Monthly Bluegrass Jam
2023-04-22 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-05-27 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-24 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-07-22 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-08-26 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-09-23 14:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, in partnership with the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association, hosts a monthly gathering of local musicians for a bluegrass jam session. The jam events are intended to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. The jams are acoustic and only feature traditional bluegrass instruments: acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and dobro.
The jams are free and open to the public. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Those just interested in joining as a spectator are welcome at no charge.
Bluegrass Jams will be held every fourth Saturday of the 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. Beginner-focused hour from 2:00-3:00.
The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

Film Screening: Songcatcher
2023-04-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Location: The Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please RSVP HERE
Join us on Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. for a screening of the 2000 film Songcatcher.
The fictional story of musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric, Songcatcher traces her journey of discovery in the mountains of Appalachia. After losing out on a promotion at her university, Lily visits her sister, a teacher in rural Appalachia. There she discovers the Scots-Irish music of the mountains. She decides to travel into the isolated Appalachian region to “collect” these old ballads in an effort to prove herself as a university researcher and secure her promotion. There she meets war veteran and musician Tom, who makes her question the motivations and ethics of her work and shares a deeper understanding of the music and the people of Appalachia.
This film screening is complementary programming for the museum’s current special exhibit, I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music, on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum through December 31, 2023.
Special thanks to the East Tennessee Foundation Art Fund for their support of the exhibit programming. Other funders of the exhibit and related assets include Virginia Humanities, the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Crooked Road, Friends of Southwest Virginia, Artemis Consulting Services, LLC, Bristol Ballet, Suzi Griffin (Studio 6), Kim Sproles (KS Promotions), and Kayla Stevenson (Matte Nail Bar.

NEW! Museum Story Time: My Great-Aunt Arizona
2023-05-05 10:30 - 11:15 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST
Location: The Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public
Join us in the museum’s Learning Center for our new monthly Museum Story Time program. Aimed at toddler-age children and their grown-ups, we will gather on the first Friday of each month for a music- or Appalachia-related storybook, a tune or two by WBCM Radio Bristol show host Ella Patrick (a.k.a. Momma Molasses), and a related activity or coloring sheet.
This month we will be reading My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston and illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb, shared with permission from Harper Collins.
About My Great-Aunt Arizona
Reminiscent of the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, My Great-Aunt Arizona is an inspiring tale rich with history, family, and artistry. Based on a true story, author Gloria Houston’s joyous recounting of her great-aunt Arizona’s quiet yet meaningful life reminds us of the special place a great teacher can hold in our hearts—even after we’ve grown up.
Arizona was born in a log cabin her papa built in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She grew into a tall girl who liked to sing, square-dance, and—most of all—read and dream of the faraway places she would visit one day. Arizona never did make it to those places. Instead she became a teacher, helping generations of children in the one-room schoolhouse which she herself had attended.
About the Author
Dr. Gloria Houston wrote over 10 books that were published in numerous languages. Her books have won and been listed on more than forty awards and awards lists. Over the years, Houston taught at the University of South Florida and Western Carolina University and was lovingly referred to as “Ms. Mack” in earlier years teaching in Florida and Texas schools grades K-12. She frequently identified herself as “first, last and always, a teacher.”
Houston’s books are filled with Appalachian mountain history and culture with great attention to detail woven throughout the characters and scenery with many of the character’s based on her relatives. Her “Littlejim” series are books about her father, J. Myron Houston’s life and “The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree” features her Mother, Ruth Houston, as the main character. She penned a tribute to teachers in “My Great Aunt Arizona,” a story about her Aunt Arizona Hughes, and librarians are the stars of “Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile.”
In each book Houston wrote of her childhood experiences and stories handed down through her family and community. Dr. Houston was designated as a Distinguished Educator by the International Reading Association. She won the National Excellence in Literacy Education Award, and was named a Distinguished Alumni at Appalachian State University. She is listed in Who’s Who in America, Outstanding Women of the Twenty-First Century, Who’s Who in the Southwest, Who’s Who in Education, International Who’s Who of Authors, Something about the Author, Contemporary Authors as well as other references. Houston passed away at the age of 75 in 2016.

