Monthly Country Jam
2023-12-09 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-01-13 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-02-10 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-03-09 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-04-13 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-05-11 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-08 14:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Dates: Monthly every 2nd Saturday
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: FREE EVENT
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!
Country 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 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.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

Speaker Sessions: McKenzie Isom on Women in Country Music -- VIRTUAL ONLY!
2023-12-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Virtual via Zoom
This event is FREE and open to the public, but you will need to register HERE.
Join us on Tuesday, December 12 for our next Speaker Session featuring Dr. McKenzie Isom as she examines the experience of women in country music. Throughout the long 1970s, country music sought to cultivate a traditional, “authentic,” and conservative image and sound that would be commercially competitive. Though the study of country music continues to develop, very little attention has been paid to how this adherence to authenticity and traditionalism impacted its artists’ personal and professional lives, particularly among its roster of female artists. In her presentation, Dr. Isom will provide a more nuanced look into the inner workings of the country music industry, one that sheds light on the highly restrictive atmosphere and working culture that female country artists regularly struggled against during this period.
About McKenzie Isom
McKenzie L. Isom is an instructor of History at Trine University, where she teaches courses related to American history. She received her Ph.D. in History from Purdue University, where she specialized in 20th-century US history, gender studies, and popular culture. Her dissertation, “Rustic Roots and Rhinestone Cowboys: Southern Identity, Authenticity, and the Gendered Construction of Persona in the Long 1970s Country Music Industry,” examined the evolution of the term “authenticity” within the country music industry and its impact on female artists and their careers over time. Her most recent article about Bob Dylan’s connections to country music will be included in The Politics and Power of Bob Dylan’s Live Performance (Routledge Press). She is also currently working on an article discussing Welsh mythology’s impact on Stevie Nicks’ lyricism and stage persona that will be included in Classic Rock and Ancient History (Bloomsbury Publishing).

Museum Story Time: When Uncle Took the Fiddle
2024-01-05 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, January 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 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 doing a fun banjo-art craft!
For January we will be reading When Uncle Took the Fiddle written by Libba Moore Gray and illustrated by Lloyd Bloom.
About When Uncle Took the Fiddle
When the entire family declares they are exhausted, Uncle reaches for the fiddle, and before you know it, Grandpa’s feet are stomping, grandma’s hands are clapping, and everyone finds good cheer. This book explores the wonderful power of music!
About the Author
Libba Moore Gray has been an actress, a dancer, and for 20 years a teacher of high school English and drama. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in a number of literary magazines, and Miss Tizzy was her first book for children. When Uncle Took the Fiddle was published in 1999. Ms. Gray’s four children include a businessman, a ballerina, a teacher, and a professional clown. With her husband, Robert, she makes her home in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Special Exhibit: A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
2024-01-16 - 2024-07-21 | VA
Dates: January 16 – July 21, 2024
Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
BUY TICKETS
A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music highlights the history of old-time, country, and bluegrass music in the Blue Ridge region through vintage show cards, concert posters, Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame plaques, and related objects. Originally, window cards and other announcement posters were created to advertise upcoming entertainment events staged by troupes of traveling performers. By design, they were printed on inexpensive paper or cardboard to last only a few months as they were nailed to telephone poles, plastered onto the sides of buildings, and placed in store windows. After the event, most were discarded or left to deteriorate outdoors. This display features 52 rare, original concert announcements, dating back to as early as 1939, that somehow survived over these many years.
Based on the vast and wide-ranging collection of Tom Murphy, the exhibit will give visitors a window into the careers and impact of numerous well-known musicians, such as Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Flatt & Scruggs, The Monroe Brothers, Lulu Belle and Scotty, Mac Wiseman, Clarence “Tom” Ashley, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and many others. The connection between many of these artists to early radio and barn-dance style shows – including Bristol’s very own Farm and Fun Time – is also explored.
Tours of the special exhibit “A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music” are included in the price of regular museum admission to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, or you may visit the special exhibit only at a reduced cost. Reduced museum admission pricing for seniors, students, active military, and groups of 20 people or more are available. Additionally, the museum is a participating member of Museums for All, supporting those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits who may tour the museum for a minimal fee of $3 per person for up to four people.

