I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage
2019-02-14 - 2019-04-30 | VA
I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage
Dates: February 14—April 30, 2019

The Volunteer State has been the birthplace of some of the most influential music in the world, illustrated by the Beale Street blues clubs in Memphis, the R&B scene on Nashville’s Jefferson Street, and Knoxville’s Gem Theater. I Have a Voice gives a snapshot of African American Tennesseans’ important contribution to American music, including spirituals, blues, ragtime, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. In turn, their music has influenced and enriched music around the world. From the early blues legends of W. C. Handy and Bessie Smith to the soul hits of STAX Records in Memphis, visitors can learn about various performers, getting the chance to hear the voices and the stories of many of the African American musicians from Tennessee who made their mark on American music and beyond.
I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage has been organized by the Tennessee State Museum. It is on display in the museum’s Learning Center through April 30, 2019.
Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.
Companion Programming
Thursday, February 21 – Tennessee State Museum curator Rob DeHart will be in the museum’s Performance Theater on to explore the diverse musical heritage of Tennessee through artifacts in the Tennessee State Museum.
Sunday, April 28, 3:30pm – Performance by ETSU Gospel Choir

Monthly Community Jam
2019-02-16 14:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Calling all musicians! Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a full-on community jam session!

Date: Saturday, February 16, 2019
Time: 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is now hosting a monthly gathering of local musicians for a full-on community jam session! The jam events have been organized to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. These free jams are open to all ages and all skill levels; those interested in just coming along to listen to good music are also welcome!
Jams will be scheduled for the third Saturday of each month from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., serving as a great warm-up for Saturday night gigs! Musicians are asked to bring their own instruments.
The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

Curator Talk: Music-Related Artifacts of the Tennessee State Museum
2019-02-21 18:30 - 20:00
Date: Thursday, February 21, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE EVENT, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP due to limited seating.
CLICK TO RSVP
Tennessee State Museum curator Rob DeHart will stop by the Birthplace of Country Music Museum to highlight some of the outstanding artifacts related to Tennessee’s diverse musical heritage. From 19th century parlor music to bluegrass and blues, hear the stories that these objects have to tell.
This event is companion programming to our new special exhibit I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage, on loan from the Tennessee State Museum and on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum from February 14 to April 30, 2019. Attendees will get the chance to explore the exhibit before and after Rob’s talk. I Have a Voice gives a snapshot of African American Tennesseans’ important contribution to American music, including spirituals, blues, ragtime, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. In turn, their music has influenced and enriched music around the world. From the early blues legends of W. C. Handy and Bessie Smith to the soul hits of STAX Records in Memphis, visitors can learn about various performers, getting the chance to hear the voices and the stories of many of the African American musicians from Tennessee who made their mark on American music and beyond.
This program is free and open to the public; due to limited seating, please reserve your spot online.
Rob DeHart is a curator at the Tennessee State Museum, where he focuses on cultural history and science and technology with a special emphasis on the Antebellum South. A graduate of the public history master’s program at Middle Tennessee State University, he worked in collections and programming at various small history museums before arriving at the State Museum in 2010. His exhibitions have won regional and national awards, and he currently serves as a peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Rob’s musical background includes playing double-bass as an extra with the Nashville Symphony and playing guitar with a swing band on Printer’s Alley.
Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.

Museum Volunteer Training
2019-02-26 15:00 - 18:00
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Museum volunteers are needed to assist in the galleries on a daily basis, help in archives and collections, provide curatorial research and exhibit assistance, support special events, assist in The Museum Store, and act as docents for guided adult and school tours. Training is provided at one 3-hour session that provides a detailed introduction to the museum and the volunteer program, including a chance for you to pinpoint your area of interest and learn more about the ins-and-outs of being a museum volunteer.
We will be holding our next volunteer training session on Tuesday, February 26, 3:00—6:00pm. As a volunteer, you will also have many opportunities for continuing learning and training at the museum. Most of all, you will have fun as part of the volunteer team!
For more information on becoming a museum volunteer and to register your interest in these training sessions, contact us by email at volunteercoordinator@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org or by phone at 423-573-1927.

