The Birthplace of Country Music

Songs Come Apart: A Workshop with Ed Snodderly
2017-11-04 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Date: Saturday, November 4, 2017
Time: 10:00 a.m.―2:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: $50
PURCHASE TICKETS
Join us on Saturday, November 4, 10:00am—2:00pm for Songs Come Apart, a workshop with renowned songwriter Ed Snodderly. Ed will pull apart one of his songs to delve deep into the songwriting craft – looking at the ways lyrics come together, the harmony of the words used, and the way a song changes from inception to final cut. To really get the full benefit of the workshop, participants are encouraged (but not required) to bring their own works in progress, giving you the opportunity to take apart your song and put it back together with Ed’s guidance.
Workshop space is limited to 16 people so register now; the cost of the workshop is $50. If the workshop is full, please email info@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org to be put on a wait list.
About Ed Snodderly
Ed Snodderly is a celebrated musician and songwriter from Johnson City, Tennessee. He uses images from the old and odd Appalachian world and combines them with his own musical backbone to create inspired, original, and beautiful songs. You might think of A. P. Carter with Charles Bukowski meeting up in a diner, and them both falling in love with the same waitress talking with a hillbilly accent and a pierced tongue. Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and others have recorded Ed’s songs, and he has recorded for Philo, Zu-Zazz, and Sugar Hill Records. The third verse of his song “The Diamond Stream,” is permanently displayed on the wall in the Hall Of Honor at the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. Ed teaches songwriting at East Tennessee State University in the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Program.

AAME Public Speaker Series: Jack Beck and Wendy Welch
2017-11-07 19:00 - 20:30
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire’s Public Speaker Series kicks off its fall programming with An Evening of Song and Story with Jack Beck and Wendy Welch on November 7.
Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE EVENT
Scots balladeer Jack Beck (a native of Dunfermline in Scotland) is an honorary life member of the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland and was external examiner in Scots Song for the Degree programme in Scots Music Performance at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow.
Wendy Beck is a storyteller who founded the American Folklore Society’s Storytelling Section and was the former branch secretary of the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland. Her best-selling memoir The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book is now in its fourth printing.
A recent venture for Jack and Wendy is an “infotainment” called “Stranger in This Country” in which Jack and Wendy examine Scots and American versions of the same songs and ballads. This has been performed both in Scotland—twice at the Celtic Connections Festival—and in the United States from South Carolina to New York and all points in between.
The event is free and open to the public; doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire (AAME) is a nonprofit arts council serving artists, arts organizations, and other cultural endeavors throughout East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

RTE 23 Listening Room: Matt Martin & Zaq Suarez
2017-12-02 20:00 - 22:00
Presented by the RTE 23 Music Festival, the Listening Room experience is a series of concerts performed in an intimate setting by exciting new talent from the region and beyond.
Date: Saturday, December 2, 2017
Time: 8:00 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00 p.m.)
Location: The Inn at Wise, Wise, Virginia
Tickets: $8 Advance/$10 DOS
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RTE 23 Music Festival presents another stellar Listening Room experience with Matt Martin & Zaq Suarez to The Inn at Wise in beautiful Wise, Virginia.
The Hermit Kings and this mountain have been a consistent presence at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion for the past five years. Matthew Martin (this mountain, Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest of Glass) and Zaq Suarez (Hermit Kings, Tiny Things) seek to finally let you hear their lyrics clearly while carefully avoiding eye contact. Both gentlemen are excited to bring what you’ve heard before, as well as new material, with a more intimate acoustic experience.

PUSH! Film Festival Encore Screening of Forgive–Don’t Forget
2017-12-21 18:00 - 22:00
Join PUSH! Film Festival for an encore screening of the 2017 PUSH! Film Festival Best Feature Film Forgive–Don’t Forget on Thursday, December 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The evening will begin with a welcome and cocktails at 6:00 p.m., followed by the film screening at 7:00 p.m. Afterwards filmmaker Brad Bennett will be present for a Q&A and a reception. This event is free and open to the public; however, due to limited seating, an RSVP is required.
Reserve your place here!
About Forgive–Don’t Forget (documentary)
At its core, Forgive–Don’t Forget is about the connection between two very different cultures and the importance of remembrance. When Japan surrendered to the U.S. at the end of World War II, numerous Japanese swords were confiscated and taken back to the States. The Japanese sword, while once a symbol of wartime aggression, is also deeply embedded in Japan’s rich history and spiritual heritage. In order to better understand the past and build a bridge between cultures in the present, an American filmmaker attempts to return one of these surrendered swords to its original owner. Check out the trailer to the film here.
About PUSH! Film Festival
3 Days. 2 States. 1 Film Festival. PUSH! Film Festival, held in Historic Downtown Bristol, TN/VA, is a competitive, 3-day festival and celebration of the cinematic and visual arts. By bringing diverse films to our community and showcasing the best regional filmmakers, PUSH! aims to expand the artistic image of our region, engage new audiences in the world of film, and inspire creativity in all of us. In addition to a diverse variety of curated films, the film festival hosts a competition that devotes categories to Best Tennessee Films and Best Virginia Films (shot in the two states or made by a filmmaker from TN or VA), as well as Best Short and Best Feature (open to all films – local, national, and international) and an Audience Award. Workshops and other educational and networking opportunities for filmmakers and audience members of all ages are also on offer. Films and workshops are held across several venues including the historic, art-deco Paramount Bristol, the Bristol Public Library, and the Smithsonian-affiliated Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