Speaker Sessions: Holly G on the Black Opry
2024-01-16 19:00 - 20:30 | VA
Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Virtual via Zoom; please pre-register via the link below to attend.
Cost: Free and open to the public
REGISTER HERE
Join us on Tuesday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. for our first Speaker Sessions of 2024! Holly G will be with us via Zoom to talk about the Black Opry, the home for Black artists, fans, and industry professionals working in country, Americana, blues, and folk music.
This program is also connected to Bristol’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration event.
About Holly G
Holly G is a country music industry disruptor. In April 2021, she founded the Black Opry, which began as a website and Twitter account celebrating the Black performers working in country, Americana, folk, and other adjacent musical styles and quickly grew into a “vital voice” (Billboard) within those genres, devoted to advocating for Black entertainers and helping the marginalized group reclaim its place in the American musical canon. The Black Opry Revue, the organization’s national touring showcase, began in October 2022, and Holly G launched Black Opry Records, in partnership with Thirty Tigers, in September 2023. Holly’s writing has appeared on Grammy.com, Holler, Taste of Country, and The Boot, as well as in the quarterly roots music journal No Depression.
About the Black Opry
Black Opry is a home for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana music. Country music has been made by and loved by Black people since it’s conception. For just as long, they have been overlooked and disregarded in the genre by fans and executives. Black Opry wants to change that. They invite you to discover, support, and enjoy the Black artists that make magic in this space. One of the most valuable aspects of country music is its versatility and diversity in sound. Country, blues, folk, and Americana music often overlap or weave together – these artists explore all of those sounds and intersections. .
The organization and its work are featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibition American Currents: State of the Music 2022, has a year-long collaboration with Wrangler, and, in early 2023, partnered with Philadelphia public radio station WXPN for the first Black Opry Residency, which brought five acts together for virtual workshops and a week of creative work in Philadelphia. (A podcast documenting the residency is forthcoming.) The “hub for Black talent” (Grammy.com) has devoted itself to advocating for Black entertainers and helping the marginalized group reclaim its place in the American musical canon.
The Black Opry Revue, the organization’s national touring showcase, began in October 2022 and has since staged performances at Nashville’s Exit/In; Los Angeles’s Troubadour; the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, Calif.’s non-profit venues Freight & Savage; and several City Winery venues. The Revue has also earned slots at festivals including the Newport Folk Festival (2022, 2023), Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (2022), AmericanaFest (2022), the 30A Songwriters Festival (2023), Cayamo (2023), MerleFest (2023), and the High Water Festival (2023).

Monthly Museum Volunteer Orientation
2024-01-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-03-23 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-04-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-05-25 10:00 - 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: Every 4th Saturday except for June (no training), October & November (3rd Saturday) and December (no training)
Time: 10:00 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, concerts, and programs, assisting with behind the scenes administrative or collections work and so much more! Our Museum Volunteer Orientation 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, call 423-573-1927 or email Myrissa at volunteercoordinator@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.

Museum Story Time - "Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton
2024-02-02 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, February 2, 2024
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 doing a fun banjo-art craft!
In February we’ll read from Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors!”
About “Coat of Many Colors”
“Coat of Many Colors” is a children’s picture book written by country music icon Dolly Parton. Published in 1994, the book is based on the autobiographical song of the same name, which Dolly wrote and recorded in 1971. The story, illustrated by Judith Sutton, recounts Dolly’s childhood experience of her mother sewing a coat for her out of colorful rags. Despite the coat being made of simple materials, Dolly cherishes it for the love and sacrifice it represents. The narrative emphasizes themes of family, resilience, and the intrinsic value of cherished memories, offering young readers a heartwarming glimpse into Dolly Parton’s humble upbringing in the Appalachian region.

ONE SLOT LEFT! Cardboard Dulcimer Workshop with Musician Roxanne McDaniel
2024-02-10 13:00 - 2024-02-11 16:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Register now, there’s only one slot left!
Dates: Saturday, February 10 & Sunday, February 11, 2024
Time: 1:00–4:00 p.m. each day
Location: Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Registration: :$30+taxes/fees
REGISTER HERE
Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the mountain dulcimer? Here’s an opportunity to not only learn, but also build your very own cardboard dulcimer!
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is partnering with dulcimer player and instructor Roxanne McDaniel to offer a two-day, weekend class in which you will be able to build a cardboard dulcimer using simple tools. No previous musical or technical experience is necessary.
Participants will learn about the dulcimer, its history, and its importance as they actively take part in keeping this uniquely Appalachian instrument relevant for younger generations. It’s a perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to learn a new instrument, from experienced musicians to complete beginners. The dulcimer is among the most accessible stringed instruments, making it especially suitable for beginners.
This class is open to all ages and will introduce participants to a number of simple playing techniques and beginner-friendly dulcimer tunes. Space is limited to 15 participants, so be sure to reserve your spot before it’s too late!