Family Story Time
2019-03-07 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-03-14 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-03-21 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-03-28 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-04-04 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-04-11 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-04-18 10:30 - 11:30, 2019-04-25 10:30 - 11:30 and 7 more dates
Dates: Weekly on Thursdays March 7-June 27
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Join us in the museum’s Special Exhibits Gallery every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. for Story Time, where we will read books from the Reading Appalachia: Voices From Children’s Literature exhibit, along with enjoying related storybooks and a fun coloring page. This event is free and open to the public; the books are most appropriate for ages 5 and under.
This event will be held for the duration of the Reading Appalachia exhibit.

Book of Mamaw
2019-03-23 19:30 - 21:00
Eugene Wolf presents his one-man show The Book of Mamaw to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $25
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Long-time Barter Theatre Acting Company member, Eugene Wolf’s one-man show of stories, songs and sketches about growing up with Bernice Rader, his Church of Christ grandmother who recognized Eugene’s love of performing at an early age (two years old) and guided him on his way. An unorthodox story of a woman who tried to capture Patty Hearst and once advised her grandson that if he was going to make it in show business, he’d better “Get a dress and wear it!” A beautiful tale of a surprising spiritual path full of love, kindness, compassion and music.
Eugene Wolf has been performing since he was two years old, when he won his first talent contest at the Capitol Theatre in Greeneville, Tennessee. Wolf studied music and theater at the University of Tennessee and worked for The Road Company, a professional acting ensemble in Johnson City, Tennessee that was the first group of American artists to visit Bashkiria, Russia in 1994. Many will recognize him as one half of The Brother Boys, a critically acclaimed duo he and Ed Snodderly formed over 30 years ago. The Brother Boys are featured on the album On Top of Old Smoky: New Old-time Smoky Mountain Music alongside Dolly Parton. For two decades Wolf has been a member of the Acting Company of Barter Theatre where he originated the role of A. P. Carter in the play “Keep On the Sunny Side.” In 2013 he traveled again to Russia to collaborate with Russian musicians on American spirituals and recorded a CD, Where We’ll Never Grow Old. Wolf has adapted his years of songs, photographs, and musings into a heartfelt, hilarious, one man show paying homage to the person who has influenced his life the most, his Mamaw.
Photo Courtesy of Harry Taylor

Appalachian Song & Voice Workshop
2019-03-30 14:00 - 16:00
Date: Saturday, March 30, 2019
Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE EVENT, but space is limited. Participants must RSVP to reserve space.
RSVP NOW
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will host a free workshop with musician and singer Elizabeth LaPrelle on Saturday, March 30, 2:00 p.m. Elizabeth will teach a variety of traditional Appalachian songs as repertoire, using them as a springboard to talk about the voice and how to use it in solo performance. Participants will also get the chance to explore the “mountain” sound through listening to a few examples and practicing a few exercises together. Everyone who wants to will get a chance to sing solo!
Elizabeth LaPrelle has been performing and studying Appalachian ballads and old-time songs since she was 11 years old. Raised in Rural Retreat, Virginia, Elizabeth attended old-time fiddlers’ conventions and sang harmonies with her family, who encouraged her to sing her own favorite American folk music. As a teen Elizabeth learned the “mountain” style of singing from mentors Ginny Hawker and Sheila Kay Adams, which led her to explore archives and field recordings for ancient and little-known songs. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary with a major in Southern Appalachian Traditional Performance, and in 2011 formed performance duo “Anna & Elizabeth” with Anna Roberts-Gevalt. She now tours the US regularly both performing and teaching.
This workshop is presented by the Crooked Road on Tour and is partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. It is companion programming to our current special exhibit Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, on display until June 30, 2019. Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.

Elizabeth LaPrelle In Concert
2019-03-30 19:00 - 20:30
Date: Saturday, March 30, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $15
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Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Saturday, March 30, 7:00pm for a concert by Elizabeth LaPrelle. Elizabeth is exceptional in her devotion to and mastery of the ancient and deep art of Appalachian singing, and her voice, stark and unaccompanied, can lift and carry the listener away to another time. A concert including a variety of haunting and evocative Appalachian ballads and old-time songs, this is a performance not to be missed.
Elizabeth LaPrelle has been performing and studying Appalachian ballads and old-time songs since she was 11 years old. Raised in Rural Retreat, Virginia, Elizabeth attended old-time fiddlers’ conventions and sang harmonies with her family, who encouraged her to sing her own favorite American folk music. As a teen Elizabeth learned the “mountain” style of singing from mentors Ginny Hawker and Sheila Kay Adams, which led her to explore archives and field recordings for ancient and little-known songs. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary with a major in Southern Appalachian Traditional Performance, and in 2011 formed performance duo “Anna & Elizabeth” with Anna Roberts-Gevalt. She now tours the US regularly both performing and teaching.
This performance is presented by the Crooked Road on Tour and is partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. It is companion programming to our current special exhibit Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, on display until June 30, 2019. Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.

