When and where was the Vol’s signature song penned? At this historic inn.
By Alexandra Hruz

If walls could talk, room 388 of the Gatlinburg Inn would have a lot to say — or possibly — sing. In the summer of 1967, song-writing couple Boudleaux and Felice Bryant checked into that room to work on a collection of tunes for Archie Campbell. The duo was responsible for hits like “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie” for the Everly Brothers, and their current project had them penning a slew of slow-tempo pieces. To mix it up, the couple took a quick break to craft something completely different.

In about 10 minutes, “Rocky Top” was born — and when the Pride of the Southland Marching Band first played it in 1972, the Volunteer nation was never the same.

Room 388, or the “Rocky Top Room,” hasn’t changed much since 1967. The entire inn seems to have avoided the modernizing of the area, instead becoming a preservation of the mid-20th century that continues to delight patrons with its originality and history. Don’t expect a wireless Internet connection or a printer in the lobby. Old-fashioned is an understatement—but this antiquated inn would be tarnished with modern conveniences. Its appeal lies in its simplicity and vintage feel, and the Inn’s history is as captivating as its rejection of technology.

“Everything’s just the same as it was whenever Boudleaux and Felice stayed in this room,” owner Wilma Maples says. “Boudleaux sat on this sofa and Felice sat on this one.”

In 1967, Chuck Bradley was just a teenager working as a bellhop at the inn. When he carted several bags to Room 388, this former mayor of Gatlinburg didn’t realize that the newest arrivals were song-writing royalty—or that they would write one of the most popular songs in East Tennessee history.

“We all got to see the first copy when they wrote it,” Bradley says. “Nobody had any idea that it would ever be that big a song. And they didn’t either.”

The couple were inspired by the inn and its surrounding area so much, that they stayed that first summer for two and half months. Then they returned every year for two or three weeks at a time, no doubt hearing their infamous song sung by local football fans pumped up for a game.

For Maples and the staff at the Gatlinburg Inn, though, hearing Rocky Top means kickoff time. Instead, it’s a reminder of two former patrons who occupied Room 388.

“That was the first summer they made it home,” she says. “And this was their home for 20-something years. They were just like family.”


When you go
Built between 1937 and 1940 by R.L. Maples, Sr., the Gatlinburg Inn was the city of Gatlinburg’s third major hotel. The Inn is one of four original buildings in Gatlinburg built by Rel Maples.

Rates for rooms at the inn start at $58 per night. Ask to stay in the Rocky Top Room or ask Maples to tell you about some of the Inn’s most famous patrons like Ladybird Johnson, Liberace, Dinah Shore, J.C. Penney and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The Inn was also included in the Ingrid Bergman film “A Walk in the Spring Rain.” Especially interesting is the tale about how Maples cooked barefoot for Liberace.

For more information, contact the inn at 865-436-5133, 755 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738