Dean Dillon Pathways Marker

Dean Dillon was born in Lake City, Tennessee (later renamed Rocky Top. He became a country music songwriter and performer, penning songs for Kenney Chesney, Toby Keith and others. His work includes "Tennessee Whiskey," written for George Jones and more than 70 songs for George Strait including his first hit, "Unwound." "Tennessee Whiskey" was later covered by Chris Stapleton on his solo album, boosting his career after he performed the song with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMA Awards show. Dillon is in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was the 2013 BMI Icon recipient.

Rocky Top is a small town with deep history and outdoor beauty. Travel the Coal Creek Motor Discovery Trail with stops along the way that talk about the history of coal mining in the area and the tragic stories of the Fraterville Mine and Cross Mountain Mine disasters. For fun in the outdoors, you'll want to go to Norris Dam State Park with 800 miles of shoreline and more than 4,000 acres located on Norris Reservoir. Hike one of the 15 hiking trails ranging in difficulty which offer beautiful views of the surrounding hills and valleys.