Aug 1211 min read

Taking a Musician Road Trip Across the USA (Part 1)

There are millions of music artists out there in the world, and ever-growing as online platforms make it easier than ever to get music out there and find an audience. Within the United States alone, there are thousands of artists from every city in every state (some more than others, of course). After seeing an article published by Goodreads (check it out here) creating a road trip of books across the country, I had the thought of creating one for musicians across the country! Each state within the U.S. can boast many famous musicians were either born in their state or currently reside there. We’ve got quite an eclectic list of artists here from jazz to rap to rock. What artist was chosen to represent your state? Find out below! Since it’s summertime (for at least a couple more weeks), let’s take a road trip across the US and list of artists that belong on your next road trip playlist!

This is a 2-part post. The second half of the states will be posted in a couple weeks. Stay tuned!

Alabama – Nat King Cole

Jazz pianist, composer, and singer Nat King Cole, known for hits versions of “L-O-V-E", “Mona Lisa” and many more was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Throughout his career, he fought for racial equality and was the first African American artist to host his own television program. Although as an adult he moved himself and his family out of the state and up to Chicago, Cole is considered one of the most famous musicians to come out of Alabama.

Alaska – Portugal.The Man

Although rock band Portugal.The Man currently reside in Portland, Oregon, the band formed in Wasilla, Alaska. The founding members John Gourley and Zach Carothers met and began playing music together in 2001 at Wasilla High School before bringing the other members together into the band they are today. Every member of the band grew up in Alaska before their trek to Portland.

Arizona – Marty Robbins

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver Marty Robbins hails from Glendale, Arizona. Throughout his forty-year music career, he was seen as a pioneer of outlaw country, a sound most popular in the 70s. In the early 1950s Robbins hosted his own show on KTYL and then his own television show "Western Caravan" on KPHO-TV in Phoenix. It was through this show and his performances drew fame in clubs in and around his hometown that he got a record deal with Columbia Records.

Arkansas – Evanescence

Evanescence, the popular alternative rock band known best for their hit song, “Bring Me to Life” formed in Little Rock, Arkansas. The singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody met as teenagers at an Arkansas summer camp in 1995 and later formed the band with the other members. To get their name out there, they played in local coffee shops and bookstores, and sent tapes to local radio stations. In 2003, the band blew up, selling more than 4 million copies in less than a year, of their album Fallen which also won them two Grammys.

California – Kendrick Lamar

Tons of musicians came out of California, but the one we decided to highlight was the critically and commercially successful rapper Kendrick Lamar. Born and raised in Compton, California, it was a high-crime area. He saw many in his neighborhood join gangs, but Lamar never did. He instead stayed in writing rhymes to get him discovered. He released his first mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge in 2003, under the name K. Dot which got the attention of Anthony Tiffith, head of the newly formed record label Top Dawg Entertainment who signed him. Since then, his releases have gone on to break records and garner Grammy nominations.

Colorado – OneRepublic

Pop rock band OneRepublic known best for their hits, “Apologize” and “Secrets” formed in Colorado Springs. The band’s first incarnation began in 1996 after Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins befriended each other during their senior year at Colorado Springs Christian High School in Colorado Springs. They had a few small gigs at Pikes Perk Coffee & Tea House, attended by friends and family but parted ways after high school. The band didn’t come together again until 2002 in Chicago where they eventually got signed to Columbia Records. Fun fact: Their biggest hit “Apologize” first reached commercial success on Myspace, reaching number one on the Myspace charts in 2006.

Connecticut – John Mayer

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his soft rock bluesy music, John Mayer, was born in Bridgeport and grew up in Fairfield. Inspired by Michael J. Fox’s performance as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, Mayer learned to play guitar, getting his music out there by high school through bars and other local venues. In 2000, when he was trying to make it as a real musician, his career coincided with the then-nascent internet music market, so Mayer cultivated an online following. This helped get the attention of Gregg Latterman at Aware Records, which helped Mayer strike up a deal with Columbia Records in 2001.

Delaware – Clifford Brown

Clifford Brown is a jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer who grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. Born into a musical family, Brown’s father organized him and his three brothers into a vocal quartet with Clifford eventually learning trumpet via private lessons with his father. After making his mark in the Maryland State band after college, he was encouraged to pursue jazz by the likes of legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. Brown tragically died at the age of 25 from a car crash. He’s buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery in Wilmington.

Florida – Flo Rida

Florida is another hub for a lot of great musicians, but how could I not select Flo Rida for this state?! Best known for hits like, “Low”, “Good Feeling” and “My House” the rapper is a born Floridian, coming from the Carol City neighborhood of Miami Gardens. He got his start with the three-man group, The GroundHoggz, who recorded at underground studios in Carver Ranches. After college, he returned to Florida to continue pursuing his music career eventually getting affiliated with the independent label Poe Boy Entertainment featuring artists such as Rick Ross, T-Pain, and Trick Daddy before his first big hit came in 2008 with “Low.” In coming up with his stage name, he used The Sunshine State where he grew up but broke it up, making Florida into Flo Rida.

