The Birthplace of Country Music

Monthly Country Jam
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, 2024-08-10 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.

2024 Tennessee Songwriters Week Qualifying Round at the Museum
2024-01-27 13:00 - 16:00 | VA
*NOTE: THE DEADLINE FOR SONGWRITER ENTRY IN BRISTOL QUALIFYING ROUND HAS NOW PASSED. PLEASE CHECK DEADLINES IN OTHER PARTICIPATING VENUES AROUND THE REGION IF YOU STILL WISH TO ENTER .
The Birthplace of Country Music is hosting a qualifying round for Tennessee Songwriters Week in 2024! Registration for songwriters begins Dec. 15. Deadline to enter is Friday, January 12, 2024.
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $10 (For spectators only; no registration fee required for songwriter entries.)

BUY SPECTATOR TICKETS
REGISTRATION FOR SONGWRITERS CLOSED JAN. 12
Aspiring singer-songwriters dream of the opportunity to perform at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, and for a few lucky artists, that opportunity will arrive during 2024 Tennessee Songwriters Week! A number of venues in the region and across the state, including the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Downtown Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee, will host qualifying rounds for singer-songwriters to compete for a place in the spotlight at this historic proving ground for artists – and spectators are invited to watch the competition!
Three (3) songwriters will be chosen from the Bristol competition to move forward and compete during Tennessee Songwriters Week Showcase at The Down Home in Johnson City, Tennessee on Thursday, February 22. Two alternates will also be chosen in case one of the top 3 are unable to fulfill the commitment. One songwriter will move forward from each Showcase event across the state of Tennessee to perform at Bluebird Cafe in March.
Up to 20 contestants will be considered for the qualifying round on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, but we will be accepting a waitlist after the 20 spots are filled. There is no registration fee. Any legal resident of the Unites States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are eligible.
The deadline to register for Bristol qualifying round is Friday, January 12, 2024.
**NOTE: Once you have filled out the application, you will not be notified immediately of your submission status. We will send emails out the first week in January letting songwriters know their submissions have been received.
To enter, songwriters must submit their contact information, song lyrics for the song they plan to perform, and a YouTube link to a video of the song they will perform during the competition. Songwriters will be judged based on their overall performance, originality and connection to the audience. Songs deemed inappropriate or inflammatory will not be considered. Songwriters are only permitted to register with one venue during qualifying rounds. Internet access is required to enter, with no purchase necessary.
Tennessee Songwriters Week Official Rules.
For more information on qualifying rounds across the state of Tennessee, click here.
Timeline of events for Tennessee Songwriters Week:
December 15: Songwriter registration opens
January 12: Deadline for Bristol qualifying round entry
January 29 – February 11: Qualifying Rounds statewide
February 18 – 24: Showcase Events statewide
March 24: Finale at The Bluebird Cafe
Made possible by The Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development, The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Taylor Guitars; committed to making sure songwriters can share their original work on stage with other writers.

SOLD OUT - 1927 Concert Series featuring Hiss Golden Messenger
2024-02-02 18:00 - 21:00 | VA
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents an intimate 1927 Concert Series experience featuring live music by Hiss Golden Messenger.
Date: Friday, February 2, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
BUY TICKETS
The 1927 Society Concert Series is an intimate concert experience with some of the hottest roots music artists performing today. Guests are asked to arrive at 6 p.m. ET to enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres and open bar (ages 21+ with valid ID) before the show, which begins at 7 p.m. The audience will have the opportunity to mingle with the band after the concert, and everything is included in the ticket price.
Members of the Birthplace of Country Music’s 1927 Society gain exclusive access to online ticket presales for each 1927 Concert as a perk of membership. To learn more about all the benefits of membership and to join, click here.
About Hiss Golden Messenger

It’s spring of 2023 in the North Carolina Piedmont and songwriter and singer M.C. Taylor — leader of the band Hiss Golden Messenger — is feeling alive. Joyful. Eternal, he might say. For the GRAMMY nominated musician, whose albums have traced an internal path through adulthood, fatherhood, spirituality, and depression for well over a decade, this is something new.
“The tunes on ‘Jump for Joy’ were composed in free moments throughout 2022, a year during which Hiss was on the road more or less constantly,” explains Taylor. “And perhaps because the post-pandemic energy out in the world felt so chaotic and uncertain, I found myself thinking a lot about the role that music has played in my life and how exactly I ended up in the rarefied position of leading a band and crew all over the globe through dingy graffiti-scrawled green rooms, venerated music halls, dust-blown roadside motels. Sometimes playing in front of 5,000;
sometimes 200. Sleeping sitting up. Laughing until my stomach hurts. Not being able to fall asleep at 3 a.m. in some anonymous bed because my mind is spinning with anxiety or depression or adrenaline, or because my ears are still ringing. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, then robbing Paul to pay Peter back. Over and over again. It’s an outlaw life but one, I’m coming to realize, that makes me happy.”
The songs that make up “Jump for Joy”—the sharpest and most autobiographical that Taylor has written under the Hiss name—read as a sort of epistolary, postcards between the present-day
songwriter and his alias Michael Crow, a teenaged dreamer very much like Taylor himself, who trips his way through the 14 tunes that make up the record. In this way, “Jump for Joy” is a meditation on a life lived with art, and the ways that our hopes and dreams and decisions bump up against—and, with a little bit of luck, occasionally merge with—real life.
“Creating this character became the way that I could explore these vulnerable, tender moments that were so decisive in my life, even if I didn’t know it at the time,” explains Taylor. He continues:
“Through Michael Crow, I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasn’t full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. There’s me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. There’s me at 35, still chasing the thing because I’ve touched it once or twice and I know it’s the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.”
Produced by Taylor and engineered by longtime Hiss compatriot Scott Hirsch over two weeks in the late fall of 2022 at the fabled Sonic Ranch studio in Tornillo, Texas, just a short walk from the Mexican border, “Jump for Joy” dances with joyful, spontaneous energy that feels like a fresh chapter in the Hiss Golden Messenger oeuvre. Taylor is accompanied throughout the album by his crack live band: guitarist Chris Boerner, bassist Alex Bingham, keyboardist Sam Fribush, and drummer Nick Falk, a collection of musicians that have helped make Hiss Golden Messenger’s live performances legendary affairs.
“Jump for Joy,” perhaps more than any other Hiss record heretofore, is an elegant and nuanced melding of everything that makes Taylor and company’s work unique and beloved, colored with an outward-facing elation and sense of openness that elevates the album into something truly timeless and special.
“I knew that I needed this record to be full of joy because if we’re standing at some kind of finish line of human civilization—and I’m not saying that we are, but some days it sure feels that
way—then I want to go out dancing,” laughs the songwriter. “That’s what I wanted “Jump for Joy” to feel like: Dancing at the end times.”

Bristol Rhythm Green Team Plogging Event to Celebrate Earth Day 2024
2024-04-20 09:00 - 12:30 | VA
Celebrate Mother Earth with the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion‘s Green Team plogging event!

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. EDT
Location: Machiavelli’s Restaurant (8 5th Street, Bristol, TN)
Cost: Free to participate (beverages and food not included)
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Plogging is a community and environmentally focused way to exercise where you pick up trash as you walk/run. This event gives us the opportunity to call attention to the importance of recycling, disposing of trash responsibly and not littering, and keeping our Historic Downtown clean.
What to expect:
Meet us at Machiavelli’s at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. Participants will have two walk/run routes to choose from, each starting in Historic Downtown Bristol, and then branching out to nearby neighborhoods in Tennessee and Virginia.
HOKA will provide several shoes to demo during the event, and Mountain Sports, Ltd. will be set up inside the restaurant with HOKA shoes to purchase. The Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Green Team will be there to talk about volunteer opportunities at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival coming up September 13-15 in Historic Downtown Bristol.
Machiavelli’s will have pizza-by-the-slice and drinks to purchase so you can hang out while enjoying some food and time with friends after helping make Bristol a greener place to live!
Stick around after the plogging session for a raffle, when you’ll have the chance to win some cool prizes, including a pair of HOKA shoes and two passes to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum! And the person who brings back the most trash (by weight) will win a weekend pass to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion!!!
Itinerary:
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Arrive at Machiavelli’s to get your route maps for plogging and grab a pair of HOKA shoes to test out during the plog! Demo shoe sizes are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, so please arrive early to secure your size.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
5K plog, walk or run. Pick up trash along your route.
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Raffle and prizes awarded
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Pizza and drinks available for purchase.
Image: The Green Team’s first plogging event in 2022: Plogging volunteers pose with the trash pick-up results (left); winners of the BRRR wristband grand prize for the most trash gathered. This first event resulted in almost 150 pounds of trash picked up over one hour!