Teacher In-Service
2019-04-05 09:00 - 15:30
Examining Tennessee’s Story: Resources and Strategies for Social Studies Teachers
Date: Friday, April 5, 2019
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE TO EDUCATORS
Join Teaching with Primary Sources—MTSU and the East Tennessee
Historical Society for a day of learning more about Tennessee’s historical
moments featured in the Tennessee social studies standards. We will explore these stories using a wide range of primary and secondary sources and share hands-on, literacy-rich strategies for using the sources in classroom instruction. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will also give a short tour of their exhibits and share information about their educational resources and programs.
This workshop is supported through the Library of Congress and Humanities Tennessee and is designed for social studies and English language arts teachers as well as librarians and media specialists in grades 4 and up. Administrators and coaches responsible for supporting classroom curriculum are also welcome, as are museum educators.
To register or for questions, contact Lisa Oakley, ETHS Curator of Education, at oakley@eastTNhistory.org or call 865-215-8828.

Wordloose: A teen poetry experience!
2019-04-17 18:30 - 20:00
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED!
We are sorry that we had to cancel Wordloose and didn’t get the chance to get creative with words, but hopefully we’ll be able to offer a similar event in the future.
Date: Wednesday, April 17
Time: 6:30 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: FREE EVENT, but must RSVP as space is limited
RSVP NOW
This workshop is all about breaking the rules – of poetry!
Did you ever wonder what a poem was about or what the author meant when they wrote it? In this class, there’s no guessing and there’s no right or wrong answers.
Join Carolyn Koesters at the museum on Wednesday, April 17, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a fun, creative workshop, where young poets will work with non-formatted poetry and learn how to break the rules of poetry they already know.
Participants will be given the theme of “Home” and come up with a list of things from their own lives that will help them with phrasing in simile and metaphor – then they’ll create a poem of their own.
Teen poets of all ages and skill levels are invited to be part of this creative workshop and the program is free, however, space is limited so everyone must RSVP.
Wordloose is companion programming to our current special exhibit, Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, on display until June 30, 2019. We would like to extend a special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its programming.

ETSU Gospel Choir
2019-04-28 15:30 - 17:00
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents the East Tennessee State University Gospel Choir in concert at the museum!
Date: Sunday, April 28, 2019
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $5
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The ETSU Gospel Choir was founded in 1975 from humble roots with only 12 members. Today, the choir averages 50 singers and continues to grow with members representing a wide array of nationalities and cultures. The advisor of the choir is Mrs. Laura Terry and is led under the direction of Mr. Jimmy Young. Over the years, the choir has participated in the National Baptist Student Union (BSU) where they have been successful at some point with a first, second and third place finish at this fellowship competition. The main purpose of the choir is to provide a source of inspiration to the community and its members through ministry and praise. This is done at local churches, civic organizations as well as universities throughout East Tennessee and surrounding areas.
This performance is companion programming to the museum’s special exhibit I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage, on display in the Learning Center through April 30, 2019. Tickets are $5; entrance to the I Have a Voice exhibit is included for concert attendees.
Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their support of I Have a Voice and its related programming.

