I’ll confess–I listened to mainstream country radio in the 80’s (the pre-Garth Brooks era), and one of my favorite songs was Ronnie Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain.” The first song other than Sunday school tunes or church hymns that I can recall memorizing all the words to, it’s a classic story song written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan. It has also just been named an official state song of Tennessee–their eighth one, including the ones most people think of, “The Tennessee Waltz” and “Rockytop.”
The resolution that passed the Tennessee legislature reads in part:
WHEREAS, made famous by country music legend Ronnie Milsap, “Smoky Mountain Rain” pays homage to the Great Smoky Mountains, which draw 2.2 million tourists annually to the State of Tennessee from around the world; and
WHEREAS, written by Nashville songwriters, Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, “Smoky
Mountain Rain” tells the story of a special, enduring love of a Tennessee sweetheart and the storyteller’s return to Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains in search of that which he holds most dear; and
WHEREAS, the Tennessee cities of Knoxville and Gatlinburg are featured as part of the
storyline of the song;
It couldn’t have happened to a better song…if you’re somehow not familiar with it, or have forgotten just how good it is, check out this 1986 performance on Austin City Limits, with Ronnie explaining some of the rationale behind his compelling performance of “Smoky Mountain Rain”:
