Carl J Williams

In 1927, Ralph Peer brought a recording team from the Victor Talking Machine Company to Bristol in search of regional music. What he discovered was a wonderful sound that still reverberates through the hills of Bristol Country and around the world.
He spent two weeks recording in Bristol, Tennessee, and found musicians coming from as far away as Bluefield, WV (it was much farther to Bluefield then than it is today.) Mr. Peer recorded the original members of the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman, the Shelor family, Alfred G. Karnes, and others. Folks, here’s where it all began.
In 1991, the Country Music Foundation, Inc., released a two-CD set of recordings, titled “The Bristol Sessions, Historic Recordings from Bristol, Tennessee.”
On the cover of the box Charles Wolfe tells us that the set is a tribute to the Bristol Sessions, as these recordings came to be known, and that “Together, these recordings show the rich diversity of the music that was on the threshold of becoming one of America’s most distinctive commercial art forms.”
Look for it. THE BRISTOL SESSIONS, 1991 Country Music Foundation, Inc., CMF-011-D.
In 1998, the U.S. Congress officially declared Bristol (VA/TN) the “Birthplace of Country Music.” This recognizes the role Bristol Country played in the history of American music.
So, now you know somethng about the Bristol Sessions, both the event and the CD set. If you counted, you’ve noticed that 2002 is the 75th anniversary of these legendary recordings, and we are celebrating from July 25th to August 3rd. Come to Bristol Country and hear the music, right here at home.
Here’s a sampling of performers and locations:
Mac Wiseman and Patsy Stoneman and others will be at the Paramount Theatre in Bristol on July 25th.
Earl Scruggs with Family and Friends, Blue Highway, and others at the Bristol Motor Speedway, in Bristol, TN on July 26th.
Loretta Lynn, Mike Snider, and others will be at the Bristol Motor Speedway on July 27th.
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the McPeak Brothers, and others will play for a gospel show at the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre in Wytheville, VA on July 28th.
Jim & Jessee, Patsy Stoneman, and others will be at the Rex Theatre in Galax, VA on July 29th.
Little Jimmie Dickens & the Grand Ole Opry Band will be at the Capital Theatre in Greeneville, TN, on July 30th.
Joe Shannon (Celtic), Alternate Roots (Old Time), Strictly Clean and Decent (Celtic & Bluegrass), and David Johnson will be at the Boone United Methodist Church in Boone, NC, on July 31st.
Doc & Richard Watson, the VW Boys, and Bobby Spencer will be at the Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, VA, on August 1st.
And, folks…ya gotta go…to Hiltons, VA, to the Carter Fold on August 3rd and 4th to the Carter Family Memorial Festival. Such a list…Janette and Joe Carter, John McCutcheon, The Home Folks, the Old Dominion Cloggers, Mike Seeger, Tim White & the VW Boys, and more, and more…
That’s enough. I don’t get excited about lists, but couldn’t help myself.
Check out the Birthplace of Country Music Alliamce.
I’ll be back soon. Keep checking in on us.