About Roxanne McDaniel
Roxanne McDaniel is a singer/songwriter and dulcimer player based in Johnson City, Tennessee. A graduate of East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program, she has a passion for the dulcimer and for teaching others about it. She leads classes, hosts dulcimer workshops, and incorporates the instrument heavily in her music. She was a 2023 Central Appalachian Living Traditions (CALT) Tradition Bearer Fellow, and her work has seen her featured in (and on the cover of) Dulcimer Players News. She and her band The Big Bad Buzz are currently working on their debut album.

Speaker Sessions - You and Me: A Journey through Country Music’s Rich Duet Tradition
2024-02-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (in-person); YouTube (virtual)
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP HERE
Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Tuesday, February 13, 7:00 p.m. for our February Speaker Sessions with Bailey George and Jessica Stiles. With “You and Me: A Journey through Country Music’s Rich Duet Tradition,” Bailey and Jessica will explore the winding stream of country duets from brother acts of the 1930s to chart topping country pop of the 1970s. Hear the stories and witness the harmonies that birthed an American tradition.
Please note: For those attending virtually via YouTube, the live stream will originate on the Radio Bristol YouTube channel after 6:50pm EST. If you load the channel page before 6:50pm, and the live stream does not automatically appear, please refresh the page after 6:50pm.
Bailey George
Bailey George is a musician, historian, and radio personality. Becoming interested in roots music at a young age, Bailey began collecting, performing, and chronicling the history of American vernacular music, as well as hosting various radio programs across the southeast. Bailey has been hosting Honky Tonk Hit Parade weekly on Radio Bristol since 2016, as well as developing a steady career as a musician with various groups including Bailey George and Jukebox Jess and Bailey George and the Oscillators.
Jessica Stiles
A Yale graduate, Jessica Stiles has had a multi-faceted career in music across many aspects of the industry. As a musician, she has led her own band and has performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Bluebird Cafe, and on Music City Roots. As an engineer and technical consultant, she has worked on broadcast shows Bluegrass Underground and American Masters on PBS, as well as being a freelance broadcast engineer at 650 AM WSM, home of the Grand Ole Opry. In addition, she has interviewed country music icons such as Mac Wiseman, Ramona Jones, and Marty Stuart. Jessica is a broadcaster and songwriter, currently performing as part of Bailey George and Jukebox Jess as well as under her own name.

Museum Story Time - "Swamp Angel" by Anne Isaacs
2024-03-01 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, March 1, 2024
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 doing a fun bear-art craft!
About “Swamp Angel”
Swamp Angel can lasso a tornado, and drink an entire lake dry. She single-handedly defeats the fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation, wrestling him from the top of the Great Smoky Mountains to the bottom of a deep lake. Caldecott Medal-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky’s stunning folk-art paintings are the perfect match for the irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor of this original tall tale set on the American frontier.
A Caldecott Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Time magazine Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
About the Author

Anne Isaacs (born March 2, 1949) is an American writer of children’s and young adult literature. Isaacs is known as the writer of “Swamp Angel,” a picture book illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky and published by Dutton Children’s Books in 1994. Zelinsky was a runner-up for the annual Caldecott Medal for this work. Her book “Torn Thread,” based on the true story of her mother-in-law who survived a Nazi labor camp, received numerous awards including the Outstanding International Book, Notable Book for a Global Society 2000 from the American Library Association, and Smithsonian Notable Book for Children, among others.

