New York, NY (Top40 Charts / Virginia Tourism Corporation) In 1927 modern country music was born in Bristol, a city straddling the Virginia/Tennessee line, when Victor Records set up a temporary studio there to record area acts performing what was then known as "Hillbilly Music." Musical families, singing quartets and gospel groups were among 19 acts that came out of the surrounding hills and hollows to record more than 70 songs. Sales of the resulting records went through the roof and established this rooted American music as mainstream.
This series of events became known as the "Big Bang of Country Music." It helped make superstars out of performers such as The Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers and set a path for generations of musicians to come. Johnny Cash, himself married to one of the Carter offspring, said, "These recordings in Bristol in 1927 are the single most important event in the history of country music."
The importance of the Bristol Sessions were not lost on Sony
Music which on May 12th released the CD Orthophonic Joy, a re-recording of 18 songs of the 1927 sessions by modern superstar artists including Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, Steve Martin, Vince Gill,
Emmylou Harris and Marty Stuart. The CD includes historical narration by Eddie Stubbs, longtime emcee at The Grand Old Opry.
The songs of the 1927 Bristol Sessions were the product of a mountain culture that is as alive today as it was then and is unquestionably authentic and easily accessible. In Southwest Virginia, a large part of the region that gave birth to Country Music, the music and the culture that gave it life are still vibrantly a part of the fabric.
The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage
Music Trail, a welcoming conduit into the region, links nine major music venues and more than 50 affiliated sites and events. Particularly on Friday and Saturday nights the music echoes out of theaters, general stores, restaurants and taverns, barber shops, Dairy Queens, fiddle shops, public parks, parking lots and just about anywhere musicians and an appreciative crowd can gather. Some who play the music today are direct descendants of people who played on the original 1927 Bristol Sessions. The Carter Family Fold, the largest performance venue on the Crooked Road, is run by Rita Forrester, granddaughter of A.P. and
Sarah Carter. Everybody is welcome, especially out-of-towners, to whom the locals always extend a hospitable welcome.
Bristol's new Birthplace of Country
Music Museum is a superb gateway into the region and its music. The Smithsonian affiliate tells the story of the Bristol Sessions and the music's enduring legacy. The vibrant artisan culture of Southwest Virginia has found its home at Heartwood in nearby Abingdon. The region is also a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and is filled with hiking, biking and ATV trails, gurgling streams, waterfalls and scenic vistas.
Plan your visit to the birthplace of one of America's most treasured music forms at www.Virginia.org/music where you can also order your copy of Orthophonic Joy, the perfect musical accompaniment when traveling through the beauty of Southwest Virginia.
