The Start of Knoxville's "C Yard"

My first of two stints at UT Knoxville was from January 1993 - February 1995. During that time I helped spark the Knoxville scene, along with Shadow, Jeka, Zoom, NutSak and a couple of others. I had been writing longer than any of those cats, so for a while I set the pace there and passed along techniques I had been shown in Nashville and styles I had seen in magazines. Knoxville didn't have a Tower Records, so the writers there didn't get graffiti magazines of the time like Can Control, City Slicker, etc. (again, I miss Tower Records). Magazines were so important for small, evolving cities. Knoxville's writers mainly came from the punk scene. I was very hip-hop oriented, but we got along real well.

Besides meeting my crew, the thing in Knoxville that I'm most proud of was naming the "C Yard". It really was Knoxville's first yard, where people would do pieces, and others would catch flicks or at least come see it. I lived in the Fort Sanders neighborhood near campus and downtown. I didn't have a car, so I hit spots that I could walk or bike to. Knoxville has a lot of bridges going over train tracks, creeks and roads downtown around Broadway. I explored that whole area. It had (still has) lots of little spots to paint.

But the C-Yard stood out. It was at one time an unloading/loading area for some pretty big warehouses right next to the tracks, and they had all been vacant for decades. The buildings connected around the concrete courtyard. It formed the shape of a square C from above. Rest (before switching to Jeka) and maybe Shadow had something in there when I did the corner spot. It's the most visible spot from Broadway that crosses over the train tracks next to the yard. I rolled the spot, and rocked the best piece I could at the time. Next to it I gave props to the other writers of the time, and named it the "C Yard." It was a hub for the just-starting scene.

Today some of the buildings have partially burned down, and the lot is fenced off and walls buffed, but people still call it the "C Yard."

The Corner Spot, Rex2-TDK 1993 or 94

Rest (Jeka) - 1993 or 94 (before TMC)

Aerial View of C-Yard (google earth).