Music of Branson
Branson, Missouri is a tourist area in Missouri, especially associated with popular country music. The town's popular attention began in the 1980s, when a number of prominent country stars moved to the area, including Boxcar Willie, Sons of the Pioneers and Roy Clark. Some major attractions were already well-established by the 1980s, such as the Shepherd of the Hills Theatre and Park and the Silver Dollar City. Modern music festivals in Branson include the Old-Time Fiddle Festival, Branson Jam and the State of the Ozarks Fiddlers Convention. The largest music venue in modern Branson is the Grand Palace, which seats upwards of 4,000 people [1].
Prominent local attractions in Branson include the entrepreneur and performer Jennifer Wilson, a regional celebrity known for her show the Americana Theatre, the Mabe family's Baldknobbers, which has been running for three generations, and Jim Owen, of the Jim Owen Morning Show. The area's radio broadcasting history can be traced back to the mid-1930s, when Ralph Foster's KWTO began airing. The station's most famous program was the Ozark Jubilee from Springfield, which featured Homer and Jethro, Porter Wagoner, Red Foley and Slim Wilson. Ralph Foster, the founder of KWTO, is a major figure in Branson's music history; there is a museum named after him on the campus of the College of the Ozarks [2].

Punk rock
St. Louis had a vibrant New Wave scene, including Trained Animals, The Ooze Kicks, The Strikers and Zany Misfits. Nearby Belleville, Illinois spawned influential hardcore punk band Blind Idiot. The most famous hardcore band though was St. Louis' White Pride, a notorious White Power band. The University of Missouri at Columbia had an influential annual Thrash Bash, inaguarated in 1983 with Causes of Tragedy and The Croppy Boys, along with Die Kreuzen from Milwaukee. Kansas City, Missouri was also part of a vibrant scene along with Lawrence and Topeka, Kansas; this scene is more commonly associated with the music of Kansas rather than Missouri [3].

2000s
The 2000s gave the Missouri music scene the most publicity since Chuck Berry. Nelly is probably the most popular of artists to come out of St. Louis at this time. His release of Country Grammar in 2000 went 7x platinum. Along side Nelly was his friends and rap crew, the St. Lunatics, which had a brief period of fame through their album Free City in 2001. Ali and Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics also undertook solo careers. The success of Nelly and the St. Lunatics helped bring national attention to other local rappers and artists such as Toya, J-Kwon, Chingy, and Ebony Eyez.
In 2005 the rock band, Living Things, gained national attention after the release of their album, Ahead of the Lions.