Breaking Up Christmas Concert
2018-01-06 19:00 - 21:00
Join us on Saturday, January 6 at 7pm for a Breaking Up Christmas Concert featuring The New Smokey Valley Boys, The Cabin Creek Boys, and Mountain Park Old Time Band!
Breaking Up Christmas is an old Blue Ridge Mountains tradition where people celebrated the 12 days of Christmas with house parties filled with old-time stringband music and Appalachian cheer. January 6 marks the end of those 12 days, and what better way to say goodbye to the festive season and welcome in the new year than with a night of energetic and entertaining old-time music live in the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Performance Theater and broadcast via Radio Bristol?
This concert program is inspired by the current special exhibit The Luthier’s Craft: Instrument Making Traditions of the Blue Ridge. Several band members are luthiers featured in this exhibit, including Kevin Fore from The New Smokey Valley Boys, Chris Testerman from The Cabin Creek Boys, and Johnny Gentry from the Mountain Park Old Time Band.
Special thanks to Renasant Bank for sponsoring this event.
Tickets for this event are $15 + Virginia admission tax.
Buy your ticket(s) here!
About The New Smokey Valley Boys
The New Smokey Valley Boys are a group of young men who have come together to honor one of-old time music’s greatest string bands: Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys. The original group based out of Surry County, North Carolina, was led by the late Flippen and Paul Sutphin from the 1970s all the way through to Flippen’s death in 2011. Though various members came and went, the group was known for its hard-driving square dance style and received numerous awards over the decades. Along the way Flippen invited younger folks to be a part of his group, including current members of the New Smokey Valley Boys. Andy Edmonds was a member of the group for 12 years and learned to fiddle directly under the guidance of Flippen. Kevin Fore also played with Flippen for numerous years and provided a solid Round Peak banjo sound for the band. Wes Clifton comes from a long line of musicians, including his legendary grandfather Verlen Clifton; Wes played in the Smokey Valley Boys the last few years of Flippen’s life. Todd Hiatt also comes from a very musical family and adds mandolin to the band in true Surry County fashion. Though these guys have played together for years in various combinations, this group is dedicated to reviving a particular sound that once dominated the old-time scene.
About Mountain Park Old Time Band
Mountain Park Old Time Band was formed 10 years ago as a group of friends who happened to enjoy old-time music getting together to have a good time. Members of the band include Roger Stamper (fiddle & vocals), Dr. Mark Handy (banjo & vocals) Johnny Gentry (guitar, Dobro & vocals) C.T. Janney (Wwashboard & flatfoot dDancer) and Nancy Gentry (bass). The band has been very fortunate to have played at Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, the Carter Fold, the Blue Ridge Music Center, just to name a few. The band plays at the Alleghany Jubilee the second and fifth Saturday of every month, and they have been featured on All Things Considered on NPR for playing at the second longest radio show in the country on WPAQ. They have opened for the bluegrass super group Blue Highway, the Steep Canyon Rangers, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. They have been the winners of Instrumental Group of the year at the Blue Ridge Uprising in 2013. Mountain Park Old Time Band is known for their dance music whether it be square dance, flat foot, clogging, two step, or waltz. More than anything, they have a great time and it shows in their performances!
About The Cabin Creek Boys
The Cabin Creek Boys play old-time hillbilly music from the mountains of southwest Virginia and northwest North Carolina, performing at area fiddlers conventions, festivals, square dances, and other community events. Led by multi-instrumentalist husband and wife duo Chris and Erika Testerman of Lansing, North Carolina, the band also includes Jackson Cunningham of Grant, Virginia, on guitar; Trish Kilby Fore of Galax, Virginia, on clawhammer banjo; and Jerry Steinberg of Salem, Virginia, on bass.
Chris Testerman was raised in the Whitetop section of Grayson County, Virginia. While attending Mount Rogers Combined School, he became interested in fiddle playing and was a member of the Mount Rogers School String Band. After a lot of hard work, determination, and guidance from mentors Thornton and Emily Spencer, Chris emerged as a strong Whitetop-style fiddler. Chris toured Canada in 2013 and the United Kingdom in 2014 with the Whitetop Mountain Band. Following in the footsteps of another legendary Whitetop fiddler, Albert Hash, Chris also builds fiddles; he learned much of his craft from Audrey Hash Ham and Archie Elmer Powers. Chris also sings harmony for the Cabin Creek Boys in the style of the early Stanley Brothers recordings.
Erika Testerman, originally from Mount Airy, North Carolina, grew up in a musical community and was taught and influenced by well-known Surry County musicians Chester McMillian and Mac and Steve Snow. Erika and Chris teach in the Sparta School’s Junior Appalachian Musicians program and feel it is important to pass on the area’s musical traditions to the younger generation. Many times during the Cabin Creek Boys performances, Erika will lay down her guitar and pick up a fiddle, joining Chris on a few toe-tapping tunes. Erika also brings a real talent for singing to the Cabin Creek Boys.
Jackson Cunningham, from southern Oregon, is no stranger to old-time and bluegrass. He grew up around music and has been playing guitar and singing most of his life. He has toured in many different states and abroad, including England and Australia. Like Chris, Jackson is a luthier and specializes in building guitars and fiddles; he learned most of his techniques from Wayne Henderson, Herb Key, and Audrey Hash Ham. Jackson does most of the lead singing for the Cabin Creek Boys and will happily pull out his mandolin for a tune on occasion.
Born and raised in the Lansing community of Ashe County, Trish Kilby Fore began playing the clawhammer banjo after suffering a knee injury playing softball. Trish was fortunate to be around many good musicians growing up and attended jam sessions and dances with her grandparents. Trish’s banjo playing style was influenced by Emily Spencer, Enoch Rutherford, Harold B. Hausenfluck, and Larry Pennington. In 1997, Trish had the opportunity to tour Germany and France with the old-time band the Farmer’s Daughters. Married to banjo player and maker Kevin Fore, Trish often plays a Round Peak banjo with a Formica checkerboard-design neck that he made for her. Trish also sings a few songs with the Cabin Creek Boys.
Although Jerry Steinberg was not born in Virginia, he got here as quick as he could, and he has made his home in Salem, Virginia, for most of his life. Jerry learned to play the bass in his mid-30s and was lucky to get his start in old time with Kyle Creed and in bluegrass with Ted Lundy. Jerry’s timing is the foundation for the Cabin Creek Boys’ hard-driving, high-energy and danceable beat; Jerry can walk, slap, and chime the bass. A walking encyclopedia of old-time, bluegrass and hillbilly music, Jerry is often sought-out by fellow musicians, academics, and the Bluegrass Unlimited magazine to answer those “hard-to-answer-type” questions.
The Cabin Creek Boys have fun entertaining audiences with their style of traditional music that includes old-time hoedown instrumentals, bluegrass songs, two-step numbers and waltzes, and they love to make people happy with their music.

