockabilly fan would want to see.

“We’re wanting to unify all the areas with rockabilly murals if we could,” Huff said. “We actually have two in Selmer, Rockabilly one and two, they’re internationally known.”

This isn’t the only way rockabilly culture is being celebrated. The show “Million Dollar Quartet” is coming to Chester County.

“It tells the story of one night that four music legends came together to record music,” said Jason Bramblett, president of the Henderson Arts Council. “Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, Jackson’s own Carl Perkins, got together at Sun Studios and had this one-day jam session.”

The Henderson Arts Commission wanted to bring the show to Chester County to have a big impact.

“Something not just for Henderson but people in the area,” Bramblett said. “It’s our mission to educate, enrich and entertain through the arts in Henderson, Chester County and the surrounding areas.”

The show will be Sept. 27 in the Lloyd Auditorium at Freed-Hardeman University.

McNairy County will hold a meeting Nov. 8 to discuss the renaming of the highway.

For tickets to the “Million Dollar Quartet,” head to the Seen on 7 section of our website.