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!

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.

SOLD OUT! 1927 Concert Series with Special Guest Pokey LaFarge
2024-06-22 18:00 - 21:00 | VA
Sorry, tickets to this event are now SOLD OUT!
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents the intimate 1927 Concert Series experience featuring live music by Pokey LaFarge.
Date: Saturday, June 22, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $100

The 1927 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 heavy hors d’oeuvres and an open bar before the show (ages 21+ with valid ID), food and drinks included with ticket.
Members of the Birthplace of Country Music’s 1927 Society are given access to exclusive ticket pre-sales to the 1927 Concert Series before they go on sale to the public. To learn more about becoming a member of the 1927 Society and all its advantages, click here.
About Pokey LaFarge
After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. On his new album Rhumba Country, LaFarge reveals his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy. “There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared,” he says. Reclaiming his voice, LaFarge has recorded his boldest album yet.
Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. “I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.” But as he moved forward with his songwriting, something felt undeniably amiss. LaFarge then spoke with fellow Midwestern transplant Elliot Bergman (Wild Belle), who suggested he return to city life in Los Angeles for a season so that the two musicians could work together—a collaboration that soon brought the rhumba to LaFarge’s country. As he immersed himself in the album’s creation, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colorful,” says LaFarge. “I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.”
Reflecting on the origins of Rhumba Country, LaFarge points to one of the most crucial revelations he experienced while farming: a newfound understanding of the uniquely human potential to be “conduits of continuous creation.” To that end, his effort to provide listeners with “medicine for the soul” has led LaFarge toward a deeper level of dedication when it comes to nurturing his own spirit. “You have to live the life you’re singing in your songs—no matter what you’re going through,” he says. “Everything will come out in your music whether you want it to or not. I’ve realized that the more I can pursue goodness and live in peace, the more I can make the music I was put here to make.” And by living with intention and fully connecting with his truest purpose, LaFarge might finally be ready to lay his head in a place he calls home.
For more information about Pokey LaFarge and to purchase his music, visit PokeyLaFarge.net.

Author Daniel Seddiqui Book Launch: "Jammin' through the South" July 5 & 6
2024-07-05 17:00 - 18:30, 2024-07-05 17:30 - 2024-07-06 18:30, 2024-07-06 13:00 - 15:00 | VA
A Talk with Daniel Seddiqui
Friday, July 5 | 5:30 p.m. ET
The Shelby Room at The Bristol Hotel
115 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA 24201
RSVP TO THE TALK HERE
Daniel Seddiqui Book Signing
Saturday, July 6 | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
The Atrium at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA 24201
RSVP TO THE SIGNING HERE
Daniel Seddiqui has been on many roads, every road for that matter, and he’s launching his new immersive travel book series with Schiffer Publishing, covering hyperlocal themes and brands of every region of America. In conjunction with Daniel completing the U.S. map in the Tri-Cities, he will launch the first release of this series, “Jammin’ through the South” in Historic Downtown Bristol, the birthplace of country music!
Two events will be held in Daniels honor. On Friday, July 5 at 5:30 p.m. Daniel will give a talk about his travels in The Shelby Room at The Bristol Hotel. On Saturday, July 5 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Daniel will sing copies of his book in the atrium at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. His book will be available for sale at The Museum Store during Saturday’s event only.
There is no cost to attend either event, but please RSVP above to either or both events if you plan to be there.
Daniel Seddiqui is a multi-time international bestselling author, inspiring keynote speaker, and educational and travel entrepreneur. His unwavering curiosity and love of people has led him to become the “Most Traveled Person in American History,” discovering the country in uncharted ways that focus on various career, cultures, and environments. He’s widely known for working 50 Jobs in 50 States, becoming an inspiration to millions that suffer economic hardship and self-identity. He’s appeared on countless international media outlets, such as CNN, Fox News,
Psychology Today, TIME, Inc., MSNBC, NPR, Today Show, World News Tonight, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, USA Today….and many others.
His presentations speak to those yearning for growth and discovery and want to lead with purpose and impact. Daniel’s message is an example of perseverance, risk-taking, adaptability, networking, and endurance.
The Most Traveled Person of America and Bestselling Author Hits Every Pinpoint on the U.S. Map with Visit to the Tri-Cities
One might call him the real-life version of Where’s Waldo and for good reason, having traveled 50 states well over 20 times. From Bangor, Maine and Bellingham, Washington to Fort Myers, Florida and Chula Vista, California, and thousands of cities between, Daniel Seddiqui is set to visit the last pinpoint on the U.S. Map, the Tri-Cities (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City). He suggests “being titled the Most Traveled Person of America isn’t fully deserved unless the soles of my shoes pound every inch of pavement.”
Over the span of three decades, Daniel Seddiqui (41) doesn’t travel for the sake of visiting a place, but rather to be in a place. During the recession, when he chose to work 50 Jobs in 50 States, he wanted to be that coal miner burrowing into mines of West Virginia and return home to rinse off the dust, or that morning show weatherman preparing slides forecasting the weather for the Cleveland community, and that cowboy buckling up his belt and tipping his hat as a rodeo announcer in South Dakota. When Daniel decided to study the country’s problem-plagued communities, he wanted to address the issues first-hand by running side-by-side with the most obese town preparing for a 5k road race in Mississippi and to strain his back hovering over green peppers to pick with migrant fieldworkers in California or mentoring youth at an after-school program in southside Chicago.

