Seattle is known as the home of some legendary musicians, including Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Macklemore, and now the city is bring the best of them together on an epic playlist.
The bespoke playlist highlights Seattle’s rich musical heritage and is the creation of The Port of Seattle and famed Seattle radio station KEXP, one of the original champions of Northwest rock.
Known for its multitude of unique experiences and longstanding alternative arts scene, Seattle is an ideal destination for a cultural adventure.
A musical history
A musical incubator, the city’s iconic venues make it an excellent destination for live music, though it is perhaps best known for the creation of The Seattle Sound during the Grunge Rock movement.
Known as the home of countless artists across multiple genres, including Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Macklemore, Seattle is a music lovers dream destination.
Monuments to two of the city’s most famous sons, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, can be found at Greenwood Cemetery and Viretta Park. Recording studios Sub Pop and London Bridge Studios, which produced albums for Nirvana, Mud Honey and Soundgarden and Alice and Chains and Pearl Jam respectively, are still headquartered in Seattle and offer tours.
There is even an interactive museum about all things music, called The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), which boasts exhibitions exploring the city’s musical history, including Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses; Hendrix: Wild Blue Angel; a famous guitar gallery and the Interactive Sound Lab.
Turn up the Radio
Seattle is home to several pioneering radio stations, including KEXP, which traces its roots to the University of Washington’s student-run station, founded in 1972. The University station’s heavy focus on local music in the 1980s led to the station playing a significant role in the rise of The Seattle Sound. In the 1990s, the station received support from Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, becoming KEXP in 2001 and moving into the new state-of-the- art quarters on the Seattle Center campus.
KEXP is an independent nonprofit arts organisation still proudly affiliated with the University of Washington, serving music lovers through in-person, broadcast and online programming. KEXP operates one of the most influential listener-supported radio stations in the world, 90.3 KEXP-FM Seattle, with its online and on-air service reaching over 240,000 global listeners each week.
Tune in and listen to the playlist yourself HERE