"SOLD" OUT: An Evening with Jayne Henderson and Wayne Henderson
2018-01-26 19:00 - 21:00
SORRY! THIS FREE EVENT HAS NOW REACHED CAPACITY!
Join us Friday, January 26 at 7pm for an evening of stories and music with luthiers Jayne Henderson and Wayne Henderson. Jayne will give a talk on her road to becoming a luthier, learning from her father Wayne, and the innovations in eco-sustainability she is bringing to the craft. She will also present a brief demonstration showing some of the tools, woods, and techniques she uses. After the talk and demo, Wayne will give a short performance playing some of Jayne’s instruments for the audience.
This program is inspired by the current special exhibit The Luthier’s Craft: Instrument Making Traditions of the Blue Ridge. Both Jayne Henderson and Wayne Henderson are featured in this exhibit.
An Evening with Jayne Henderson and Wayne Henderson is free and open to the public, though there is a suggested donation of $5. Seating is limited so we are asking that people RSVP for the event.
Special thanks to Renasant Bank for sponsoring this event.

RTE 23 Listening Room Concert: Lauren & Jason Morrow of The Whiskey Gentry
2018-02-16 19:00 - 20:30
The Birthplace of Country Music presents the RTE 23 Listening Room with Lauren & Jason Morrow of The Whiskey Gentry!
Date: Friday, February 16, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $10 Advance/$12 Day of Show
TICKETS
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents another exciting edition of the RTE 23 Listening Room Concert Series! Enjoy an incredible night with combined talents of Lauren and Jason Morrow of The Whiskey Gentry—a favorite act of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Lauren and Jason will also be joined by a full band for the special event.
On Friday, February 16 the duo will appear at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Historic Downtown Bristol and they’ll perform at The Inn at Wise in Wise, Virginia on Saturday, February 24th.

About Lauren & Jason Morrow
Formed in 2009 by husband and wife songwriting duo Lauren Staley and Jason Morrow, The Whiskey Gentry sound dwells most generally under the country category, but to stifle them with that label isn’t fair. Lauren Staley’s voice, as thoroughly Americana as any of her folk counterparts, rings as clear as a bell. There’s some honky-tonk in their DNA, a wink at bluegrass, but there’s also a hint of garage rock.
The band’s third studio record, Dead Ringer, was released released in April 2017 on Pitch-A-Tent Records. Recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Studio, the album peaked in the Top 40 of the Americana Music Charts and made many of the year’s “Best Of” lists.

1927 Society Concert: Merlefest on the Road
2018-02-23 18:30 - 21:00
Merlefest on the Road makes a stop at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for an intimate 1927 Society Concert experience featuring live music from The Way Down Wanderers, The Barefoot Movement, and Andy May. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages included.
Date: Friday, February 23, 2018
Doors Open: 6:30 p.m. (Heavy hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages included.)
Concert: Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (520 Birthplace of Country Music Way, Bristol, VA)
Tickets: $85 (taxes, fees included)

1927 Society Members: Tickets on sale beginning Monday, January 8 – Sunday, January 21. See 1927 Society E-Newsletter for Special Access Code. (E-Newsletter sent on 1/8/2018.)
Public: Tickets on sale to the general public on January 22nd at 10:00 am (EST).

BUY TICKETS
About Merlefest on the Road
Pre-Festival Shows Give Fans a Sneak Peek of Merlefest 2018
MerleFest, the popular music festival founded by the legendary Doc Watson and presented by Window World, offers music lovers a sneak peek of this spring’s festival when MerleFest On the Road tours throughout the Southeast during March. The tour will feature select artists that will to perform at MerleFest 2018 or have performed previously at the festival: The Way Down Wanderers, The Barefoot Movement and Andy May.

The Way Down Wanderers
Equal parts fast-paced and soulful, 5-piece modern-folk Americana act, The Way Down Wanderers, draw listeners in with energy, originality and soulful generosity. Playing, performing and writing together for just 4 short years, the Wanderers have built an enthusiastic and fast-growing following. Youthful and professionally trained, these young men captivate audiences with soaring instrumentals, foot stomping sing-alongs and a lively stage show and have created a buzz for themselves with their unplugged, off-stage encores. The band’s debut, self-titled album, produced by Mike Marsh of the Avett Brothers and recorded at Sonic Ranch in El Paso TX, is now available wherever music is sold. Front-men and founders, Austin and Collin, met in their hometown of Peoria, IL when they joined the same folk band and embarked on their first tour at the ages of 14 and 18 years old. The two became fast friends and soon began writing music together, ultimately forming The Way Down Wanderers when Collin was 16 and Austin, 20 years old.

The Barefoot Movement
Memorable melodies, lush harmonies, and exciting instrumentation: the music of Nashville, TN’s The Barefoot Movement is made up of all of these things and more. With one shoe-less foot firmly planted in the world of roots music, while the other wanders anywhere from the styles of pop to rock to R&B, their genre busting sound may be hard to define, but it is clearly infectious to anyone who hears it. Centered around the soaring vocals and songwriting of lead singer and fiddler Noah Wall, the band has been touring since 2009, and their most recent release was produced by Chuck Plotkin (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan) and Hank Linderman (Eagles, America). Heralded by CMT Edge as “one of the most promising bands on the bluegrass scene,” the music remains as down to earth as their intention for members of their audience: sit back, relax, take your shoes off, and stay a while. With crowds teeming with enthusiasm at every performance, and new fans joining the fold across the nation, word is surely spreading and the message is clear: barefoot is better. Won’t you join the movement?