Georgia – Luke Bryan

Singer, songwriter, TV personality, and five-time "Entertainer of the Year" recipient Luke Bryan is a proud Georgian. Born in Leesburg to parents who were peanut farmers, Bryan intended to go to Nashville and pursue his country music career sooner, but the death of his older brother made him decide to stay in Georgia with family and attend a local university instead. He finally made it to Nashville two years after graduating from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro where he eventually got a recording contract. His first big success was the song, "All My Friends Say".

Hawaii – Bruno Mars

Singer-songwriter Bruno Mars is indeed a born-Hawaiian. He grew up in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu and has told interviewers that his parents met while performing in a show in which his mother was a Hula dancer and his father played percussion. Coming from a musical family, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, and became known in Hawaii for his impersonation of Elvis Presley. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a career in music where he eventually got signed to Motown Records and learned from other artists to eventually propel him into the star he is today. Mars has been very vocal about his good memories of Hawaii saying, "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am.”

Idaho – Kerry Christensen

Idaho has yodeler Kerry Christensen to offer the world. Born and raised on a potato farm in Grace, Idaho, Christensen spent two years in Austria after graduating high school to study the alpine yodeling art. He is one of the only full-time yodelers in the world to have mastered so many different styles of yodeling including cowboy, alpine, cajun, Latin, Jewish, Hawaiian, jazz, and classical among others.

Illinois – Fall Out Boy

Popular rock band Fall Out Boy formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band originated from Chicago's hardcore punk scene and had their first public performance in a cafeteria at DePaul University. After finding success with their debut album Take This to Your Grave, the band continued to grow in popularity, having over 20 songs hit the Billboard Hot 100 with four hitting the Top 10 including, “Sugar We’re Going Down” and “Centuries.” No matter what level of success that they find, Fall Out Boy never forgets their Chicago roots, often putting on special exclusive shows for the city that made them.

Indiana – Michael Jackson

The early years of legendary superstar Michael Jackson were spent on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana. The Jackson Family were intensely devoted to music with the patriarch of the family Joe Jackson creating and managing a band of his sons which were called The Jackson Five. In November 1967, Steeltown Records in Gary, Indiana, discovered the Jackson Five and signed them to their first contract. By 1969, the family moved to California to continue to boost their careers with Michael Jackson eventually going solo and becoming the pop sensation everyone knows him for. Some of his greatest hits include, “Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Man in the Mirror.”

Iowa – Slipknot

Heavy metal band Slipknot, known best for wearing attention-grabbing masks and having insane live shows, came together in Des Moines, Iowa. Their debut self-titled album helped them rapidly rise to fame, growing even more in popularity with their second album named after the state they came from, Iowa. They said that their home state was one of their greatest sources of inspiration. As the band continued to develop (including a couple hiatuses and coming back together), they left Iowa for California but continue to hold their home state in high regard.

Kansas – Kansas

Rock band Kansas formed in 1973 in Topeka, Kansas and became known best for their hit song “Carry on my Wayward Son.” The group went through a couple of names and lineup changes as they performed in Topeka, but they eventually stuck to the name Kansas when they got their big break with their debut album which solidified their sound. There are a lot of impressive stats when you look at Kansas as a band. They appeared on the US Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s, produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums, one other platinum studio album, and one platinum live double album.

Kentucky – Knocked Loose

The hardcore-punk band Knocked Loose hail from Oldham County, Kentucky, about an hour outside of Louisville. They were signed to the Louisville record label Little Heart Records until 2016 when they were signed by the major label Pure Noise Records which helped propel them to the popularity they have today. The group have made their roots a big part of their branding, creating merchandise with the Oldham name and continuing to host special shows in their hometown.

Louisiana – Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential figures in jazz with a career spanning five decades and multiple eras of the jazz genre. We can thank Louisiana, New Orleans to be specific, for giving us this legendary trumpeter and vocalist. Armstrong grew up poor in the rough neighborhood known as The Battlefield, on the southern section of Rampart Street. He attended a school that accepted black children in the racially segregated school system of New Orleans called the Fisk School for Boys. In his pre-teen and teen years, he developed his cornet skills by playing in brass bands and riverboats in New Orleans.

He left New Orleans around 1922 when he followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in the Creole Jazz Band. His career took off from there, making him a legend and icon by the 1950s. Armstrong said about growing up in Louisiana, "Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans ... It has given me something to live for” (Source).

