In 1998 the United States Congress passed a resolution identifying Bristol, Tennessee, as the "Birthplace of County Music." This project traces the history of how Bristol came to earn the title, beginning with the region's southern Appalachian settlers in the 1700s who brought with them, in old-world ballads and songs, the music of their native Scottish Highlands. Although shielded by geography from outside influences through the 18th and early 19th centuries, the area's music began to evolve rapidly throughout the Civil War period when the region was opened because of the railroads.
Touring vaudeville, minstrel and medicine-show troupes, along with the railroad employees themselves, with a type of work songs reflecting their African heritage, brought rapid changes to the settlers' original music. The native fiddle of the English, Scotch, and Irish settlers was joined by the banjo of African origin. After WWI, the guitar, autoharp, and dulcimer were introduced into the mix.
Following Edison's invention of the phonograph back in the early years of the century, the new recording industry experienced rapid growth throughout the 1920s. Ralph Peer began to realize there was an untapped market for rural mountain music, and he set about to discover and create the area's musical talent. Musicians and singers originally traveled to New York to tape their music, however when remote recording became possible, Bristol became Peer's initial hub of operations in 1927 -- chosen as a result of the proximity of local musicians such as Ernest and Hattie Stoneman, the Johnson Brothers, and Henry Whitter.
Soon talent from other southern states, including West Virginia, Virginia (the Carter Family) and North Carolina (Jimmie Rodgers) was recorded by Peer. These early recording sessions, popularly known as Bristol Sessions, would mark the birth of country music. Their influence can be found in bluegrass of musicians just like Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, in the song-writing of Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie, in the guitar-playing of Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins, in the sound of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, and in the song-stylings of Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Merle Travis, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakum and Dolly Parton.
The report follows the build up of acclaim of country music throughout the barn dance shows of the radio era and bluegrass festivals of the 60s and 70s. In the mid-1990s, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance (BCMA) was founded in Bristol to call listening ears and support the musical traditions of the area.
The project is documented with a 22-page report on the Bristol Music Story, brief biographies of the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, the Stonemans, a log of recordings in the Bristol Sessions, 25 historic photographs with descriptions, as well as a videotape titled Bristol - Birthplace of Country Music.
Touring vaudeville, minstrel and medicine-show troupes, along with the railroad employees themselves, with a type of work songs reflecting their African heritage, brought rapid changes to the settlers' original music. The native fiddle of the English, Scotch, and Irish settlers was joined by the banjo of African origin. After WWI, the guitar, autoharp, and dulcimer were introduced into the mix.
Following Edison's invention of the phonograph back in the early years of the century, the new recording industry experienced rapid growth throughout the 1920s. Ralph Peer began to realize there was an untapped market for rural mountain music, and he set about to discover and create the area's musical talent. Musicians and singers originally traveled to New York to tape their music, however when remote recording became possible, Bristol became Peer's initial hub of operations in 1927 -- chosen as a result of the proximity of local musicians such as Ernest and Hattie Stoneman, the Johnson Brothers, and Henry Whitter.
Soon talent from other southern states, including West Virginia, Virginia (the Carter Family) and North Carolina (Jimmie Rodgers) was recorded by Peer. These early recording sessions, popularly known as Bristol Sessions, would mark the birth of country music. Their influence can be found in bluegrass of musicians just like Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, in the song-writing of Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie, in the guitar-playing of Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins, in the sound of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, and in the song-stylings of Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Merle Travis, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakum and Dolly Parton.
The report follows the build up of acclaim of country music throughout the barn dance shows of the radio era and bluegrass festivals of the 60s and 70s. In the mid-1990s, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance (BCMA) was founded in Bristol to call listening ears and support the musical traditions of the area.
The project is documented with a 22-page report on the Bristol Music Story, brief biographies of the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, the Stonemans, a log of recordings in the Bristol Sessions, 25 historic photographs with descriptions, as well as a videotape titled Bristol - Birthplace of Country Music.
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