Sonic Landscape

At the crossroads of north and south, east and west, Southcentral Kentucky has long been a hub for mustical expression and exchange. Whether raised here, or just passing through, musicians gravitate to Bowling Green and its surrounding region. Their journeys have resulted in some of popular music's greatest innovations and sounds, from early jazz to newgrass to country-rap.

Who were they? What influenced and inspired them? And why here - of all places - did this music change the world?

Sonic Landscape tells their story, in their own words, for the first time.

About the Exhibit

Sonic Landscape: The Musical Legacy of Southcentral Kentucky is the result of over 90 oral history interviews with musicians, producers, and insiders that keep the Southcentral Kentucky soundscape alive. Since 2016, this work has been led by the Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with WKU Folk Studies professors, WKU students, and the Kentucky Museum team, who continue the interviews and collecting efforts that form the Southcentral Kentucky Music Collection.

The physical exhibition - on view from September 2025 through December 2030 - features a wide variety of artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia from those we interviewed, alongide immersive audiovisual stories. From Bill Monroe and Cousin Emmy to Nappy Roots, Cage the Elephant, Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris, and Sam Bush, visitors become immersed in the intimate experience of becoming a musician: the roots of musical traditions in home and church; the formal and informal spaces of musical education, including the many talents to emerge from WKU; the role of DIY and regional recording studios in recording musicians; the venues, record stores, and radios that promoted talent and the region; and the stories of how South Central Kentucky continues to be “home” for many musicians – no matter how far their musical journeys may take them. Interwoven with the spoken and sung voices of those who lived it, Sonic Landscape provides an intimate journey through our home – and the decades of songs that have transformed American music.

Additional Resources

Sonic Landscape is not a "one and done" project. Over the past decade, a plethora of oral histories, sound recordings, documents, photographs, and material culture has been collected - forming the basis of the Southcentral Kentucky Music Archive. These collections are housed jointly by the Kentucky Museum and WKU Special Collections Library. They are also being utilized in the revamping of an accompanying website and are available for use in research and creative activities. 

In partnership with