Speaker Sessions - Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend with Taylor Hagood (Virtual Only)
2023-05-09 19:00 - 20:30 | VA
Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Virtual only
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please register for the Zoom link HERE
Join us on Tuesday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. for our next Speaker Sessions with author Taylor Hagood as he shares the story of the life and murder of Stringbean.
November 10, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of country music legend, David
“Stringbean” Akeman, and his wife, Estelle. The brutal murder of the beloved couple shook
Nashville and the country music industry to its foundations, changing it in fundamental ways.
Stringbean’s death ended a life that had spanned country music from its beginnings to the Outlaw Country era. Along the way, Stringbean played a foundational role in developing bluegrass music, continued through the honky tonk era, and survived the onslaught of rock-and-roll. He made his mark as a banjo player, singer, and comedian on the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw, forging a persona at once hilariously retro and strikingly ahead of its time. The publication of Taylor Hagood’s book, Stringbean: The Life and Death of a Country Music Legend, coincides with the 50th anniversary of Stringbean’s murder and explores both the myths and facts of the
enigmatic performer and his death. Hagood will offer fresh perspectives on Stringbean’s life and career while revisiting the intrigues of the murder, investigation, trial, and parole that altogether form one of country music’s most tragic stories.
About the Speaker
Taylor Hagood is a writer, speaker, literary critic, musician, artist, and educator. An
internationally-renowned scholar of the writing of William Faulkner, Hagood is the author of
multiple books, including Faulkner, Writer of Disability, which won the C. Hugh Holman Award
for Best Book in Southern Studies. His many articles range from literary criticism to a series of
travel essays for the online journal Throomers. He has lectured throughout the United States and
Europe at universities, institutes, and private clubs. His interest in country music is deep and
lifelong, and he has had a particular fascination with banjo playing, construction, and history. A
native of Ripley, Mississippi, he is currently a professor at Florida Atlantic University.

Monthly Country Jam
2023-05-13 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-10 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-07-08 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-08-12 14:00 - 17:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum hosts a monthly gathering of local musicians for a country jam session focusing on country, old-time and blues music. The jam events are intended to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun!
The jams are free and open to the public. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Those just interested in attending as a spectator are also welcome at no charge.
Jams will be held on the second 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.

Music as Work: A Discussion Panel in Partnership with Arts Alliance Mountain Empire
2023-05-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 7:00pm
Cost: Free and open to the public
Virtual (via Zoom): Click here to register
In-person (Museum’s Performance Theater): Click here to RSVP
Join us on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 7:00pm for a fascinating discussion on “Music as Work,” in partnership with the Arts Alliance Mountain Empire (AAME)!
Coming from a variety of different perspectives, the panelists will discuss what it is like to work in the music field, how they engage others with their creative vision, the challenges and joys of dealing with the day-to-day realities of their careers, and more. The group will include Carla Gover, Dr. Dena Jennings, Ella Patrick, and Emily Spencer (see artist bios below).
This program is complementary programming to our I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music special exhibit, currently on display at the museum through December 31, 2023. Interested in-person attendees can participate in a curator-guided tour of the exhibit at 6:15pm before the program starts.
Carla Gover
Carla Gover is an 8th-generation Kentuckian, whose art and work celebrate the best of what the state has to offer. She shares flatfooting, ballads, and banjo through her performances, recordings, collaborations, and online courses. She’s released seven albums of music, including her most recent recording with CornMaiz String Band, which went to #1 on the Folk Radio Charts.
She’s toured for nearly three decades, playing such venues as the Glasgow Royal Hall, Merlefest, and The Kennedy Center. She’s also won a slew of awards, including the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Kerrville New Folk Award. She was also recognized as a Master Dancer by the Kentucky Folklife Program, and recently won the “Appy” for Best Dance Educator from the Appalachian Arts & Entertainment Awards. She is the founder of the groundbreaking online Appalachian Flatfooting & Clogging Academy.
With her partner Yani Vozos, she also coordinates the Cornbread & Tortillas Artist Collective, whose mission is to build community by sharing art, music, dance, and cultural heritage.
Dr. Dena Jennings
Dena Jennings is a physician and artist in Central Virginia who can trace her ancestry in Appalachia back five generations through her mother’s family. Twenty years after establishing her medical practice and ImaniWorks, a non-profit organization for conflict transformation and human rights advocacy, Jennings moved to Ontario, Canada, where she entered a four-year arts apprenticeship. There, she learned to hand carve modern instruments made from gourds and other natural fibers in the style of traditional instruments from around the world. At the end of her apprenticeship, she opened a workshop, studio, and retail music store in a small town in Central Ontario.
Upon meeting her husband who had developed an herb farm and retreat center in Central Virginia, she relocated the workshop and studio where she could grow her own gourds and mill her own wood. She re-opened her practice in Orange and its waiting room is a gallery for her sculpted instruments and a listening room for Appalachian and Black American roots music. Through ImaniWorks, Jennings conducts instrument building workshops, conflict transformation retreats, and hosts the Affrolachian On-Time Music Gathering at the farm. She also makes sculptures and performs Appalachian and folk Bengali music on gourd instruments. Jennings is the Vice Chair of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and she has served as a commissioner since 2019. As she explains, she “endeavors to build the Beloved Community through my devotion to music, culture, and social justice.”
Ella Patrick
Currently based in Bristol, VA/ TN, and originally from the Pines of North Carolina, Ella Patrick is a singer-songwriter (also known as Momma Molasses), radio DJ, and production assistant at Radio Bristol. Growing up with a deep love of music, Patrick began playing stringed instruments at an early age while singing gospel music in church and learning folk ballads from her parent’s dusty late 1960s record collection. She spent most of her childhood summers in a swamp south of her home in Moore County, where she began playing for friends around the campfire, or sneaking out in canoes after dark to sing by herself to the moon. While in college at Warren Wilson, just outside of Asheville, NC, Patrick became greatly influenced by Appalachian folk music and took classes in old-time, murder ballad singing, and bluegrass music. Patrick has since decided to cook up some songs of her own, with a recipe consisting of equal parts Southern Appalachia, 1940s Country Swing, and 1960s folk revival. She has two years of touring under her belt and a self-released EP to her name.
Emily Spencer
Emily Spencer has played and taught music for a good portion of her life. She was born and grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and always had a love for the mountains and music. She moved to Southwest Virginia to attend college and to live where the mountain music could be found. She graduated from UVA-Wise in 1975 with a BS in Social Welfare and completed her education requirements to become certified in K-12 music from there many years later.
She met her late husband, Thornton Spencer, in 1975, and they soon formed the Whitetop
Mountain Band along with the renowned fiddler Albert Hash. The band continues to perform to this day, and has performed widely in the region and other countries. In 1980, she began teaching mountain music in a community music program at the Mount Rogers Fire Department. This program eventually became the Albert Hash Memorial Band program in Grayson County Schools. She was a part of the program there from its inception until March 2020 when the pandemic struck.
She is currently an instructor in both the Ashe and Alleghany JAM programs in North Carolina and has also taught through Wilkes Community College in Ashe, Alleghany, and Wilkes, and at Wytheville Community College. Emily has also led many workshops at various festivals and events.