Speaker Sessions: Katlin & Mohsin Kazmi and Chef T on Melding Traditions in Appalachian Foodways
2024-03-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (in-person); YouTube (virtual)
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP HERE
Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Tuesday, March 12, 7:00 p.m. for our monthly Speaker Sessions with Katlin & Mohsin Kazmi (The Pakalachian Food Truck) and Chef T (Union 41 Bristol). This program will explore how these regional chefs meld different cultural traditions with Appalachian foodways to create a wonderful and tasty dining experience – from food on the road to a meal in a historic bus station!
Please note: For those attending virtually via YouTube, the live stream will originate on the Radio Bristol YouTube channel after 6:50pm EST. If you load the channel page before 6:50pm, and the live stream does not automatically appear, please refresh the page after 6:50pm.
About Katlin and Mohsin: The Pakalachian Food Truck
Katlin Wohlford Kazmi is the Executive Director of the Region VII Virtual Academy and co-owner of The Pakalachian Food Truck. Katlin obtained her Masters in Education from the University of Virginia in 2012 and her Educational Specialist in Policy and Administration from Virginia Tech in 2014. Climbing the educational ladder from teacher to assistant principal, she now works collaboratively with 18 rural school divisions in Virginia’s Region 7. Named as one of 2020’s 40 under Forty in the Business Journal of the Tri-Cities, Katlin advocates for creating opportunities to keep hardworking people living and working in the mountains she calls home. Most recently, Katlin co-founded To The Brim, a nonprofit aiming to provide economic opportunities and cultural experiences to the people of Southwest Virginia.
Mohsin Kazmi is an entrepreneur, public speaker, food truck owner, and conservation photographer specializing in tropical jungle ecosystems. Mohsin graduated with his Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech. He is CEO and Board Member of Junglekeepers, a nonprofit working in the Madre de Dios region of Peru to protect 50,000 hectares of rainforest and create sustainable opportunities for local Peruvians. Mohsin helped build Tamandua Expeditions, a conservation-based ecotourism company that specializes in educational trips to the same region of Peru. Mohsin is a two-time TEDx Speaker and a published conservation photographer. His photography has been featured in Mongabay, Environment 360, Ecology.com, The Rainforest Alliance, New York Times, and The United Nations International Forum on Forests, among others. Locally, he is the Resident Naturalist and Marketing Photographer for Nicewonder Farms and Vineyards and co-owner of The Pakalachian Food Truck.
About Chef T: Union 41 Bristol
With a passion for food that began as a child when she watched her grandmother feed their community from her tiny kitchen on the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Chef T has become a decorated and respected Chef within the food service industry. As a founder of “Chef T Culinary Concepts,” she strives to provide her culinary vision and love of food to those that she cooks with as well as those that she serves. Her best-selling cookbook PARADIGM: A Macro Manifesto to Food, is a lifestyle cookbook that further honors her vision of food as a celebration of life. She is the owner and Executive Chef of Union 41 Bristol.

Letterpress Workshop with the Museum and King University
2024-03-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (optional additional activity afterwards)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Learning Center
Cost: $20 + tax/fees
REGISTER HERE
Join us on Saturday, March 16, 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a letterpress workshop led by David Winship and Lee Jones.
Letterpress printing originated in the mid-15th century with Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type printing press. In letterpress printing, raised metal type or plates are inked and pressed onto paper, creating an impression of the text or image. This technique revolutionized the dissemination of information and played a crucial role in the spread of literacy and knowledge during the Renaissance and beyond. Despite advancements in printing technology, letterpress printing remains cherished for its tactile quality and vintage aesthetic, often utilized in artisanal and specialty printing projects today.
This workshop will include a talk about the history of letterpress printing, a hands-on introduction to some of its elements (e.g. block letters), and an opportunity to use a portable poster press. Each participant will leave the workshop with a special workshop-themed poster that they have printed themselves.
Attendees will also get a guided tour of our current special exhibit, A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music, which is based on letterpress-printed concert and performance posters and show cards. Following the 2-hour workshop, interested participants are invited to go with David and Lee to King University to tour the Sign of the George, the university’s working letterpress, and to share some refreshments. There is a limit of 20 participants so sign up now!
This program goes along with our current special exhibit and is offered in partnership with King University.

David Winship
David Winship is a native of Bristol, Tennessee, and he grew up with the Sign of the George letterpress at King College, now King University. His father started the press as an educational tool, and David learned the ins and outs of the press there. Following a career in public education, David has retired to his home place in Bristol and is operating the press at King with the support of the Digital Media Art and Design department.
Lee Jones
Lee Jones is an Assistant Professor of Photography and Digital Media at King University. Originally from Bristol, Virginia, he also works professionally in the community as a commercial photographer and digital marketer. When he’s not with his family, he is teaching, creating images, making music in the community,
or volunteering for local art organizations. You can see more of his work on his website at: HerbertLeeJonesPhotography.com.

Museum Story Time - "Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away" by Ketch Secor
2024-04-05 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, April 5, 2024
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 doing a fun rain cloud craft!
About “Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away”
An Amazon Best Book of the Month!
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

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.