Andy May
Veteran singer/songwriter, mandolinist, and champion guitar picker, Andy May, infuses his songwriting and shows with his trademark creativity, humor, and consummate musicianship. He draws from a deep well of traditional American music and his writing taps into styles from blues to Bluegrass, old-time country to contemporary folk, traditional reels to roots-rock. He often co-writes with his wildlife biologist-Master Gardener-lyricist wife, Lauren, who brings a certain earthiness and wit to their joint efforts.
Andy’s latest album, Room for Roots, has played nationwide on independent Americana and Country Music radio, with multiple original songs charting. The album itself made Roots Music Report’s 2016 Top Americana Country Album Chart.
Also an educator and mentor, Andy has provided performance opportunities for hundreds of young musicians at music festivals for nearly three decades through his beloved Acoustic Kids Showcases. This is his 18th MerleFest.
Johnson added, “We are delighted to showcase some of the finest artists from MerleFest lineups. MerleFest regulars tell us that they can hardly wait for every April to arrive, and now they don’t have to! We believe that the fans who catch a MerleFest On the Road show will be more enthusiastic than ever for the festival in April.”
MerleFest 2018 will take place from April 26 – 29 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, N.C., where the MerleFest on the Road artists will be joined by Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Rodney Crowell, Rhiannon Giddens, Elephant Revival, The Devil Makes Three, a Midnight Jam hosted by Town Mountain and Jim Lauderdale, among many others. The MerleFest website (www.merlefest.org) provides additional information about the festival, including the full released lineup, artists details, and the opportunity to purchase tickets.

RTE 23 Listening Room Concert: Lauren & Jason Morrow of The Whiskey Gentry
2018-02-24 19:00 - 20:30
The Birthplace of Country Music presents the RTE 23 Listening Room with Lauren & Jason Morrow of The Whiskey Gentry at The Inn at Wise in Wise, Virginia.
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Location: The Inn at Wise, Wise, Virginia
Tickets: $10 Advance/$12 Day of Show
TICKETS
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents another exciting edition of the RTE 23 Listening Room Concert Series with the combined talents of Lauren and Jason Morrow of The Whiskey Gentry—a favorite act of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this amazing couple in a unique and intimate setting! On Saturday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. the duo will perform at The Inn at Wise in Wise, Virginia.

About Lauren & Jason Morrow
Formed in 2009 by husband and wife songwriting duo Lauren Staley and Jason Morrow, The Whiskey Gentry sound dwells most generally under the country category, but to stifle them with that label isn’t fair. Lauren Staley’s voice, as thoroughly Americana as any of her folk counterparts, rings as clear as a bell. There’s some honky-tonk in their DNA, a wink at bluegrass, but there’s also a hint of garage rock.
The band’s third studio record, Dead Ringer, was released released in April 2017 on Pitch-A-Tent Records. Recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Studio, the album peaked in the Top 40 of the Americana Music Charts and made many of the year’s “Best Of” lists.

Museum Volunteer Training
2018-02-27 15:00 - 18:00
WE WANT YOU TO VOLUNTEER AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF COUNTRY MUSIC MUSEUM!
Volunteers are needed to assist in the galleries on a daily basis, help in archives and collections, provide curatorial research and exhibit assistance, support special events, assist in The Museum Store, and act as docents for guided adult and school tours.
Training is provided at one 3-hour session that provides a detailed introduction to the museum and the volunteer program, including a chance for you to pinpoint your area of interest at the museum and learn more about the ins-and-outs of being a museum volunteer.
We will be holding our next volunteer training session on Tuesday, February 27, 3:00 to 6:00pm.
As a volunteer, you will also have many opportunities for continuing learning and training at the museum. Most of all, you will have fun as part of the volunteer team!
For more information on becoming a museum volunteer and to register your interest in these training sessions, contact us at 423-573-1927.

Call for Entries for Photograph Exhibit
2018-04-05 08:00 - 2018-04-24 17:00
DEADLINE EXTENDED to Tuesday, April 24!
Later this year the Birthplace of Country Music Museum will host a new special exhibit Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Through Your Eyes, and it will feature photographs from Bristol Rhythm fans and festivalgoers. The juried exhibit will be created in-house by the museum’s curatorial team, based on photographs taken at any Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion from its beginnings in 2000 to the most recent festival in 2017.
Photographs can include shots from all aspects of the festival from the performances on stage and buskers on the street to people enjoying the festival atmosphere to the variety of activities on offer such as Children’s Day or jam workshops. All images will be judged by professional photographers Neil Staples, Jay Phyfer, and Billie Wheeler, former Virginia Intermont professors and alumni, all of whom have worked at the festival and other BCM music events. Photographs will be judged and chosen on the basis of quality and content. The chosen images will then be included and credited in the special exhibit on a series of designed panels.
The exhibit is set to open in the Special Exhibits Gallery of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum mid-August 2018 and it will be on display through October 21, 2018.
The museum has created specific guidelines for photograph submissions, and these can be found here or requested via email at info@BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org or phone at 423-573-1927. Anyone is eligible to enter, regardless of amateur or professional status, residence, or age; however, individuals under the age of 18 will be requested to provide written parental/guardian consent should their work be selected.
Entries to the juried photograph show open on March 22, 2018, and all entries must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 24.