Museum Story Time - Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography
2023-06-02 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, June 2, 2023
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST
Location: The Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public
Join us in the museum’s Learning Center for our monthly Museum Story Time program. Aimed at toddler-age children and their grown-ups, we will gather on the first Friday of each month for a music- or Appalachia-related storybook, a tune or two by WBCM Radio Bristol show host Ella Patrick, and a related activity or coloring sheet.
This month we will be reading Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography written by Geof Smith and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler.
About Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography
Willie Nelson, singer-songwriter of such hits as “On the Road Again” and “You Were Always on My Mind,” is the subject of this terrific Little Golden Book biography. Children–as well as adult fans–will be inspired by Willie’s activism and work with Farm Aid and how he always stayed true to himself by dressing how he liked and creating the music he wanted to share.
About the Author
Geof Smith is a children’s book author and editor. He doesn’t currently have a pet, but hopes to one day solve crimes with a super-intelligent chimpanzee. He has worked on A New Hope (Star Wars) and Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Star Wars Little Golden Book, among others.

Museum Volunteer Training
2023-06-10 09:00 - 12:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
We want YOU to join our wonderful team of volunteers at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum!
Date: Saturday, June 10, 2023
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Learning Center
If you have a passion for Bristol and its musical legacy and love helping others, our museum volunteer program is the perfect fit for you!
Museum volunteers play a vital role in a number of key areas behind the scenes and on the front lines, such as working as a gallery assistant or docent, helping out in The Museum Store, working with the public at events and programs, assisting with behind the scenes administrative or collections work and so much more! Our Museum Volunteer Training session gets you acquainted with every aspect of the museum to help you find your area of interest. Volunteer schedules are flexible and fun!
If you are interested in coming to our Museum Volunteer Training, email Myrissa at volunteercoordinator@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.

Speaker Sessions – Holly Gleason on Country Music's Women: Changing Lives One Fan at a Time
2023-06-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: In-person and virtual
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please RSVP or register for the Zoom link below
RSVP for in-person (Please note that you will not get an automatic confirmation when you RSVP but you ARE on our list!)
Register for Zoom link

Join us on Tuesday, June 13, 7:00 p.m. for our next Speaker Sessions with journalist and author Holly Gleason as she explores the stories and impact of country music’s women.
Hope, grief, grit, dreams – and music. Country’s female artists have always told their truths in songs. Gleason’s WOMAN, WALK THE LINE tracks the impact those artists have had over time, bringing together moving and in-depth essays by Rosanne Cash, Taylor Swift, Caroline Randall Williams, Alice Randall, Ali Berlow, and Grace Potter and featuring artists like Emmylou Harris, Hazel Dickens, Lucinda Williams, Rhiannon Giddens, Dolly Parton, Maybelle Carter, and Lil Hardin. Through this Speaker Sessions program, Gleason will explore how women artists change lives through their music, what they embody, and why – even with radio still not playing them – their music has impact.
We hope to have copies of Woman, Walk the Line available for signings after the program.
This program is complementary programming to our I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music special exhibit, currently on display at the museum through December 31, 2023. Interested in-person attendees can explore the exhibit from 6:00pm (before the program starts at 7:00pm).
About the Speaker
Holly Gleason is a Nashville-based writer and artist development consultant. She’s written for Rolling Stone, The LA Times, The New York Times, Oxford American, No Depression, PASTE, Lone Star Music, Texas Music, Spin, Musician, CREEM, Interview, and more. Besides Woman, Walk the Line, Gleason is the co-writer of Miranda Lambert’s #3 New York Times Best SellerY’ALL EAT YET?, and a Belmont Book Award and CMA Media Achievement Award winner. She loves songwriters, roots music, country, r&b, and very early rap, as well as life moments, fame, and its impact on who we are.

