The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music
In the summer of 1927, nineteen bands gathered for a recording session in Bristol, on the Tennessee-Virginia border, including some of the most influential names in American music—the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman and more. Organized by Ralph Peer for Victor records to capitalize on the popularity of "hillbilly" music, the Bristol sessions were a key moment in country music's evolution. The musicians played a variety of styles largely endemic to the Appalachian region. Rather than attempting to record purely traditional sounds, however, Peer sought a combination of musical elements, an amalgam that would form the backbone of modern country music. The reverberations of the Bristol sessions are still felt today, yet their influence is widely misunderstood, and popular accounts of the event are more legend than history.

These 19 essays offer an examination and reevaluation of the Bristol sessions—from their germination, to the actual sessions, to their place in history and their continuing influence. The first section discusses technological advances that resulted in the unmatched quality of the Bristol recordings. The second section chronicles the people and musical acts involved in the event. The third section gives first-hand accounts of the Bristol sessions, while the fourth presents musicological studies of two of the prominent acts. The final section details subsequent recording sessions in Bristol and nearby Johnson City, and explores the lasting local musical legacy.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

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The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music
In the summer of 1927, nineteen bands gathered for a recording session in Bristol, on the Tennessee-Virginia border, including some of the most influential names in American music—the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman and more. Organized by Ralph Peer for Victor records to capitalize on the popularity of "hillbilly" music, the Bristol sessions were a key moment in country music's evolution. The musicians played a variety of styles largely endemic to the Appalachian region. Rather than attempting to record purely traditional sounds, however, Peer sought a combination of musical elements, an amalgam that would form the backbone of modern country music. The reverberations of the Bristol sessions are still felt today, yet their influence is widely misunderstood, and popular accounts of the event are more legend than history.

These 19 essays offer an examination and reevaluation of the Bristol sessions—from their germination, to the actual sessions, to their place in history and their continuing influence. The first section discusses technological advances that resulted in the unmatched quality of the Bristol recordings. The second section chronicles the people and musical acts involved in the event. The third section gives first-hand accounts of the Bristol sessions, while the fourth presents musicological studies of two of the prominent acts. The final section details subsequent recording sessions in Bristol and nearby Johnson City, and explores the lasting local musical legacy.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

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The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music

The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music

The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music

The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music

Overview

In the summer of 1927, nineteen bands gathered for a recording session in Bristol, on the Tennessee-Virginia border, including some of the most influential names in American music—the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman and more. Organized by Ralph Peer for Victor records to capitalize on the popularity of "hillbilly" music, the Bristol sessions were a key moment in country music's evolution. The musicians played a variety of styles largely endemic to the Appalachian region. Rather than attempting to record purely traditional sounds, however, Peer sought a combination of musical elements, an amalgam that would form the backbone of modern country music. The reverberations of the Bristol sessions are still felt today, yet their influence is widely misunderstood, and popular accounts of the event are more legend than history.

These 19 essays offer an examination and reevaluation of the Bristol sessions—from their germination, to the actual sessions, to their place in history and their continuing influence. The first section discusses technological advances that resulted in the unmatched quality of the Bristol recordings. The second section chronicles the people and musical acts involved in the event. The third section gives first-hand accounts of the Bristol sessions, while the fourth presents musicological studies of two of the prominent acts. The final section details subsequent recording sessions in Bristol and nearby Johnson City, and explores the lasting local musical legacy.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780786419456
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date: 05/04/2005
Series: Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies , #12
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 306
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

The late Charles K. Wolfe lived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and taught English at Middle Tennessee State University. Ted Olson lives in Johnson City, Tennessee, and teaches Appalachian Studies and English at East Tennessee State University.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction by Ted Olson     

Part I: Before the Bristol Sessions
1. Early Sound Recording Technology and the Bristol Sessions     
Eric Morritt

Part II: The Bristol Sessions
2. The Legend That Peer Built: Reappraising the Bristol Sessions     
Charles K. Wolfe
3. The Bristol Sessions: The Cast of Characters     
Charles K. Wolfe
4. Jimmie Rodgers and the Bristol Sessions     
John Lilly
5. Something Old, Something New: The Carter Family’s Bristol Sessions Recordings     
Katie Doman
6. The Blackard-Shelor Story: Biography of a Hillbilly String Band     
Tom Carter
7. Gospel According to Bristol: The Life, Music and Ministry of Ernest Phipps     
Brandon Story
8. The Life of Alfred G. Karnes     
Donald Lee Nelson
9. The Life of Blind Alfred Reed     
The Rounder Collective
10. The West Virginia Coon Hunters: On the Trail of a Lost Mountain State String Band     
John Lilly

Part III: Remembering the Bristol Sessions
11. Discovery of the First Hillbilly Great     
Ralph Peer
12. My Husband, Jimmie Rodgers     
Carrie Rodgers
13. Before the Myth Was Born: Claude Grant of the Tenneva Ramblers Remembers Jimmie Rodgers     
Richard Blaustein
14. I Remember Daddy     
Gladys Carter Millard
15. My Memories of the Bristol Sessions     
Mabel Phelps Morrell

Part IV: Musicological Studies of the Bristol Sessions
16. Ernest Stoneman’s 1927 Session: Hillbilly Recordings of Gospel Hymns     
Jocelyn Neal
17. On the Vanguard of Change: Jimmie Rodgers and Alfred G. Karnes in Bristol, 1927     
Thomas Townsend

Part V: After the Bristol Sessions
18. The Rest of the Story: Other Early Recording Sessions in the Tri-Cities Area     
Charles K. Wolfe
19. The Birthplace of Country Music, 75 Years Later: The Cradle Still Rocks     
Ted Olson and Ajay Kalra

Contributors     
Index     
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