WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- A busy stretch of Business 40 will officially bare the name of the country music singer who frequently drove it, as he climbed the ladder to stardom.
Tuesday morning, the bridge on Business 40 at Salem Avenue and Research Parkway will be dedicated as the "George Hamilton IV Bridge."
Hamilton IV died in 2014, after years on the Grand Ole Opry stage. He's considered the first pop singer to "go country," and he has since been inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Hamilton grew up in Winston-Salem and went to Reynolds High School. He recorded more than 100 albums in his 58-year career and performed around the world, but his family says he always called Winston-Salem "home."
So, to honor Hamilton's roots, his son-in-law recommended his name to the NCDOT for consideration. In October 2015, the NCDOT and the Winston-Salem City Council approved the recommendation.
The "George Hamilton IV Bridge" sign went up over BUS 40 last month, but the family wanted to officially dedicate the bridge on Tuesday, July 19 -- what would have been Hamilton's 79th birthday.
The ceremony is at 10 a.m. in the Winston-Salem Innovation Quarter parking lot. Then, from 6 to 9:30 p.m., there will be a festival in Hamilton's honor at Old Salem.
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