*SOLD OUT* 2023 Pick Along Summer Camp - Beginners
2023-06-19 09:00 - 2023-06-23 15:00 | VA
*BEGINNER CAMP IS SOLD OUT*
At the Birthplace of Country Music Museum‘s Pick Along Summer Camp, students will learn foundational skills from instructors on the same style of acoustic instruments played on the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings – banjo, guitar, or fiddle. Campers also get to explore the museum, learn about the music of Bristol and our region, receive instruction in singing and dancing, and work on projects with WBCM Radio Bristol while also making new friends! Students are given the opportunity to hone their skills as budding musicians while busking in Historic Downtown Bristol and will give a final performance for parents at the museum at the end of camp week.
Pick Along Summer Camp for beginners is designed for students aged 8-14. No previous musical experience is required, just an interest in music and a desire to learn!
June 19-23, 2023
Beginner Level – First time campers and those wanting a refresher in the basics
June 26-30, 2023
Intermediate Level – Return campers & those who already have basic skills in music

Times & Fees
Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
$175 for Birthplace of Country Music Museum members
$225 for non-members
Instrument Rental
$25

* Discounts are available for families with multiple campers. Scholarships may be available upon request.
If you are selecting the Beginners option June 19-23, see below to pay registration fee and fill out registration form:
REGISTER HERE
CLICK HERE for payment

2023 Pick Along Summer Camp - Intermediate
2023-06-26 09:00 - 2023-06-30 15:00 | VA
At the Birthplace of Country Music Museum‘s Pick Along Summer Camp, students will learn foundational skills from instructors on the same style of acoustic instruments played on the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings – banjo, guitar, or fiddle. Campers also get to explore the museum, learn about the music of Bristol and our region, receive instruction in singing and dancing, and work on projects with WBCM Radio Bristol while also making new friends! Students are given the opportunity to hone their skills as budding musicians while busking in Historic Downtown Bristol and will give a final performance for parents at the museum at the end of camp week.
Our Intermediate level Pick Along Summer Camp is designed for students aged 10-16. Recommended for returning students and those who already have basic music skills on banjo, guitar, or fiddle.
June 19-23, 2023
Beginner Level – First time campers and those wanting a refresher in the basics
June 26-30, 2023
Intermediate Level – Return campers & those who already have basic skills in music

Times & Fees
Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
$175 for Birthplace of Country Music Museum members
$225 for non-members
Instrument Rental
$25

*Discounts are available for families with multiple campers. Scholarships may be available upon request.
If you are selecting the Intermediate option June 26-30, see below to pay registration fee and fill out registration form:
REGISTER HERE
CLICK HERE for payment

Museum Story Time - Knoxville, Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni
2023-07-07 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, July 7, 2023
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST
Location: The Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public
Join us in the museum’s Learning Center for our monthly Museum Story Time program. Aimed at toddler-age children and their grown-ups, we will gather on the first Friday of each month for a music- or Appalachia-related storybook, a tune or two by WBCM Radio Bristol show host Ella Patrick, and a related activity or coloring sheet.
This month we will be reading Knoxville, Tennessee written by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Larry Johnson.
About Knoxville, Tennessee
A poem by one of America’s most popular African-American poets celebrates the simple, comfortable pleasures of life in the South, describing vegetables eaten right out of the garden, church picnics, and homemade ice cream.
About the Author
Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather’s alma mater, Fisk University. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor.

Hazel Dickens Tribute with Karen Collins
2023-07-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, July 7, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: In-person at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: $10 + Virginia admission tax/fees
BUY TICKETS
Join us on Friday, July 7, 7:00 p.m. as we feature singer Karen Collins in a musical tribute to the legendary West Virginia singer, songwriter, and activist, Hazel Dickens.
This program will introduce the audience to the life and legacy of Hazel Dickens with Karen performing some of Hazel’s best loved songs including, “Working Girl Blues,” “Black Lung,” and “A Few Old Memories.” Karen’s husband Fred Feinstein will be backing her on mandolin, and Curatorial Specialist Toni Doman will share details about Hazel’s life within the context of the museum’s current special exhibit, I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music.
Audience members are invited to participate in a curator-led tour of the special exhibit pre-show at 6:15pm.