Film Screening
2019-05-02 18:30 - 20:00
The Birthplace of Country Music presents a film screening of the documentary film The Ballad of Shirley Collins, a meditative and carefully textured piece of portraiture of one of the 20th century’s most important singers of English traditional songs.
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $5
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Widely regarded as the 20th century’s most important singer of English traditional song, Shirley Collins is someone who was born to invoke the old songs. Alongside her sister Dolly, Shirley stood at the epicenter of the folk music revival during the 1960s and 1970s. But in 1980, in traumatic circumstances, she was robbed her of her unique singing voice and forced her into early retirement.
Counterpointing the film’s contemporary journey with a more literal one taken from the opposite end of Shirley’s life, The Ballad Of Shirley Collins also proves itself to be something of a time-travelling Transatlantic road-movie – lovingly retelling the story of her seminal 1959 ’Southern Journey’ song-collecting trip around America’s rural Deep South alongside her then-lover (and legendary ethnomusicologist) Alan Lomax. A trip that took them into neglected rural communities, both black and white, that were about to be forever changed by the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. They uncovered and documented a peerless document of traditional American music – one that would later inspire the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother Where Art Thou.
Deliberately eschewing a straightforward biopic approach, Rob Curry and Tim Plester ‘Way of the Morris’, is a lyrical response to the life-and-times of a totemic musical figure. Granted intimate access to recording sessions for Shirley’s first album (Lodestar) of new recordings in almost four decades, the film also features contributions from the comedian Stewart Lee , Appalachian singer Sam Amidon, and David Tibet of Current 93.
What emerges is a meditative and carefully textured piece of portraiture. Here then is a story about one woman’s battle to rise again from long silent ashes. A film about loss and redemption. A film about sacrifice, healing and rebirth. A film which suggests that, during these turbulent and increasingly untethered times, we might just need Shirley Collins and all she represents more than ever.
The film received its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival , before being released theatrically in the UK on more than 100 screens. It played prestigious international festivals including Rotterdam and CPH:DOX, and has been released in the United States.
More than 3-and-a-half years in the making, and co-produced with Fifth Column Films and Burning Bridges The Ballad Of Shirley Collins is the first release from Fire Films; the new film arm of the revitalized Fire Records and sister label Earth Recordings.
UK 2017, 94 mins / Colour + B/W
For more information email: Fifth Column Films
For Distribution and Booking Information email : Burning Bridges

Family Fun Day
2019-05-04 12:00 - 14:00
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2019
Time: Noon – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Join the Birthplace of Country Music and the Bristol Public Library at the museum for a free Family Fun Day! We will be offering an Instrument Petting Zoo, giving kids a chance to learn about and play a variety of stringed instruments; various craft activities; poetry and typewriters with Langley “Casual Word” Shazor; and free entry to the special exhibit, Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature.

And remember, from 10am to 6pm, there are lots of great activities and vendors downtown for Free Comic Book Day on 6th Street, coordinated by Mountain Empire Comics!

This Family Fun Day is companion programming to Reading Appalachia, on display until June 30, 2019. Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.
Please note that if you would like to also visit the museum’s permanent exhibits on Family Fun Day, museum admission will apply.

Literarily Cool!
2019-05-18 10:30 - 11:45
Date: Saturday, May 18, 2019
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE EVENT
CLICK TO RSVP
Join educator Christine Mitten at the museum on Saturday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. for a fun and active literacy program! Children (ages 2 ½ to 6) and their grown-ups will experience the magic of Appalachian children’s literature. Through fun, hands-on activities, stories will be brought to life for the children and wonderful family memories will be made.
This event is free but donations are very much appreciated – your donation supports free and low-cost programming at the museum. Space is limited, so please RSVP!
Literarily Cool! is companion programming to our current special exhibit, Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, on display until June 30, 2019. We would like to extend a special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its programming.

Museum Volunteer Training
2019-06-01 09:00 - 12:00
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2019
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
We need YOU as a museum volunteer!
Museum volunteers are needed to assist in the galleries on a daily basis, help in archives and collections, provide curatorial research and exhibit assistance, support special events and exhibit programming, assist in The Museum Store, and act as docents for guided adult and school tours. Training is provided at one 3-hour session that provides a detailed introduction to the museum and the volunteer program, including a chance for you to pinpoint your area of interest and learn more about the ins-and-outs of being a museum volunteer.
We will be holding our next volunteer training session on Saturday, June 1, 9:00am—12:00 noon. As a volunteer, you will also have many opportunities for continuing learning and training at the museum. Most of all, you will have fun as part of the volunteer team!
For more information on becoming a museum volunteer and to register your interest in these training sessions, contact us by email at volunteercoordinator@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org or by phone at 423-573-1927.

Wordcatching
2019-06-06 18:30 - 20:30
Date: Thursday, June 6, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $20
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Join Carolyn Koesters at the museum for this fun introductory workshop to create and decorate a simple journal, and then learn how to journal for yourself! Writing in a journal is easy and fun, and it’s a great method for organizing, goal-setting, and saving your memories for future generations.
All levels welcome – no experience or art background necessary, just the desire to have fun! Cost includes all supplies and light refreshments (wine, soft drinks, water, cookies). Space is limited so we ask that you purchase tickets online ahead of time.
Wordcatching is companion programming to our current special exhibit Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, on display until June 30, 2019. Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.
For more information about Carolyn Koesters and Wordcatching, visit her website at Wordcatching.com.