Speaker Sessions: Celene Aubry on Hatch Show Print
2024-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (in-person); YouTube (virtual)
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP HERE
Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Tuesday, April 9, 7:00 p.m. for our monthly Speaker Sessions with Celene Aubry exploring the history and work of Hatch Show Print (HSP), a letterpress poster and design shop located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1879, HSP is still designing and printing over 600 jobs a year, using the original wood type found on countless posters advertising carnivals, circuses, and vaudeville and minstrel shows of years gone by, combined with handcarved imagery that spans the history of the shop. Though the 144-year-old business is known for its 20th century country music posters, the work the shop has put out over five generations in operation reflects changes in technology, communication arts, and commerce, as well as the evolution of popular entertainment. Celene will also be revealing a “surprise poster” during this program!
In-person attendees can enjoy a curator-led tour of the museum’s current special exhibit A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music at 6:15pm, which features several historic Hatch Show Print posters.
Please note: For those attending virtually via YouTube, the live stream will originate on the Radio Bristol YouTube channel after 6:50pm EST. If you load the channel page before 6:50pm, and the live stream does not automatically appear, please refresh the page after 6:50pm.
About Celene Aubry
Celene Aubry is the Director and Print Shop Manager at Hatch Show Print, one of America’s oldest surviving letterpress show poster and design shops. While the business thrives as a letterpress, expanded programming includes a visiting artist program, a gallery showcasing print-centric art, and hands-on tours and workshops from the education space. In between poster runs and whatnot, Celene also enjoys analog photography, making cyanotypes and van Dyke photoprints specifically.
About Hatch Show Print
Opened in 1879, Hatch Show Print is recognized around the world for its 19th- and 20th-century posters and billboards advertising the stars of country music, rock n’ roll, jazz, carnivals,
circuses, and variety shows. This tradition continues today with its limited-edition prints and posters for shows and artists appearing live in the 21st century, as well as prints, cards, gifts and more designed by the shop’s staff who draw inspiration from the vast collection of wood and metal type and handcarved print blocks created in the shop.
You can follow Hatch Show Print via their Instagram and X (Twitter) @hatchshowprint and on Facebook.

Community Square Dance: A Partnership with Bristol Ballet
2024-04-20 18:30 - 21:00 | Bristol Ballet, 330 Buford Street, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
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.
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, April 20. Caller Tyler Hughes will lead a short introduction to dance steps at 6:30pm, followed by a full square dance with a lively string band at 7:00pm.
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!

Museum Story Time - "Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll" by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
2024-05-03 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, May 3, 2024
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 doing a fun guitar-art craft!
About “ Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll”
A picture-book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the woman who invented rock and roll—a warm, inspiring tale of a childhood filled with music, community, and a drive to succeed.
“Music is the heart of our story,” says Momma to young Rosetta, surprising her with her first guitar. Rosetta’s strums sound like ker-plunks. But with practice and determination, she makes music, fingers hopping “like corn in a kettle,” notes pouring over the church crowd “like summer rain washing the dust off a new day.”
In this stunning picture book, author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired the music we still hear today.
Young readers will see a child’s dream become reality through hard work and perseverance. And they’ll learn the overlooked story of a pioneering Black artist, whose contribution to music history is only now being discovered.
About the Author

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow is an Illustrator, expert tea drinker, and a lover of donuts. Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, her love of the arts grew after being introduced to the world of watercolor by her grandfather and award winning children’s book illustrator Jerry Pinkney. Creating images and stories that speak to the hearts of children and those that guide them is her greatest joy. Charnelle received her BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York, New York. She now lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband Jukabiea.

BCM Museum 10th Anniversary Pop-up show feat. Wyatt Ellis
2024-05-09 19:00 - 20:30 | VA
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $35 (plus Bristol, Va. admissions tax/ticket agent fee)
BUY TICKETS
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and one of the ways we’re celebrating is with special pop-up concert by East Tennessee’s own mandolin prodigy, Wyatt Ellis! More anniversary events to be announced, so stay tuned!
About Wyatt Ellis

Born in the rich music bed of East Tennessee, Wyatt Ellis has quickly become one of the most-watched young musicians in bluegrass music. In a recent review, Billboard magazine stated, “Ellis has quickly cemented himself as a sterling newcomer in the bluegrass scene.” A true statement, as evidenced when his debut single, “Grassy Cove,” went to #1 on the Bluegrass Today charts, and his second single, “Get Lost,” debuted on the same chart at #5. He was also recently tapped to make an appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, and on November 10 received a standing ovation while making his debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
A devotee of Bill Monroe, Ellis has been mentored by many iconic musicians, including Sierra Hull, Bobby Osborne, and Mike Compton. Ellis has studied with mandolin masters, composed his own original instrumentals, and transitioned from playing alone in his living room to performing seamlessly alongside bluegrass legends and Hall of Famers. In his two short years on the scene, Ellis has morphed into a multi-instrumentalist and has been invited to perform on stage with some of the most iconic musicians of this era, including Billy Strings, Dierks Bentley, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Dailey & Vincent, and Marty Stuart.