Strong Mountain Women: How Ballads Power People – Songs and Stories from the Appalachian Collections of Cecil Sharp, Maud Karpeles, and Olive Dame Campbell
2018-04-06 19:00 - 20:30
Join us on Friday, April 6 at 7pm in the museum’s Performance Theater for “Strong Mountain Women: How Ballads Power People – Songs and Stories from the Appalachian Collections of Cecil Sharp, Maud Karpeles, and Olive Dame Campbell.”
From 1916 to 1918, English ballad collector Cecil Sharp traveled the Appalachian region to document variants of ballad songs and photographed some of the singers who shared their music. The special exhibit – The Appalachian Photographs of Cecil Sharp, 1916 to 1918 – highlights 26 rare photographs that offer a stunning window into the lives of Appalachian people of the period. This exhibit will be on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum from March 17 to May 31, 2018.
This related program will feature a talk by Donald Hughes, exhibit curator, and a performance by eighth-generation North Carolina ballad singer and storyteller Donna Ray Norton. Norton is one of the artists on the 2017 Grammy-nominated recording Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition, a two-disc set that features a number of performers, including Roseanne Cash and Sheila Kay Adams.
The Appalachian Photographs of Cecil Sharp, 1916 to 1918 is on loan from the Country Dance and Song Society, with permission of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
For more information about the exhibit, go to www.cecilsharpinappalachia.org.
The program starts at 7:00pm; doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets for the “Strong Mountain Women: How Ballads Power People” program are $5.
Buy Tickets Here

RTE 23 Listening Room Concert: Folk Soul Revival
2018-04-07 19:30 - 21:00
The Birthplace of Country Music presents the RTE 23 Listening Room with Folk Soul Revival at the Park Avenue Theater in Norton, Virginia.
Date: Saturday, April 7, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m.
(Doors Open at 7:00 p.m.)
Location: Park Avenue Theater in Norton, VA
Tickets: $15 Advance/$20 Door
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About Folk Soul Revival
FOLK SOUL REVIVAL is one of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee’s most beloved and sought after acts. Performing original roots-rock, the quintet’s distinct, radio-ready sound and back-porch instrumentation have garnered success with high profile gigs opening for the likes of Travis Tritt, Jason Isbell, Eric Church, Justin Townes Earle, Dr. Ralph Stanley, and more. FSR’s loyal fan base, fondly referred to as “The Congregation,” consistently packs sold out shows across the southeast while singing along with the band word for word.
FSR is a mainstay act at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion which boasts more than 60,000 attendees. The band has also performed at Floydfest and are among the best-selling acts to perform at the legendary Carter Family Fold and The Down Home.

RTE 23 Music Festival
2018-05-01 17:00 - 22:00
The New Respects, Cordovas, and Young Mister slated to perform at the RTE 23 Music Festival coming to the campus of UVa-Wise August 25, 2018.
Date: Saturday, August 25, 2018
Time: 5:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
FREE EVENT
It’s the 5th anniversary of the RTE 23 Music Festival and BCM will once again bring this amazing event to the campus of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
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Visit RTE23MusicFestival.com for more information.

Museum Volunteer Training
2018-06-02 09:00 - 12:00
WE WANT YOU TO VOLUNTEER AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF COUNTRY MUSIC MUSEUM!
Volunteers are needed to assist in the galleries on a daily basis, help in archives and collections, provide curatorial research and exhibit assistance, support special events, assist in The Museum Store, and act as docents for guided adult and school tours.
Training is provided at one 3-hour session that provides a detailed introduction to the museum and the volunteer program, including a chance for you to pinpoint your area of interest at the museum and learn more about the ins-and-outs of being a museum volunteer.
We will be holding our next volunteer training session on Saturday, June 2, 9am–12 noon. This Saturday training is open to anyone, but it is also the perfect opportunity for those interested in volunteering who are only free on the weekends!
As a volunteer, you will also have many opportunities for continuing learning and training at the museum. Most of all, you will have fun as part of the volunteer team!
For more information on becoming a museum volunteer and to register your interest in these training sessions, contact us by email at volunteercoordinator@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org or by phone at 423-573-1927.

RTE 23 Listening Room: Saw Black
2018-06-08 20:00 - 22:00
The Birthplace of Country Music presents the RTE 23 Listening Room with Richmond, Virginia’s own Saw Black at Gather in Wise, Virginia!
Date: Friday, June 8, 2018
Time: 8:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 7:30 p.m.)
Location: Gather, 411 East Main Street, Wise, Virginia 24293
Tickets: $10 Advance/$12 Day of Show
TICKETS
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents another exciting edition of the RTE 23 Listening Room concert Series! Enjoy a night with Saw Black and get a sneak preview of the band also scheduled to perform at this year’s Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival!

About Saw Black
Saw Black reaches higher with Water Tower, a fitting follow up to his basement gem Azalea Days. Water Tower expands on the self-reflective nature of Azalea Days but brings a bigger band and a higher production value to the table. With 14 songs, this collage of sounds and short pop-structured songs chronicles Saw’s year of touring, songwriting, and learning how to love again. Recorded between three separate studios with three different line-ups, Water Tower comes together as an American record about writing records and music.
What does it mean to be a person who plays guitar and sings songs about life and love? Saw confronts these questions as a common thread on his second effort. An art handler by trade, Saw Black is also producer and co-owner of Crystal Pistol Records. He began playing music when his grandfather, a jazz piano player, gave him an electric guitar at the age of 11. Now 29 and having taken on every role within the recording process, he presses onward and upward. Water Tower is out via WarHen Records in collaboration with Crystal Pistol Records.

Terry Baucom's Dukes of Drive
2018-06-11 19:00 - 20:00
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly hosts Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive as part of The Crooked Road’s Mountains of Music Homecoming!
Date: Monday, June 11, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Please note the 9:00 p.m. show has been cancelled.

Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $20 Adults, $10 Children 12 and under
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About Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive
A native of Monroe, North Carolina, Terry Baucom has enjoyed a career in music that started in 1970 with Charlie Moore and continued over the years as a founding member of ground breaking bands like Boone Creek (with Ricky Skaggs and Jerry Douglas), Doyle Lawson &
Quicksilver, IIIrd Tyme Out and more. Winner of the 2013 IBMA Recorded Event of the Year for “What’ll I Do,” Baucom currently tours with his own band, Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive.
His single “The Rock” finished 2015 as Bluegrass radio’s most played song on the Bluegrass Today chart. The band’s current Top 10 single “Around The Corner” is recieving heavy national and international airplay. In 2008, Deering Banjos introduced the Terry Baucom Signature model banjo, while the Dunlop company also uses Baucom as an endorser, offering Terry Baucom custom sets of banjo strings. A testament to his influence is evident when you listen to countless younger generation banjo players who use Baucom signature licks and emulate his driving technique. In addition to playing on numerous recording sessions and producing instructional materials, Baucom teaches banjo, both privately and in camp and workshop settings.
The Dukes of Drive consists of Joey Lemons from King, North Carolina, on mandolin and vocals; Will Jones of Cana, Virginia, on guitar and vocals; and Joe Hannabach of Pfafftown, North Carolina on bass.