When he felt the country in its deepest divide, Daniel wanted to thread through all walks of life by exploring their greatest passions through cultural events and pastimes, like learning the meaning behind song lyrics while singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Utah and shooting archery with members of the Cherokee Nation using handcrafted bows in Oklahoma and playing tug-of-war with his teeth at a Scandinavian festival in North Dakota.

Most recently, Daniel was inspired by our nation’s creative thinkers and doers, learning about the origins of America’s iconic symbols. He had the opportunity to glass bend neon signs in Las Vegas, tie rope into Navy knots in Virginia Beach, press vinyl records in Cleveland, spray graffiti in New York City, pour latte art in Seattle, and weave sweetgrass baskets in Charleston. All these journeys shaped Daniel’s understanding of America, a vision that he calls Living the Map, and his work has been an inspiration to those in economic hardship, cultural crisis, and searching for a deeper purpose.
He’s been gazing at maps for over 30 years every chance he gets. What started as a hobby of a little kid sparked by a wandering mind, turned into a life of immersive experiences with strangers, developing commonality through shared moments, learning about life in the rural pockets to the inner cities. Daniel attributes not just curiosity to exploring the map but embracing rejection. After graduating from college, he endured an unprecedented number of job interview rejections, leaving him in a desperate circumstance and no choice other than being fearless to try something new. He says, “destinations are never cut and dry, never a direct line and those roads reflect our life’s curves, yields, and undulations. Much of the road is unrecognizable and that’s what makes life a journey. We can’t predict our fate, but we must learn to embrace the road ahead.”
Learn more about Daniel and his travels at LivingtheMap.com.

Workshop: Introduction to Oral History Methods
2024-07-14 15:00 - 16:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Sunday, July 14
Time: 3:00-4:00pm
Location: Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: FREE but registration is required due to limited capacity
REGISTER HERE
This Introduction to Oral History Methods workshop will provide an introduction to the method of recording oral histories, or extended life story interviews. Taught by Virginia state folklorist Katy Clune, participants will gain an introduction to the ethics, techniques, technology, and processing of interviews. With nothing more than your phone and your curiosity, you can start recording the precious memories of family and community members around you. Clune will share her experience and advice based on interviewing hundreds of people in the last decade.
About Katy Clune

Katy Clune is Virginia’s state folklorist and director of the Virginia Folklife Program, which serves to sustain and empower the vital and diverse cultures and traditions of communities across the Commonwealth.
Katy has dedicated her career to forging connections between people through culture and creating platforms for communities and artists to tell their stories and expand the reach of their voices. She has worked for educational and cultural organizations including the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, The Textile Museum, the Center for the Study of the American South at UNC Chapel Hill, and, most recently, Duke University’s arts initiative.
In 2021, she received an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to interview repair professionals across North Carolina. She has her BA in art history from UC Berkeley and her MA in folklore from UNC Chapel Hill. Raised in the Foreign Service, she has called six countries and both US coasts home. Outside of work, Katy sews, plays with printmaking, and aspires to turn her backyard into a cut flower farm.