About Karen Collins
Karen, a coal miner’s daughter, grew up listening to country music in Southwest Virginia. After moving to the Washington, DC area, she founded the award-winning Cajun band Squeeze Bayou, the Blue Moon Cowgirls (an acoustic country quartet), and the honky tonk Backroads Band. Karen’s early influences are evident in her original songs, which echo Loretta Lynn’s no-nonsense sass, Hank Williams’ down-to-earth lyricism, Ernest Tubb’s wry humor, and more. As a singer and bandleader, Karen has received many “Wammie” awards from the Washington Area Music Association, and her originals have earned her awards from a half-dozen songwriting competitions.
About Hazel Dickens
Hazel Dickens grew up in Mercer County, West Virginia, one of 11 siblings in pure coal country. She moved to Baltimore in the 1950s and fell into a group of musical friends that included Mike Seeger, Alice Gerrard, and others. Steeped in activism, Hazel’s songs spoke truth to power about black lung, equality for women, the labor movement, and poverty, drawing on the sounds of Baptist hymns, Appalachian ballads, and country harmonies by groups such as the Louvin Brothers. Her musical partnership with Alice Gerrard broke new ground for women, influencing many generations to come. A few of Hazel’s best-known compositions are “West Virginia, My Home,” “Hills of Home,” “They’ll Never Keep Us Down,” and “Don’t Put Her Down, You Helped Put Her There.” Her music is included in the films Harlan County, USA, Matewan, and Songcatcher. Hazel received an International Bluegrass Music Association Merit Award in 1994 and became a National Heritage Fellow in 2001.

Speaker Sessions – Dr. Angela Keaton on Appalachian Stereotypes
2023-07-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: In-person and virtual
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please RSVP or register for the Zoom link below
RSVP for in-person (Please note that you will not get an automatic confirmation when you RSVP but you ARE on our list!)
Register for Zoom link

Join us on Tuesday, July 11, 7:00 p.m. for our next Speaker Sessions with Dr. Angela Keaton of Tusculum University as we explore Appalachian stereotypes.
Misconceptions have always existed about Appalachia – too often with negative consequences. Dr. Keaton will examine how myths about the region became embedded in people’s minds, while also highlighting the region’s diversity, economy, and activism to dispel these myths. Her presentation will provide a more nuanced understanding of Appalachia and its residents that goes beyond the stereotypes, and give attendees the chance to consider how distortions of history have negatively impacted perceptions of the region and the lives of contemporary Appalachians.
About the Speaker
Angela Keaton, Professor of History, joined the Tusculum Department of History and Museum
Studies in 2006 after earning her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Keaton has published work focused on both history and pedagogy. Her research investigates the many ways Americans encountered firearms in the post-World War II period, a “golden age” of gun use that ended abruptly in the 1960s due to a host of political, cultural, and social factors. Her article, “Backyard Desperadoes: American Attitudes Concerning Toy Guns in the Cold War Era” published in the Journal of American Culture, earned the Carl Bode Award for the best article published in that journal in 2010. Her most recent article about hunting and gun culture will be included in Red Reckoning: A New History of the Cold War and the Transformation of American Life (LSU Press).
She has served in a variety of leadership positions at Tusculum and earned the Tusculum Excellence in Teaching and Campus Leadership Award in 2009 and 2018, in addition to being awarded a National Living Alumni Faculty Award in 2018. She teaches American history as well as classes on historical research, gender, Asia, and the contemporary Middle East. She especially enjoys sharing history with the public, giving numerous lectures and workshops each year ranging in subject matter from material culture to the history of food.

Teacher In-Service at the Museum
2023-07-17 09:00 - 2023-07-18 12:30 | VA
Dates: Monday, July 17, 2023 (Elementary)
Tuesday, July 18, 2023 (Middle & High School)
Time: 9 a.m. – 3:00pm or 2:30pm (see explanation below)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: FREE
REGISTER HERE
This summer the Birthplace of Country Music Museum (BCMM) is offering free K-12 Teacher In-Service Workshops, scheduled for Monday, July 17 (elementary) and Tuesday, July 18 (middle and high school). These programs will include:

An introduction to the museum and its educational resources
A museum tour
Lesson plan activities
Insights from BCMM’s summer Educator Fellows
Lunch
Door prizes
Presentations by area museums and cultural institutions about their educational resources
Licensure credit of 5 1/2 or 6 hours, see below

Please note that on Monday, July 17, we have five (5) organizations joining us, which means the workshop will last until 3:00pm and yield 6 hours licensure credit, while the Tuesday, July 18 workshop will have four (4) organizations, which means the workshop will last until 2:30pm and yield 5 1/2 hours licensure credit.
Sign up today for a music and history-filled, distinctively fun, professional development opportunity to learn more about museum education and resources!

Museum Story Time: Hello, Crow by Jeff Daniel Marion
2023-08-04 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, August 4, 2023
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST
Location: The Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public
Join us in the museum’s Learning Center for our monthly Museum Story Time program. Aimed at toddler-age children and their grown-ups, we will gather on the first Friday of each month for a music- or Appalachia-related storybook, a tune or two by WBCM Radio Bristol show host Ella Patrick, and a related activity or coloring sheet.
This month we will be reading Hello Crow written by Jeff Daniel Marion and illustrated by Leslie Bowman.
About Hello, Crow
The book tells the reminiscences of a boy about his brief relationship with a crow that lived for a while in the well house on his family’s farm.
About the Author
East Tennessee native Jeff Daniel Marion was one of the most significant and beloved voices in Appalachian literature, creating poetry, children’s books, and a variety of other writings.

