Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? Yes, yes, track twenty-nine
Chattanooga Choo Choo celebrates namesake song in unveiling of Tennessee Music Pathways marker on Monday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — Today, Monday, a Tennessee Music Pathways marker was placed at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel and entertainment complex in downtown Chattanooga for the song it was named after in 1973.
The “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” became a pop hit during the early years of World War II. The song spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the pop charts.
The "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was recorded on May 7, 1941. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded the song and featured it in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade. According to wutc.org, after 1.2 million copies of the song were sold, RCA honored Miller with a copy of the record pressed in gold and that honor started a self-congratulatory tradition of labels awarding their own artists with framed gold records.
The Choo Choo now becomes part of the Tennessee Music Pathways. The TMP is a statewide driving tour that connects visitors to the people, places and genres that make Tennessee the Soundtrack of America. Launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in 2018, Tennessee Music Pathways is an online planning guide that connects visitors to the state’s rich musical heritage at tnmusicpathways.com. From the largest cities to the smallest communities, Tennessee Music Pathways stretches across all 95 counties and features hundreds of landmarks from the seven genres of music that call Tennessee home.