Community Square Dance at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
2024-07-27 18:30 - 21:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024
Time: 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free but any donations at the door will support the museum
RSVP HERE
Come do-si-do and promenade with us!
Join the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a community square dance on Saturday, July 27. 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. To protect the Special Exhibits Gallery floor, no heels please; we recommend sturdy shoes so you can dance all night!
Space is limited so sign up to participate soon!

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion 2024
2024-09-13 - 2024-09-15 | VA
Dates: September 13-15, 2024
Location: State Street, Historic Downtown Bristol, TN-VA
Tickets: ON SALE NOW!
The award-winning Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival celebrates 23 years in Historic Downtown Bristol, TN-VA, home of the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions!
Headliners include 49 Winchester, Ashley McBryde, The Wallflowers, The Red Clay Strays, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Sam Bush, Wilderado, The SteelDrivers, Brittney Spencer, Drayton Farley, Jaime Wyatt, Bella White, Silverada, Grace Bowers, and many, many more!
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is an electrifying, three-day music experience that features the very best roots music on more than a dozen stages. Established in 2001, the festival is an annual celebration of Bristol’s rich history as the place where the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings created the “big bang” of country music and catapulted early country music into the mainstream.
Visit BristolRhythm.com for more information.

Join in the NEA Big Read 2024!
2024-10-01 08:00 - 2024-11-22 17:00 | VA
As part of the NEA Big Read, partner organizations Bristol Public Library, Washington County Public Library, and Birthplace of Country Music Museum are offering a full schedule of NEA Big Read programs at all three sites – and beyond – during October and November 2024, including book discussions, a film screening, writing and family history workshops, author talks, an art exhibit, and a storytelling evening!
All of the NEA Big Read programs and events are FREE and open to the public. Check out the many offerings below:
Ongoing: Reading Lists
Check out these reading lists created by the Bristol Public Library to go along with the NEA Big Read’s theme of “Where We Live”: Coal, Music, and Literature.
October 1, all day: Book Giveaway
Pick up a FREE copy of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol Public Library, or Washington County Public Library. The museum is also giving away copies of the companion book Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani. Limit of one copy of each book per person while supplies last.
October 3, 2:00pm: Family History Workshop @ Washington County Public Library (Abingdon)
Is your family from around here? Learn about local family history at WCPL’s Exploring Your Roots workshop.
October 4, 1:00pm: Burning Bright Book Discussion @ Mendota Branch Library (First Friday Book Club)
Join other readers in a lively discussion of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash.
October 4, 6:30pm: Screening of The Library that Dolly Built @ Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Enjoy a screening of The Library that Dolly Built, a documentary about the creation and impact of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The film screening is free and open to the public, but a donation at the door of a book (or books) aimed at 3rd-5th grade children is suggested. All books will be given to the Appalachian Literacy Initiative, based in Bristol, TN-VA.
Please RSVP HERE.
October 17, 2:00pm: Burning Bright Book Discussion @ Washington County Public Library
Join other readers in a lively discussion of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash.
October 19, 1:00pm: Author Discussion with Ron Rash via Zoom (Bristol Public Library)
Join us for a discussion of Burning Bright with author Ron Rash and learn more about his work and inspiration as an Appalachian author. You can either watch with a group at the Bristol Public Library or watch from home via Zoom; if you choose the latter, please register HERE.