Speaker Sessions: Dave Eggar and Len Cook on Composing a Champion
2024-05-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (in-person); YouTube (virtual)
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP HERE
Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Tuesday, May 14, 7:00 p.m. for our monthly Speaker Sessions with Dave Eggar and Len Cook on “Composing a Champion: A New Horizon in Professional Performance.”
It takes courage to follow your dreams and create something unique. In 1927, the people who came to Bristol to record showed that courage and sparked a revolution in music. For generations, Bristolians embraced their art and heritage with unwavering tenacity to get Bristol recognized as the birthplace of country music. Dave Eggar and Len Cook – two high-level performers who understand the characteristics of a successful artist and what qualities contribute to courage, resilience, and confidence – have taken the collective experiences, habits, strategies, and mindsets that have led them to success on the stage and in the ring across the country to discuss strategies for overcoming self-doubt, performance anxiety, and the limits we put on ourselves. With this Speaker Sessions, Dave and Len will share how they developed their program “Composing a Champion,” their experience taking it on the road to 25 colleges to work with artist-side confidence-building and finding their unique voice, and the impact this work has had. Taking inspiration from the early pioneers of Bristol, both then and now, join us on this journey to a new horizon in performance.
Please note: For those attending virtually via YouTube, the live stream will originate on the Radio Bristol YouTube channel after 6:50pm EST. If you load the channel page before 6:50pm, and the live stream does not automatically appear, please refresh the page after 6:50pm.
About Dave Eggar and Len Cook
Dave Eggar is a five-time Grammy-nominated virtuoso cellist, Harvard graduate, and Ivy League college professor. Over the past 2 1/2 decades, Dave has been a first-call cellist and string arranger for superstars like Coldplay, Evanescence, John Legend, Lewis Capaldi and Bebe Rexha and Foreigner. He is a regular performer at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion.
Len Cook is a career martial artist with over 20 years of experience. He is a professional MMA fighter, undefeated professional kickboxer, and owner and head coach of Champion Striking and Fitness in Bristol, Virginia. As a competitor, Len climbed his way up the ranks and quickly claimed 3 Bantamweight champion titles and was ranked as number 1 Bantamweight fighter in the Southeast region.

Museum Story Time - "She Sang for the Mountains: The Story of Singer, Songwriter, Activist Jean Ritchie" by Shannon Hitchcock
2024-06-07 10:30 - 11:30 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Friday, June 7, 2024
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 doing a fun mountain-art craft!
About “ She Sang for the Mountains: The Story of Singer, Songwriter, Activist Jean Ritchie”
This lyrical picture book biography of songwriter and activist Jean Ritchie-Singer traces her life from the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky to New York City and beyond as her protest songs inspired a nation. The author and illustrator previously teamed up for the stunning biography Saving Granddaddy’s Stories: Ray Hicks, the Voice of Appalachia.
About the Author

Shannon Hitchcock was born in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of four middle grade novels, Flying Over Water, One True Way, Ruby Lee & Me, and The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. Her books have been featured on many state award lists and have received acclaimed reviews. Saving Granddaddy’s Stories is Shannon’s debut picture book. She recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where she can see the mountains every day.

JAM Kids in Concert
2024-06-08 10:30 - 11:30 | VA
Date: Saturday, June 8, 2024
Time: 10:30 a.m. ET
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE EVENT!
Since October of 2023, JAM Kids have worked hard each week at the museum earning their chops on guitar, banjo and fiddle in a group learning atmosphere. On Saturday, June 8 they’ll come together to perform a concert for friends and family–and the public is invited to attend at no cost! Join us in the museum’s performance theater to see what these amazing students have learned over the past eight months; we are very excited for you to see their progress and to learn more about JAM Kids!
About JAM Kids
Junior Appalachian Musicians is a non-profit and the parent organization for 50+ after-school programs for children in grades 4 – 8. We provide communities with the tools and support they need to teach children to play and dance to traditional old-time and bluegrass music. JAM introduces music through small group instruction on instruments common to the Appalachian region, such as fiddle, banjo and guitar. Each JAM program is individually operated and funded. By affiliating with the JAM organization, each program is eligible to receive support and resources for free and is licensed to use “Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM)” to identify their traditional music education program.