Speaker Sessions – Dr. Bryan Pierce on the National Museum of African American Music
2023-08-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Virtual only
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please register for the Zoom link HERE.
Join us on Tuesday, August 8, 7:00 p.m. EST for our next Speaker Sessions with Dr. Bryan Pierce from the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville, Tennessee! Dr. Pierce will share insights into the work of NMAAM and explore the histories and stories of Black music and artists in America, including several that connect to traditional or country music.
About the Speaker
Dr. Bryan Pierce is the curator of the National Museum of African American Music. He previously held the position of Digital Archivist at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. In both his academic work and as a museum professional, Bryan has specialized in subterranean African American aesthetics in music and decorative arts. He pursued a PhD from Arkansas State University and throughout his time at ASU, Bryan worked at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. He was also on the exhibition development team for the Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash. After completing his doctorate, Bryan accepted an Assistant Registrar/ Curator position with the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
About the National Museum of African American Music
The National Museum of African American Music is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. The museum’s expertly-curated collections share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to bring the musical heroes of the past into the present. NMAAM broke ground in early 2017 and officially opened in 2021. Since its opening, NMAAM has welcomed guests from across the U.S. and is one of Music City’s top must-see tourist destination.

Film Screening: “I’ve Endured”: The Music and Legacy of Ola Belle Reed
2023-08-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Monday, August 28, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum Performance Theater with virtual Q&A to follow
Cost: Free and open to the public but please register HERE
Join us on Monday, August 28, 6:30 p.m. for a special preview screening of “I’ve Endured”: The Music and Legacy of Ola Belle Reed, a 45-minute documentary exploring the life and work of nationally recognized bluegrass and old-time musician Ola Bell Campbell Reed (1916-2002). This film was made in conjunction with Ola Belle Reed and the Southern Diaspora, an exhibit at the University of Maryland Baltimore County that contextualizes Reed’s achievements within a history of migration from rural Appalachia north in the 20th century. Containing interviews, performances, and archival footage, this documentary will provide a deeper understanding of the legacy and impact of Reed, whose songwriting and performances have been immensely influential on the musicians who knew and followed her.
The film screening will be followed by a virtual Q&A with scholar and filmmaker Bill Shewbridge.
This program is complementary programming to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music exhibit, on display through December 31, 2023. This exhibit has been funded in part by grants from Virginia Humanities, the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, and the IBMA Foundation, along with local women-led business sponsorship from Friends of Southwest Virginia, The Crooked Road, Artemis Consulting Services, LLC, Bristol Ballet, Suzi Griffin (Studio 6), Kim Sproles (KS Promotions), and Kayla Stevenson (Matte Nail Bar). East Tennessee Foundation Arts Fund provided grant funding for related public programming, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation provided grant funding for the exhibit’s website.
For more information about the film, check out https://www.olabellefilm.org/olabelle/.

Museum Story Time: Lorraine, The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away by Ketch Secor
2023-09-01 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, September 1, 2023
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST
Location: The Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public
Join us in the museum’s Learning Center for our monthly Museum Story Time program. Aimed at toddler-age children and their grown-ups, we will gather on the first Friday of each month for a music- or Appalachia-related storybook, a tune or two by WBCM Radio Bristol show host Ella Patrick, and a related activity or coloring sheet.
This month we will be reading Hello Crow written by Jeff Daniel Marion and illustrated by Leslie Bowman.
About Lorraine, The Girl Who Sang The Storm Away
Old Crow Medicine Show founder and Grammy award-winning musician Ketch Secor teams up with Ashley Bryan Award-winning illustrator Higgins Bond to create this sweeping, epic Americana story about the power of music and family.
“Who needs a whistle or some shiny thing
when you’ve got a voice and a song that can sing!”
Lorraine and her Pa Paw spend their days celebrating life with the music of the Tennessee hills. With Pa Paw’s harmonica and Lorraine’s pennywhistle, the pair can face just about anything. But when a fearsome storm rolls in and their instruments are nowhere to be found, can Lorraine find the music inside herself to get them through?
About the Author
Ketch Secor is the founder of the band Old Crow Medicine Show. He won a Grammy for his involvement in the concert film, “Big Easy Express.” Old Crow Medicine Show has sold over 700,000 albums. Ketch lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Learn more at crowmedicine.com.
“Lorraine was inspired by the Appalachian people I met when I lived in eastern Tennessee during the infancy of my band, Old Crow Medicine Show. The folktales they told stayed with me for years until I finally wrote my own.”
About the Illustrator
Higgins Bond received the 2009 Ashley Bryan Award for outstanding contribution to children’s literature. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit her at higginsbond.com.
Higgins was drawn to Lorraine’s story because of the devotion between the girl and her grandfather and the magic of the sounds they create. “To feel the healing power of music is something everyone can identify with.”