October 19, 2:30pm: Re-Screening of The Library that Dolly Built @ Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Back by popular demand! Enjoy a re-screening of The Library that Dolly Built, a documentary about the creation and impact of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The film screening is free and open to the public, but a donation at the door of a book (or books) aimed at 3rd-5th grade children is suggested. All books will be given to the Appalachian Literacy Initiative, based in Bristol, TN-VA. Register HERE.
October 21, 5:30pm: Art Journaling @ Bristol Public Library
Respond creatively, playfully, and thoughtfully to the theme of “where we live” with poetic prompts and inquiries. Then express yourself in color, paint, stencils, markers, and collage, with easy techniques to enhance your personal piece. Feel free to bring: your favorite tote of creative tools: tape, scissors, glue, markers, papers, coloring supplies, ribbon, etc., or just show up and we provide the rest. There is limited space for 20 participants; to register, please email rita@bristol-library.org.
October 22, 10:30am: Burning Bright Book Discussion @ Bristol Public Library (Nevermore Book Club)
Join other readers in a lively discussion of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash.
October 23, 4:00pm: Snail Mail Studio Creative Writing Workshop @ Washington County Public Library
Learn the art of writing letters and decorate your own piece of snail mail to send to friends and family! Participants will be writing letters about life in Appalachia inspired by the book Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani.
October 24, 6:00pm: Author Discussion with Silas House via Zoom (Bristol Public Library)
Join us for a discussion of Same Sun Here with author Silas House and learn more about his work and inspiration as an Appalachian author. You can either watch with a group at the Bristol Public Library or watch from home via Zoom; if you choose the latter, please register HERE.
October 28, 5:00pm: Family History Workshop @ Bristol Public Library
Is your family from around here? Learn about local family history at BPL’s Exploring Your Roots workshop.
October 29, 4:00pm: Junk Journaling Workshop @ Washington County Public Library
Boost your creativity, preserve everyday memories, and promote sustainability with your own junk journal! Junk journals showcase your surroundings, from pieces of nature to library receipts. We’ll provide notebooks, recycled materials, and plenty of inspiration to get you started on your junk journaling journey.
October 29, 6:00pm: Burning Bright Book Discussion @ Glade Spring Branch Library (Passawatami Book Club)
Join other readers in a lively discussion of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash.
October 31, 6:00pm: Andrew Finn Magill: Connections between Irish, Scottish, and Appalachian Fiddling @ Bristol Public Library
Andrew Finn Magill returns to Bristol Public Library for an exploration of the similarities and differences in different styles of fiddling – with a spooky twist!
November 2, 7:00pm: Hoot and Holler Storytelling @ Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Experience live storytelling by local and regional folks, sharing tall tales, family stories, and more based on the NEA Big Read’s theme of “Where We Live.” Please RSVP for this free event HERE!
November 4, 6:00pm: Burning Bright Book Discussion @ Bristol Public Library
Join other readers in a lively discussion of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash.
November 6, 6:00pm: Burning Bright Book Discussion @ Bristol Public Library
Join other readers in a lively discussion of the NEA Big Read book Burning Bright by Ron Rash.
November 7, 5:30pm: Voices of Appalachia Creative Writing Workshop @ Bristol Public Library
This workshop will discuss setting and voice and how they work together to create a scene. It will also point out the resources available at the library for writing Appalachian stories (e.g., old newspapers, genealogy records, etc.).
November 12, 2:00pm: Shadowbox Craft Workshop @ Bristol Public Library
Participants will create a shadowbox that represents the theme “where we live” using small personal items along with items made with the Glowforge. Participation is limited to 10; to register, please email Rita HERE.
November 16, 1:00pm: Art Exhibit: The Minnie Ma Scyphers Collection @ Hayters Gap Branch Library
View a display by local folk artist Minnie Ma Scyphers, enjoy refreshments, visit the Hayters Gap branch library, and explore “Where We Live.”
November 21, 12:00pm: Burning Bright Book Discussion and Author Interview on Radio Bristol Book Club
Tune into Radio Bristol Book Club on the dial at 100.1 FM, streaming online, or via the Radio Bristol app for a discussion of Burning Bright and an interview with author Ron Rash.

