Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

September 15—17, 2017
State Street | Historic Downtown Bristol, VA-TN
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is the region’s most anticipated music event of the year, a three-day cornucopia of roots, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, old-time, and Americana. Bristol Rhythm elevates the soundtrack of the Appalachias to new heights and beyond—and it all happens across 20 stages in the heart of Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia. It’s a massive celebration of the twin cities’ history as the birthplace of country music.
Dwight Yoakam, Judah & the Lion, Jerry Douglas Presents: Earls of Leicester, Son Volt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Deer Tick, and the Infamous Stringdusters, just to name a few, are ringing in Bristol Rhythm’s 17th year, so head to Bristol and pay homage to the twin cities’ seriously legendary roots.
 
In 1927 producer Ralph Peer traveled to Bristol to record music from the region for the Victor Talking Machine Company. From July 25 through August 5 of that year, Peer recorded 19 performers and 76 songs. Those now-legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions included the first recordings of The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, along with recordings by Ernest Stoneman, El Watson, Alfred Karnes, Blind Alfred Reed, Ernest Phipps, the Tennessee Mountaineers, and many others. These sessions became known as the “big bang” of country music. Though there were other country music recordings being made at that time, the Bristol Sessions brought country to the mainstream like never before. Besides being a huge commercial success, the 1927 Bristol Sessions were recorded with state-of-the-art “orthophonic” sound technology that also made them stand out from other recordings of that era.
 
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion pays homage to the important legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and their vast influence every year, but in 2017 a special tribute to the 90th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions will be included in the schedule. For this performance, a number of Festival artists will be part of a long set led by Cruz Contreras (The Black Lillies); Jerry Douglas, Elizabeth Cook, Langhorne Slim, Mandolin Orange, Robert Ellis, War & Treaty, Nora Jane Struthers, BJ Barham, Josh Oliver, Christian Lopez, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Annabelle’s Curse, and Bill & the Belles will all take part in this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Bristol’s important music heritage. The 90th Anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions takes place on the State Street Stage on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
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