1927 Society Concert: Paul Thorn - SOLD OUT!
2018-06-23 19:30 - 21:00
Upon great demand, the Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents the return of Paul Thorn for a very special 1927 Society Concert experience.
Date: Saturday, June 23, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m.
(Doors Open at 6:30 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: Event is SOLD OUT!

About Paul Thorn
Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis generations before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet relatable music of our time. With 20 years of writing, touring, and entertaining under his belt, he shows no sign of slowing down with his new record, Don’t Let the Devil Ride, on the horizon.

Love Canon Album Release Concert - SOLD OUT
2018-07-03 19:30 - 21:30
This event is SOLD OUT!
The Birthplace of Country Music is proud to welcome Love Canon on Tuesday, July 3 at 7:00 p.m. to debut their new album, COVER STORY: A Journey Through Music’s Great Decade, in the Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20.00
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
About Love Cannon
LOVE CANON brings their acoustic-roots sensibilities to the electronic-tinged pop hits of the 80’s and 90’s to create Cover Story, their 4th album, due out on Organic Records in July 2018. With Cover Story, LOVE CANON delivers a fresh set of classics, crossing genres to recount music of decades past from the likes of Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, Depeche Mode, and Paul Simon. The self-produced album hosts a plethora of special guests including Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Keller Williams, Michael Cleveland, and Eric Krasno, among others.
The band’s diehard fans are music lovers first and are drawn to the charismatic and wide-ranging vocal stylings of lead singer and guitarist Jesse Harper matched with banjo master Adam Larrabee, mandolin pickin’ by Andy Thacker, Darrell Muller holding down the low-end on standup bass, and the slick sounds of resonator guitar king Jay Starling on the Beard MA-6. It’s acoustic rock! Acclaimed fiddler Alex Hargreaves [Turtle Island Quartet, Sarah Jarosz] does all of the fiddling on this record with the exception of two tracks, and he occasionally joins them on tour.
As seasoned virtuoso string players who have been touring the mid-Atlantic since 2010, LOVE CANON stays true to the approach, arrangements, and keen artistry of these nostalgic hits. Cover Story was engineered by Rob Evans at Dave Matthews Band’s Haunted Hollow Studio in LOVE CANON’s hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia and mixed by Wayne Pooley, Bruce Hornsby’s Engineer/Producer. Cover Story is a follow up to the band’s previous efforts, Greatest Hits Volumes 1-3.
Website: http://www.lovecanonmusic.com/

Monthly Community Jam!
2018-07-21 14:00 - 17:00
Calling all musicians! Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a full-on community jam session!

Date: Saturday, July 21, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is now hosting a monthly gathering of local musicians for a full-on community jam session! The jam events have been organized to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. These free jams are open to all ages and all skill levels; those interested in just coming along to listen to good music are also welcome!
Jams will be scheduled for the third Saturday of each month from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., serving as a great warm-up for Saturday night gigs! Musicians are asked to bring their own instruments.
The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

1927 Society Concert: Malpass Brothers
2018-08-10 19:00 - 21:00
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents a very special 1927 Society Concert experience with The Malpass Brothers.
Date: Friday, August 10, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $80
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About the 1927 Society Concert Series
The 1927 Society Concert Series is an intimate concert experience set in the “acoustically perfect” Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. It’s more than a night of music, it’s a very personal event with some of the most renowned roots music artists performing today. Guests are asked to arrive promptly at 6:00 p.m. to enjoy dinner (heavy hors d’oeuvres) and an open bar (ages 21+ with valid ID) before the show, included with ticket.
About The Malpass Brothers

As young boys, Christopher and Taylor Malpass soaked up the music of their granddad’s phonograph records. Christopher earned his first talent show trophy at age 7, and Taylor was playing mandolin by the time he was 10. Today, they promote the work and music of classic country artists they treasure while creating new music and making their own mark in the lineage of a rich American cultural heritage.
With sincerity, honesty and an utter ease on stage that belies their years, their smooth vocal blend and skillful musicianship layer infectiously into the deep respect they pay to legends who have paved the way. Add the funny, off-the-cuff quips between the two 20-something siblings, and the engaging concert becomes a magnetic time-traveling journey to when a calmer rhythm reigned supreme.
The Malpass Brothers toured with the late Don Helms, former steel guitarist for Hank Williams, have opened for music legend Merle Haggard on multiple tours and appeared on stages from the Shetland Islands to Ryman Auditorium to Merlefest. Gifted musicians and songwriters, the brothers have shared billing with artists including Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Doyle Lawson, Rhonda Vincent, Marty Stuart, Doc Watson and more. The title cut video from their “Memory That Bad” album hit CMT Pure Country’s Top Ten. Their most recent self-titled recording, produced by bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson, was released by Crossroads’ Organic Records in 2015.

Monthly Community Jam!
2018-08-18 14:00 - 17:00
Calling all musicians! Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a full-on community jam session!

