| Contents |
Pt. 1. Before the Bristol sessions. Early sound recording technology and the Bristol sessions / Eric Morritt -- Pt. 2. The Bristol sessions. The legend that Peer built: reappraising the Bristol sessions / Charles K. Wolfe ; The Bristol sessions: the cast of characters / Charles K. Wolfe -- Jimmie Rodgers and the Bristol sessions / John Lilly -- Something old, something new: the Carter Family's Bristol sessions recordings / Katie Doman -- The Blackard-Shelor story: biography of a hillbilly string band / Tom Carter -- Gospel according to Bristol: the life, music and ministry of Ernest Phipps / Brandon Story -- The life of Alfred G. Karnes / Donald Lee Nelson -- The life of Blind Alfred Reed / The Rounder Collective -- The West Virginia coon hunters: on the trail of a lost mountain state string band / John Lilly -- Pt. 3. Remembering the Bristol sessions. Discovery of the first hillbilly great / Ralph Peer -- My husband, Jimmie Rodgers / Carrie Rodgers -- Before the myth was born: Claude Grant of the Tenneva Ramblers remembers Jimmie Rodgers / Richard Blaustein -- I remember Daddy / Gladys Carter Millard -- My memories of the Bristol sessions / Mabel Phelps Morrell -- Pt. 4. Musicological studies of the Bristol sessions. Ernest Stoneman's 1927 session: hillbilly recordings of gospel hymns / Jocelyn Neal -- On the vanguard of change: Jimmie Rodgers and Alfred G. Karnes in Bristol, 1927 / Thomas Townsend -- Pt. 5. After the Bristol sessions. The rest of the story: other early recording sessions in the tri-cities area / Charles K. Wolfe -- The birthplace of country music, 75 years later: the cradle still rocks / Ted Olson and Ajay Kalra. |
| Abstract |
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. |
