When songwriting couple Felice and Boudleaux Bryant came to the Gatlinburg Inn on Aug. 28, 1967, to write a few songs, they could not have expected the impact they were going to make on the state and the University of Tennessee.

Surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains, many artists over the years have come to the hotel to find inspiration. For the couple, it was no different as they sought a place to finish music for Archie Campbell, according to the Gatlinburg Inn.

However, Felice wanted to work on something new. She wanted to write music at a faster tempo than their typical slower songs. A strum of the guitar from Boudleaux initiated a 10-minute sequence where the couple was able to write a country and bluegrass song called “Rocky Top.” The song has since become the face of one university’s most famed traditions.

Recorded and sung by the Osborne Brothers later that year, it was not until 1972 that the song made its debut at Neyland Stadium for the Volunteers. 

In a game against Alabama on Oct. 21, 1972, then-band director WJ Julian decided to have the Pride of the Southland Band play it at halftime. While the tune caught on in Knoxville, the song was refined by the school’s pep band in 1974. The 1974 version is the one that is heard to this day, 52 years later.

While Tennessee’s “Down the Field” remains the school’s official fight song, “Rocky Top” is the university’s unofficial fight song. It is played numerous times throughout Tennessee games during pre-game sets and after touchdowns, field goals and post-game sets. 

During his time as a Volunteer, NFL great Peyton Manning was seen conducting the band through “Rocky Top” numerous times after big wins.

“We finally beat (Alabama) and the band director said, ‘Hey, do you want to come direct Rocky Top?’” Manning said to ESPN. “I said, ‘Absolutely, I would love to do that.’ I went up and had them right in rhythm.”

Since then, Hendon Hooker, now a Detroit Lion, was seen conducting the band after his senior night in 2022.

“That’s always been a dream for me,” Hooker said in a post-game conference after his senior night. “Just coming here and seeing Peyton stand up there and conduct the band, I always thought that was the coolest thing ever.”

The song can be heard past Neyland Stadium on Tennessee’s campus in Knoxville. It is also heard around the state at weddings and parties. In 1982, the song was adopted as a state song by the Tennessee government.

Boudleaux and Felice Bryant have since passed, but their musical legacy lives on throughout the state, especially through the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee, who’ll sing “Rocky Top” no matter the occasion.