Date: Saturday, August 18, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is now hosting a monthly gathering of local musicians for a full-on community jam session! The jam events have been organized to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. These free jams are open to all ages and all skill levels; those interested in just coming along to listen to good music are also welcome!
Jams will be scheduled for the third Saturday of each month from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., serving as a great warm-up for Saturday night gigs! Musicians are asked to bring their own instruments.
The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

RTE 23 Music Festival
2018-08-25 17:00 - 22:00
Presented by the Birthplace of Country Music, RTE 23 is a free concert experience that brings a taste of Bristol Rhythm to the coalfields for a free celebration of our region’s rich music culture with great music, food, and family fun!
Date: August 25, 2018
Time: 5:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m.
Location: University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Wise, VA

The RTE 23 Music Festival has its origins back in February of 2009, when The Bristol Rhythm & Roots Concert Series at UVa-Wise hosted its first show in the college’s student center. The goal then – and now – was simple: bring the best Americana bands possible to music lovers in Southwest Virginia. This year’s lineup offers a great preview of artists who will perform at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in September, including The New Respects, Cordovas, and Young Mister. For a complete schedule of events and more information visit RTE23MusicFestival.com.

About The New Respects
Featured in Rolling Stone as one of “10 New Artists You Need to Know,” newly signed Credential Recordings artist The New Respects are quickly turning heads and gaining unprecedented traction. Falling into a genre of their own, The New Respects mesh rock & roll, soul, and pop music with overlays of acoustic tones. Comprised of twins Zandy and Lexi Fitzgerald, brother Darius and their cousin Jasmine Mullen, the Nashville-based group is a true family affair, evidencing the undeniable soul and musical legacy that flows through the roots of their family tree. Upon their debut, the Nashville-based band surged on social media platforms and their second single “Trouble” received sync placements with Fox Sports, ESPN and TNT. Both Nylon Magazine and Interview Magazine exclusively premiered music videos for the band’s second and third singles. Most recently the band got together with NPR Music to announce the release of their 5 song EP Here Comes Trouble, which features three new unreleased tracks, all of which the band will be playing live while out on tour this year.

About Cordovas
Cordovas are Joe Firstman, Lucca Soria, Jon Loyd, Toby Weaver and Graham Spillman. Out of Madison, Tennessee, Cordovas’ sound is based in harmony, song, and musicianship. Firstman released two albums on Atlantic Records in the early 2000s, including the acclaimed War of Women. “Baby Genius,” 24-year-old songsmith, Des Moines’ Lucca Soria, sings and plays guitar. The keyboardist, Jon Loyd, is an original Cordova from Macon, GA. Loyd’s high notes and piano style make the sound unforgettable and recognizable. His musical genius is well known in Nashville circles. Redondo Beach, California’s Graham Spillman is on drums. The 25-year-old Berklee College of Music dropout also sings and pens tunes for the group. Toby Weaver, also an original Cordova and American Folk music aficionado, plays guitar and sings. The band spent the past winter on the Baja in Mexico writing and demoing songs for their latest album produced by two-time Grammy nominee Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids.

About Young Mister
Young Mister is songwriter Steven Fiore, sometimes accompanied by a band of talented musicians from across the southeast United States. As a songwriter, Fiore has spent many years building a fan base along both coasts, touring with the likes of Jump Little Children and Howie Day, and even regularly performing as a guest vocalist in Jeff Goldblum’s jazz band in Los Angeles.
After spending 8 years as a songwriter for Universal Music Publishing Group, Fiore is now stretching into new musical territory as Young Mister.

Facebook Live! Radio Bristol Premieres
2018-08-31 19:00 - 20:30
Sorry, tickets to this event are now sold out. Watch it on Radio Bristol’s Facebook Live!
Radio Bristol Premieres Folk Soul Revival’s new album with an intimate album release concert.
Date: Friday, August 31, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
About Folk Soul Revival
A modern band rooted in old-school southern sounds, Folk Soul Revival whips up its own version of amplified Americana on the band’s self-titled fourth record.
The name says it all. Folk Soul Revival, like the band that created it, is an album that celebrates the sounds, stories, and small-town values of an earlier era, modernizing their approach with sharp songwriting and electrifying instrumental work. There’s country twang, bluegrass bounce, hillbilly hell-raising, chicken-pickin’ guitar, and roadhouse roots-rock, all sandwiched into a tracklist that mixes heartbreak, honesty, and humor in equal doses. Recorded in Nashville and road-tested on stages across the country, this is Folk Soul Revival’s finest work — an album that nods to the glory days of the past while still pushing the band forward.

PUSH! Rewind Screening at Doors Open Downtown
2018-09-07 18:30 - 20:00
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum and participating Historic Downtown Bristol merchants are staying open later for Doors Open Downtown each first Friday of the month! And this month’s Doors Open event is extra special because we will be hosting PUSH! Rewind.
Date: Friday, September 7, 2018
Time: PUSH! Rewind screening at 6:30 p.m.; museum open until 8:00 p.m.
Location: Historic Downtown Bristol, VA-TN
Cost: Screening of PUSH! Rewind is free; if visiting the museum exhibits, museum admission applies
Can’t wait until October’s PUSH! Film Festival to watch some great films? Have no fear. Join us for PUSH! Rewind, a screening of previous festival winners, in the museum’s Performance Theater at 6:30 p.m.
Not only will we be hosting this special screening, but the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and The Museum Store, along with a variety of participating downtown merchants, will also be keeping our doors open until 8:00 p.m. for museum visitors and shoppers!
Doors Open Downtown is a cross-promotional initiative between Bristol’s main street program, headed by the nonprofit organization Believe in Bristol, and downtown businesses who will be extending their regular shopping hours once a month. An added bonus to Doors Open Downtown is extended happy hours featuring a variety of food and drink specials at participating restaurants. There’s always affordable entertainment on Friday evenings in Historic Downtown Bristol and Doors Open Downtown is a great opportunity to unwind and re-connect with family and friends on a Friday night!

Monthly Community Jam!
2018-09-15 14:00 - 17:00
Calling all musicians! Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a full-on community jam session!

