Country music performer re-visits childhood in Graham County
Graham County native Ronnie Milsap took a break from touring for some reminiscing, during a two-day tour of his childhood home on March 14 and 15.
“He had a couple of days of free time, and wanted to come to Graham County to visit some friends and family, and met with several people at the Meadow Branch Church in the Meadow Branch community, where he lived when he was a child,” said Robbinsville Mayor Shaun Adams, who had dinner with Milsap at Tapoco Lodge on Monday.
Traveling in a luxury recreational vehicle, Milsap visited Robbinsville, Tapoco Lodge and the Meadow Branch community.
“I got the honor to take him to visit Meadow Branch Primitive Baptist Church for several hours and he visited with several friends, and wanted to go to Jenkins Store – but unfortunately, it was torn down a couple of years ago,” Adams said. “We also went to Tapoco Lodge and ate dinner, and we went to the mural of him in Robbinsville.”
Milsap is still a member of Meadow Branch Primitive Baptist Church, Adams said.
“Ronnie spent hours in the Meadow Branch Community and really enjoyed visiting with friends and talking about good times growing up on Meadow Branch and attending services at the church,” Adams said.
Milsap, 79, lived with his mother in a rental cabin that was once located behind the gas station at 206 N. Main Street in Robbinsville before moving to the Meadow Branch community.
Country legend
During his career, Milsap has compiled 40 No. 1 hits, six Grammy awards and is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The N.C. Department of Transportation announced in a Dec. 9, 2020 release that it will designate a portion of U.S. Highway 129 in Graham County as “Ronnie Milsap Highway,” ending a 14-month process that began with a resolution passed by the Graham County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 17, 2019.
“I am truly humbled by the honor of having a road named for me in my hometown of Robbinsville, N.C.,” Milsap said at the time. “It was there that I learned at a young age to be a proud son of Graham County and the state of North Carolina.”
The designation will stretch from Yellow Creek Road to the Cheoah River. A planned dedication ceremony has still yet to be scheduled.
“Milsap has made a significant contribution to the national music industry,” a portion of the county commissioners’ resolution read. “(Milsap) is widely known by residents and visitors of Graham County as a national music entertainer.
“(Milsap) embodies the values and and heritage that make Graham County strong in its cultural heritage.”
The Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team, Graham County Travel & Tourism Authority and Graham County Historical Association followed the filing of the resolution with each penning letters of support for the dedication.
Born blind, Milsap was raised by his grandparents in Graham County. He looks back fondly on his time spent in western North Carolina.
“Every time I sing or hear one of my earlier recordings of a song called ‘Streets of Gold,’ it takes me back home to western North Carolina: ‘I’m a Western North Carolinaian, made of stone and red clay soil,’ Milsap said in 2020.
Milsap later discovered his musical talent while attending the N.C. School for the Blind. Working alongside the likes of Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton in the early stages of his career, Milsap would become a mainstay on music charts in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.
He was named the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 1977 and also won the association’s Album of the Year on four separate occasions. Additionally, Milsap holds the distinction of being the first country music artist to have a video played on MTV, for his song “She Loves My Car.”
He recorded arguably his most-distinctive hit in 1980, as “Smoky Mountain Rain” reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
He continues to tour, with performances in Portsmouth, Ohio, and Hagerstown, Md., later this month.
Publisher/editor Kevin Hensley also contributed to this feature.