Natalie Marchant discovers a wealth of history in the musical state of Tennessee.

We were about an hour out of Nashville when a new sound made itself heard on the Tennessee Music Highway – the dull repetitive thud of a blown-out tyre. Ninety minutes later and encamped behind the safety barrier on Interstate 40, I was waiting nervously for the repair man.

As the sun set, all sorts of things began to run through my mind. Were there bears? Snakes? Aliens? Corrupt cops? It was an American road trip after all. Surely something scary was going to happen, we’ve all seen those movies.

Reality turned out to be somewhat less exciting. A traffic officer (good cop, not bad) stopped and checked we were okay, our tyre was fixed, we continued our journey to Memphis, got a new rental car and lived happily ever after. No Hollywood drama in sight.

But the incident did highlight one thing – how surprisingly familiar Tennessee can be for a state that is far from the top of many tourists’ destination lists. Going around it triggers what feels like a forgotten memory of an America you recognise from the movies.

It’s the state that became home to dozens of household name musicians – from Elvis and Dolly Parton to Jack White of the White Stripes. Not only does their music reflect the history and people of Tennessee, but their songs form a natural soundtrack to any visit.

Our trip began at Atlanta airport, in neighbouring Georgia, where we rented a car and headed north to the majesty of the Smoky Mountains National Park.

We were fortunate to visit the Smokies when the leaves were just turning autumnal red, but the view over the park is impressive at any time of year.

On the Tennessee side of the park is Gatlinburg, which is a bit like Blackpool crossed with an French alpine ski resort. There’s an endless supply of hotels, restaurants and good clean fun. Hikes and wildlife are in plentiful supply – we were lucky enough to see not just one but two black bears – but there’s also a lot of history here, as the park was once home to both native American groups and white settlers.

Just a short drive away is Dolly Parton’s theme park Dollywood. Though don’t be fooled by the constant playback of Dolly tunes and traditional costume, the rides are not for the faint-hearted.

Next stop was Nashville. The Music City is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry, venues which hosted the likes of Johnny Cash, June Carter and Hank Williams.

The history of country music – from its origins in the cotton fields, to rock ‘n‘ roll and modern-day musicians like Taylor Swift – is

inseparable from the history of the South itself. Elvis’ gold piano, Carl Perkins’ famous blue suede shoes and Johnny Cash’s guitar are on show at the Music Hall of Fame.

Today, music is as much a part of Nashville as ever, and Broadway is the place to go to catch some live tunes after hours. We settled on Robert’s Western World, a classic honky tonk where Brazil Billy and his band played relentlessly to a delighted audience.

And so to Memphis, heading south-west on the Music Highway, formally known as Interstate 40, where our tyre blew.

Nashville may be the home to country music but in Memphis they sing the blues. Perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, it’s a cultural and musical melting pot.

It’s a soulful and almost melancholic city, and nowhere is this more visible than at the Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968.

Left as it was on that fateful day, the motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum, which charts the African-American struggle for human rights from before the civil war until the present day. Dedicate at least half-a-day to go around its exhibits, and you’ll leave with a better understanding of the struggles and injustices that affected this city’s people and so many others across the south.

A short walk away is Beale Street, once the heart of Memphis’ black community and now known as the home of the blues. Do the Beale Street Walking Tour by day and, by night, catch some live music in music legend BB King’s Blues Bar.

Of course, no trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Elvis’s former abode, Graceland. The sheer number of mementos and tributes from around the world at his graveside are a testament to the love so many people felt for him.

The Sun Studio is another of musical highlight. This little building was where Elvis cut his first record and the famous Million Dollar Quartet photo, which pictured him playing the piano with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, was taken.

Memphis is pretty much Tennessee’s western-most point, so our road trip continued back east on Highway 64.

The highway is the main route across southern Tennessee and the towns it passes through tell their own stories about the history of the Volunteer State – a nickname earned during the War of 1812 because of the prominent role played by volunteer soldiers.

The state’s southern heartlands are farming country and home to the Jack Daniels Distillery, in Lynchburg.

Ever seen an advert for the famous sour mash whiskey? Well, they’re not lying. The barrels are left to mature in the hills and they really do use the same spring of water they always have done, since 1866. You can tour the distillery free but don’t expect a sample. Lynchburg is a dry county thanks to laws introduced during the Prohibition era, so the best you get is a whiff of the distillery barrels.

I had a similar feeling at the top of Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, where we ended our trip with outstanding views of a small part of America that proved so familiar, yet so full of surprises.