VMFA on the Road Artmobile at Birthplace of Country Music Museum
2023-09-06 - 2023-09-10 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Event: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on the Road Artmobile at the Museum!
About: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is bringing traveling art exhibitions and educational offerings to audiences across the state with VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st century! This state-of-the-art mobile museum and education studio will be at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and open to school groups, drop-in visitors, and Bristol Rhythm festivalgoers for several days in September.
Dates: Wednesday, September 6–Sunday, September 10, 2023
Wednesday, September 6–Thursday, September 7 (for school visits and drop-in visitors)
Friday, September 8–Sunday, September 10 (for drop-in visitors and Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festivalgoers)
Location: Parked on Country Music Way in front of the museum
Exhibit Description: This year’s VMFA on the Road exhibition is titled Revealing and Obscuring Identity: Portraits from the Permanent Collection. It examines the complex role of portraiture across cultures and time periods. Beginning with the Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro, and concluding with American artist Gordon Stettinius, the exhibit explores how artists have used portraiture as a means to both reveal and obscure their sitter’s identity. Traditionally, portraiture has been used to highlight the sitter’s wealth, power, beauty, virtue, and intelligence and has been reserved for the elite of society. Several of the works in this exhibition maintain this tradition while others employ it as means to explore truths about the nature of art, the way we perceive beauty, and the way culture influences and reflects personal identity.
Family Visit Guide: A Family Visit Guide is available online, and paper copies will be available at the Artmobile for visitors to use and take with them.
COVID Protocols: The VMFA on the Road Artmobile is following these protocols:
*Not requiring visitors to wear masks on the artmobile
*Have a maximum of 15-20 persons on board at the same time
*There’s no time limit on general visits
*30-minute school tour group visits
*Hand sanitizer will be available
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DROP-IN VISITORS
Drop-in visitors can view the Artmobile for free on Wednesday, September 6 and Thursday, September 7, 2023 at times when school groups are not booked, see below (BOOKED and OPEN FOR DROP-IN VISITORS times will be marked as such).
Drop-ins are also welcome Friday, September 8–Sunday, September 10 (see open times below) because the Artmobile will be just outside the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival gates, but entry into the festival footprint requires a BRRR 2023 wristband.
Take an art break! Bring your friends, family, kids, grandma, or whoever you know who would enjoy a wonderful art experience and drop-in on the VMFA on the Road Artmobile. This is a FREE opportunity!
The Artmobile will be closed Wednesday and Thursday 11:50am–12:50pm for lunch.

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School Information
School groups can visit the Artmobile on Wednesday, September 6 and Thursday, September 7, 2023. This is a FREE visit!
The VMFA on the Road Artmobile will be open to middle school, high school, and college groups on September 6–7, 2023. A field trip to the Artmobile exposes students to multiple art mediums and concepts using visual thinking, sketching, and writing. Admission is free to the Artmobile.
Several time slots are available for school group visits, and schools can book multiple/consecutive time slots if needed (please get in touch if you need another time than the ones shown below, e.g. later in the day):
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
10:00–10:30am BOOKED
10:40–11:10am BOOKED
11:20–11:50am BOOKED
11:50–12:50pm CLOSED FOR LUNCH
12:50–1:20pm
1:30–2:00pm
2:10–2:40pm
2:50–3:20pm
3:30–4:00pm
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
10:00–10:30am BOOKED
10:40–11:10am BOOKED
11:20–11:50am BOOKED
11:50am–12:50pm CLOSED FOR LUNCH
12:50–1:20pm BOOKED
1:30–2:00pm
2:10–2:40pm
2:50–3:20pm
3:30–4:00pm BOOKED
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum has some funds available to help schools with transportation costs on a first come-first served basis. Please contact ebarker@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org for more information.
Educators can pick from a variety of learning activities for their student visit, including Looking to Learn, Sketching to Learn, Moving to Learn, and Writing to Learn.
A tour of the Artmobile is a 30-minute experience. An optimum visit has 10–12 students (with one adult); larger groups will be divided into groups of 20 (with two adults). Teachers can also add a FREE guided tour of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s special exhibit I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music (also a 30-minute experience) to your visit to the Artmobile. This exhibit is a wonderful companion to the Artmobile experience, giving students and teachers the chance to explore women’s history and stories more deeply. Women have always been central to old-time music – in the home and on the stage, and as instrumentalists and singers, preservationists, activities, promotors, and cultural memory keepers. I’ve Endured highlights the many women who have been integral to this music, exploring the challenges they’ve faced making a career in the field, the ways they have impacted the genre, and their vision for the future of old-time. If you would like to also book a tour of the museum’s permanent exhibits, our usual student group admission applies.
For further information about a VMFA on the Road Artmobile experience for your students and to book a tour, please contact Erika Barker at ebarker@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org, providing the following information: Date of tour, preferred time of tour, name of school, teacher’s name, grade level, and size of group.
Bookings must be made by September 1, 2023.

