
Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, 1931 Photo courtesy of the BCMA Museum |
Birthplace of Country Music -
The Bristol Music Story
In 1998 the United States Congress passed a
resolution recognizing 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 during the 18th and
early 19th centuries, the area's music began to evolve rapidly
during the Civil War period when the region was opened by the
railroads. Touring vaudeville, minstrel and medicine-show troupes,
and the railroad workers themselves, with a variety 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 in the
early years of the century, the new recording industry
experienced rapid growth during the 1920s. Ralph Peer began to
realize there was an untapped market for rural mountain music, and
he set about to discover and develop the area's musical talent.
Musicians and singers originally traveled to New York to record
their music, but when remote recording became possible, Bristol
became Peer's initial hub of operations in 1927 -- chosen because
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, called the "Bristol
Sessions," would mark the birth of country music. Their influence
can be seen in bluegrass of musicians such as 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
growth of popularity of country music during 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 attention to 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, and a
videotape "Bristol - Birthplace of Country Music."
Originally submitted by: Fred Thompson, Senator & William Frist, Senator.
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