Pike County, Kentucky, home of Patty Loveless, lies along U.S. 23, which was named The Country Music Highway in 1994 in recognition of the many country music stars from the region. In 2002, through the efforts of Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers and TOUR Southern and Eastern Kentucky, the 144-mile stretch of highway was designated a National Scenic Byway. The Country Music Highway follows U.S. 23 from Greenup in the north to the Kentucky-Virginia state line near Jenkins, with an extension on U.S. 119 to Whitesburg. Patty Loveless, celebrated as one of country music’s most versatile and cherished singers, was said to embody the soul of the Eastern Kentucky mountains, and she said the longing in her voice came from a longing for home in Pike County. Visitors from across the country and the world come to Pike County for its mountain music, natural beauty, and historic Hatfield-McCoy feud sites. The Country Music Highway is also associated with Billy Ray Cyrus, The Judds, Ricky Skaggs, Hylo Brown, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Dwight Yoakam, and Gary Stewart, with stars along the highway in Greenup, Boyd, Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd, Pike, and Letcher counties.