Maine – Spencer Albee

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Albee may not be as well-known as others on this list, but he has been considered a major figure in the Portland music scene for over two decades. Albee was raised in York, Maine and has been a major figure of the local scene through his position in various bands, including Rustic Overtones and As Fast As. After dropping out of the University of Southern Maine to join Rustic Overtones as their keyboard player he was given opportunities to work with figures such as David Bowie and Funkmaster Flex. It seems his most recent work from being in the group Palomino Motel who released an album in 2022.

Maryland – Logic

The rapper, Logic, who is also a singer, songwriter, and record producer comes from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He was born at Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, Maryland and Logic spent much of his youth in the West Deer Park neighborhood in Gaithersburg. He became interested in rap and hip hop at age 13 and began performing in his teen years. He released an unofficial mixtape which helped him gain opening gigs for artists like Pitbull, EPMD, Method Man, Redman, and Ludacris when they came through Maryland. As he got his name out there, gaining popularity, he was eventually signed to the legendary label Def Jam Records which further helped boost his music into the star he is today. Logic's first two studio albums, Under Pressure (2014) and The Incredible True Story (2015) both peaked within the top five of the U.S. Billboard 200 and his 2015 album went platinum.

Massachusetts – Boston

It’s probably no surprise that a band with the name Boston would come from Boston, Massachusetts. Much of how the band got their start stems from their time in Boston. Founder and bandleader Tom Sholtz first started writing music while he was attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and after graduating saved money to build a recording studio in his basement, and to finance demonstration tapes recorded in professional recording studios. Some of their early demos included what are hits of today, "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind." They experienced significant commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their debut album ranks as one of the best-selling debut albums in U.S. history with over 17 million copies sold.

Michigan – Eminem

Mashall Mathers, known professionally as Eminem, moved all over with his mom but many of his formative years were spent in Detroit. They lived in a primarily black neighborhood as one of three white households on their block. The area had a lot of violence and Eminem was beaten several times by kids in the neighborhood. He began rapping at age 14, attending local freestyle rap battles and open mics at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile Road. Eventually, he got signed by Jeff and Mark Bass's local label F.B.T. Productions. Eminem attracted more attention when he developed Slim Shady, a sadistic, violent alter ego. The character allowed him to express his anger with lyrics about drugs, rape and murder. After getting the attention of Dr. Dre, his career took off in the direction that made him the legend he is today. He has over 220 million global record sales, 17 Grammy awards, eight American Music Awards and 17 Billboard Music Awards.

Minnesota – Prince

The Minnesota-born artist Prince was not only a legendary singer, but he was also a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona, his wide vocal range, and many hit songs including, “Purple Rain.” Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince attended Minneapolis' Bryant Junior High and then Central High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was also trained in classical ballet at the Minnesota Dance Theatre through the Urban Arts Program of Minneapolis Public Schools. He later became an advocate for dancers. He got his break after working with Owen Husney, a Minneapolis businessman, to get his demo created at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis. The demo recording eventually got him signed to Warner Bros which helped launch him into stardom and leave Minneapolis for California.

Mississippi – Elvis Presley

While the King of Rock and Roll is often associated with Memphis, Tennessee because of Graceland, Elvis Presley spent the first 12 years of his life in Tupelo, Mississippi. He attended elementary at East Tupelo Consolidated, and his first public performance was a singing contest at the Mississippi–Alabama Fair and Dairy Show when he was 10. He also received his first guitar at age 10 and played more often as a pre-teen. Presley was a devotee of Mississippi Slim's radio show, and Slim took him under his wing, showing Presley chord techniques. The Presleys’ moved to Memphis when Elvis was 13 and the rest of his success story propelled from there. Presley is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales estimated around 500 million records worldwide. He won three Grammy Awards and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36.

Missouri – Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow was born and raised in Kennett, Missouri. She attended Kennett High School where she was majorette and an all-state track athlete, winning medals in the 75-meter low hurdles. She attended college at University of Missouri in Columbia and received a BS degree in music education. She sang in the local band Cashmere during her university days and sang on the weekends post-university, working as a music teacher at Kellison Elementary School in Fenton, Missouri during the week. She got her voice out there by making jingles for record producer Jay Oliver, with her first jingle being for a back-to-school spot for the St. Louis department store Famous-Barr. This led to her doing background vocals for artists such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Jimmy Buffett. All her behind the scenes work in the industry eventually led to her recording her own music and finding her audience. Some of her biggest hits include “Soak Up the Sun” and “All I Wanna Do.”

As you may have noticed, there are some states missing. If every state had been put in here, this blog would be way too long. So, as inconvenient it is to leave on a state cliffhanger, it must be done! You can check out part 2 in a couple weeks with artists originating from places such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wyoming, and more!