Date: Saturday, September 15, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is now hosting a monthly gathering of local musicians for a full-on community jam session! The jam events have been organized to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. These free jams are open to all ages and all skill levels; those interested in just coming along to listen to good music are also welcome!
Jams will be scheduled for the third Saturday of each month from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., serving as a great warm-up for Saturday night gigs! Musicians are asked to bring their own instruments.
The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

PUSH! Film Festival at the Museum
2018-10-12 17:00 - 2018-10-14 17:00
Dates: October 12—14, 2018
Location: Historic Downtown Bristol, VA-TN
The weekend of October 12–14 is the PUSH! Film Festival here in Historic Downtown Bristol, and the museum is one of the main venues for film screenings! We will be hosting a variety of interesting juried films such as Technicolor Daydream, Bully, and Up to Snuff, and several shorts blocks, along with the curated films American Folk and Permanent. The museum is also hosting all of the workshops with topics ranging from costuming to making films on a micro-budget to animation. Other films will be screened at the Paramount Bristol, along with a late night film at local brewery Elderbrew, and the festival also offers other special events and a producers’ party!
Check out the full schedule of screenings, workshops and events, watch trailers, and buy your tickets here: http://www.pushfilmfest.com/.

Monthly Community Jam!
2018-10-20 14:00 - 17:00
Calling all musicians! Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a full-on community jam session!

Date: Saturday, October 20, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m.
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is now hosting a monthly gathering of local musicians for a full-on community jam session! The jam events have been organized to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. These free jams are open to all ages and all skill levels; those interested in just coming along to listen to good music are also welcome!
Jams will be scheduled for the third Saturday of each month from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., serving as a great warm-up for Saturday night gigs! Musicians are asked to bring their own instruments.
The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
For more information call 423-573-1927.

Richard Leigh Album Release
2018-10-25 18:30 - 20:30
Date: Thursday, October 25, 2018
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Performance Theater, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
RESERVE SEAT
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents Grammy Award-winning songwriter Richard Leigh at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for the release of his latest album “Wandering One.”
There is no cost to attend the concert, but there is a limited number of seats available so we ask that everyone reserve a space online. Each member of the audience will receive a free copy of Leigh’s CD; heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided.

About Richard Leigh
Richard Leigh has had hits spanning 4 decades and 9 #1 records. He kicked off the 21st century with a top ten hit, “Cold Day In July”, recorded by the Dixie Chicks. In September of 2009, his good friend, Billy Dean, recorded an entire album of Leigh’s compositions called Billy Dean Sings Richard Leigh. On November 1, 2015 SESAC presented Leigh with its Songwriter Legacy Award, “for extraordinary artistic achievement with words and music”. Crystal Gayle and Reba McEntire were on hand to help present Leigh with this prestigious award.
Leigh, who has been writing songs since he was ten years old and professionally since he was twenty-three, got his first break in 1976 when Crystal Gayle released “I’ll Get Over You”, and took it to #1 on Billboard’s Country Chart. This was made all the sweeter when it garnered Leigh his first, of now seven, Song Of The Year nominations, this one from the Country Music Association (CMA).
Two years later, in 1978, Leigh was back at the CMA’s, this time to take home the Song Of The Year award for “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” which itself has had a phenomenal career: this Leigh composition reached the #1 position on both Pop and County charts and remained on the charts for more than six months. It was nominated at the 20th Grammy Awards in both the Pop and Country Best Song categories (a feat not repeated again until 1993). It won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song and became a million selling single, and was named one of the ten most performed Country Songs Of The Century at the 1999 ASCAP Awards. In addition to his own three Grammy Nominations, five of Leigh’s songs have become vehicles to the Grammy Awards for other artists in the Best Performance, Record of the year, and Vocal Event categories.
To date, Leigh has made fourteen trips to the Top Ten and has written or co-written nine #1 singles: the hauntingly beautiful “Somewhere In My Broken Heart” (written with Billy Dean), voted 1991 Song Of The Year by the Nashville Songwriter’s Association (NSAI), and also by the Academy Of Country Music (ACM); “Only Here For A Little While”, (written with Wayland Holyfield); “The Greatest Man I Never Knew” (written with Layng Martine, Jr.), nominated at the 1993 Grammy Awards for Best Country Song); “Come From The Heart” (written with Susanna Clark and recorded by Kathy Mattea); Don Williams’ “Thats The Thing About Love” (written with Gary Nicholson); Steve Wariner’s “Life’s Highway” (written with Roger Murrah); Mickey Giley’s “Put Your Dreams Away” (written with Wayland Holyfield), and the aforementioned “I’ll Get Over You” and “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue”, both written solely by Leigh and recorded by Crystal Gayle.
In 1978, then Nashville Mayor, Richard Fulton, presented Leigh with The Key To The City. In 1988, he was honored with a space on the NARAS Starwalk. However, he received one of his greatest honors in 1994, twenty years and one month after arriving in Nashville, when his peers elected him into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame.
Other artists who have recorded Leigh’s songs include: Anne Murray, Martina McBride, George Jones, K.T. Oslin, Ronnie Milsap, B.J. Thomas, Bill Medley, Perry Como, Connie Francis, Debbie Boone, Conway Twitty, Alabama, Shenandoah, Tammy Wynette, The Bellamy Brothers, Suzy Boguss, Guy Clark, Ricky Scaggs, Lorrie Morgan, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Marie Osmond, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kitty Wells, Bobby Bare, the great Ray Charles, and many more.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Virginia, Leigh is a graduate of Virginia Highlands Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University. On April 11, 2011, Leigh was one, of only four, chosen nationally from the American Community College System to be awarded 2011 AACC Outstanding Alumni Award for excellence in ones chosen field, and for service to ones community.

Banjo Gathering
2018-11-01 - 2018-11-04
Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Banjo Gathering at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum!
Dates: November 1—4, 2018
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Since 1998, the Banjo Gathering has been the platform for banjo collectors, researchers, instrument builders, and musicians to share new scholarship and findings about the banjo as a historical, cultural, and built object.
This year the Gathering will celebrate with an anniversary concert, broadcasts on Radio Bristol, and their traditional community gathering with three days of presentations, exhibitions, and a banjo marketplace for studying, buying, selling, and trading historical and vintage banjos, parts, and related items, as well as banjos from some of today’s finest instrument makers.
For tickets, registration, and all other information, please visit the Banjo Gathering’s website.