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Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Information
Festivalgoers can visit the Artmobile on Friday, September 8– Sunday, September 10, 2023
The VMFA on the Road Artmobile will be free and open to festivalgoers on September 8—10, 2023, just one more way to make your Bristol Rhythm experience even more special! A fun arts & crafts table will also be set up outside the Artmobile for anyone who needs a creativity break!
The Artmobile will be open at the following times:
Friday, September, 8: 1:00–7:00pm
Saturday, September 9: 9:00am–6:00pm (closed 1:00–2:00pm for lunch)
Sunday, September 10: 10:00am–5:00pm (closed 1:00–2:00pm for lunch)

Film Screening: Reel 'Em, Boys, Reel 'Em w/ Filmmaker Q&A
2023-09-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, September 29, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum Performance Theater
Cost: Free and open to the public but please register HERE
Join us on Friday, September 29, 6:30 p.m. for a screening of the documentary Reel ‘Em, Boys, Reel ‘Em followed by a live Q&A with filmmaker Becky Hill.
Reel ‘Em, Boys, Reel ‘Em features West Virginia traditional square dancing and step dancing and follows the Mountain Dance Trail as it winds across the Mountain State. Interviews with callers, musicians, dancers, and dance historians, along with current square dance footage and archival footage from Augusta Heritage Center are combined to create a film that celebrates the importance of old-time music and dance. Centuries old dance customs are discussed and revealed in the traditions as they exist today. This film documents the exceptional endurance of traditional dance in West Virginia.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Becky Hill.
This program is complementary programming to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music exhibit, on display through December 31, 2023. This exhibit has been funded in part by grants from Virginia Humanities, the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, and the IBMA Foundation, along with local women-led business sponsorship from Friends of Southwest Virginia, The Crooked Road, Artemis Consulting Services, LLC, Bristol Ballet, Suzi Griffin (Studio 6), Kim Sproles (KS Promotions), and Kayla Stevenson (Matte Nail Bar). East Tennessee Foundation Arts Fund provided grant funding for related public programming, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation provided grant funding for the exhibit’s website.
About Becky Hill
B​ecky Hill is a percussive dancer, square dance caller, choreographer, community organizer, and educator.
She grew up in Michigan, spent extensive time in West Virginia and now resides in Brentwood, Maryland. Becky has worked with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Good Foot Dance Company and Rhythm in Shoes, and has studied with an array of percussive dance luminaries.
In 2013, she was involved in Wheatland Music Organization’s Carry It On… Project where she was commissioned to choreograph two works under the mentorship of Sharon Leahy in honor of the festival’s 40th anniversary. In 2014 and 2106, she was awarded a West Virginia Division of Culture and History Professional Development Grant to further her study of percussive dance. Becky served as the Artist in Residence at Davis & Elkins College from 2013 – 2015 where she coordinated The Mountain Dance Trail of Augusta Heritage Center and co-directed the Appalachian Ensemble. She became the Events Coordinator for Augusta Heritage Center from 2015 – 2019 organizing their summer intensives. Together with noted folklorist Gerry Milnes, she produced a documentary film on West Virginia dance traditions, Reel ‘Em, Boys, Reel ‘Em. Becky has organized Helvetia Hoot, formally known as Dare to be Square West Virginia since 2013. She is currently a Programming Manager for the National Council for the Traditional Arts.
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Becky directed her first evening length music and dance work inspired by Appalachia, Shift, with an all-star cast Nashville. Shift debuted November 2017 and it expanded for the 2018 Wheatland Music Festival. In 2018 she was selected a fellow for OneBeat, a U.S. State Department Cultural Diplomacy Program and conducted an artist residency at Basin Arts. She completed her M.F.A in dance at University of Maryland, College Park in May 2022. She was an Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore in 2021, John C.Campbell Folk School in 2022, Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences in 2023 and Loghaven in 2023. She is involved with Dance Exchange’s Dance On Creative Aging Program, and can be found performing with T-Mart Rounders, calling square dances, and teaching dance throughout the country.
As an avid organizer and teacher, Becky’s work is deeply rooted in the connections between music and community. She believes there is always more to learn and is dedicated to creating innovative choreography rooted in Appalachian music and dance.

Community Square Dance: A Partnership with Bristol Ballet with Caller Becky Hill
2023-09-30 18:30 - 21:00 | VA
Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Location: Bristol Ballet, 330 Buford St, Bristol, VA 24201 (Please park at the back of the building and go in the entrance framed by columns)
Cost: Free but any donations at the door will support the museum and Bristol Ballet. Please RSVP here
Come do-si-do and promenade with us!
Join the Birthplace of Country Music and Bristol Ballet for a community square dance on Saturday, September 30. Caller Becky Hill will lead a short introduction to dance steps, followed by a full square dance with a lively string band led by Gina and Jason Dilg.
This event is open to all ages and no experience or partner is required; we recommend sturdy shoes so you can dance all night! Space is limited so sign up to participate soon!
This program is complementary programming to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music exhibit, on display through December 31, 2023. This exhibit has been funded in part by grants from Virginia Humanities, the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, and the IBMA Foundation, along with local women-led business sponsorship from Friends of Southwest Virginia, The Crooked Road, Artemis Consulting Services, LLC, Bristol Ballet, Suzi Griffin (Studio 6), Kim Sproles (KS Promotions), and Kayla Stevenson (Matte Nail Bar). East Tennessee Foundation Arts Fund provided grant funding for related public programming, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation provided grant funding for the exhibit’s website.