NEA Big Read: Book Giveaway
2024-10-01 10:00 - 18:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public (limited numbers available, one per patron)
As part of the NEA Big Read, the museum – along with partner organizations Bristol Public Library and Washington County Public Library – are giving away free copies of the community read book, Burning Bright by Ron Rash. The museum is also giving away copies of the program’s companion book, Same Sun Here by Neela Vaswani and Silas House.
Limited copies of each book are available so books will be given away on a first come, first served basis (one per patron).
You can use this link to see the full schedule of NEA Big Read programs at the museum, BPL, and WCPL during October and November 2024, including book discussions, a film screening, writing and family history workshops, author talks, and a storytelling evening!
About the NEA Big Read
The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read—a partnership with Arts Midwest—broadens our understanding of ourselves and our neighbors through the power of a shared reading experience. The goals of the NEA Big Read are to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community.

Old-Time Community Jam with ETSU
2024-10-12 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-11-09 14:00 - 17:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Time: 2-5 p.m. EST
Location: Learning Center, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: FREE EVENT
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, in partnership with the East Tennessee State University Old-Time Music Program, hosts a gathering of local musicians for a country jam session focusing on country, old-time and blues music. The jam events are intended to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun!
The Old-Time Community Jam is scheduled for 2-5 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.

Songwriters in the Round: Linda and David Lay, Sandy Shortridge, and Rafe Van Hoy
2024-10-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Thursday, October 17, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: $15.00 + tax/fees
BUY TICKETS HERE
Join us for a “Songwriter in the Round” evening at the museum on Thursday, October 17, 7:00 p.m. This event is in partnership with the Crooked Road and will feature three songwriter-musician acts from the Bristol area and the surrounding region: Linda and David Lay, Sandy Shortridge, and Rafe Van Hoy. Each artist/act will perform 3-4 songs in a “round robin,” while also sharing stories about the songwriting craft, their inspirations, and career. Audience members will enjoy great music and gain an insight into the craft of songwriting.
Attendees are invited to visit the museum’s special exhibit Songwriter Musician before the performance. Artist Rafe Van Hoy is featured in the exhibit, and his guitar and several items of memorabilia are on display.
This event is complementary programming to our current special exhibit Songwriter Musician: The Photographs of Ed Rode, on display through December 31, 2024.
Special thanks to the Crooked Road for their sponsorship of songwriters Linda and David Lay and Sandy Shortridge, and to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of the Songwriter Musician exhibit and its complementary programming.
About Linda and David Lay
Bluegrass singer and bassist Linda Clayman Lay, better known as Linda Lay, grew up in Clayman Valley, a small community named after her family outside of Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia. She spent her early years with Janette Carter at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia. Linda performed with her family band before starting her own group, Appalachian Trail.
Linda met her husband, guitarist and singer David Lay, and they formed Springfield Exit together with David McLaughlin. Linda has toured the United States with the masters of the Steel String Guitar and was its featured vocalist and bassist. In addition, Linda is a master artist in traditional singing for the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Together with banjo player Sammy Shelor, Linda recorded Taking the Crooked Road Home for the Virginia Folklife Program under the direction of Jon Lohman. Linda has performed with singers across several genres of music, including Vern Gosdin, Carl Jackson, Bruce Hornsby, Piedmont blues singer John Cephas, and master of the telecaster, Bill Kirchen. In the early 2000s, Linda recorded several albums for Cracker Barrel’s Heritage Series CDs.
About Sandy Shortridge
Sandy Shortridge, a guitarist and exceptional baritone singer, is from Buchanan County in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia. She began her musical career at 10 years old and is well known after performing on many area stages and beyond throughout the years. A songwriter and master storyteller, her original songs capture the cultural traditions of the region and can bring tears or a smile with equal ability. During her performances, the stories and her experiences are shared in her music in an almost magical way. No other performer in the region captures the heart, mind, and soul of the region’s people.
Shortridge has made multiple recordings, which feature her moving compositions in carefully crafted arrangements and presentation. She is also featured on a two-CD compilation recording of 50 current artists from the Crooked Road region called A Treasury of American Music, and her original songs have been recorded by numerous other artists.
Shortridge is also a radio broadcaster with her husband, Big Al Wheetley, and they can be heard on Radio Bristol’s “The Big Al & Sandy Show” on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m.
About Rafe Van Hoy
Rafe Van Hoy began his music career as a songwriter, landing his first publishing contract at 17. In the next seven years he would become one of Nashville’s new emerging songwriters with 10 number one songs and as many top 10 singles, along with nearly 200 cuts by other artists. In one three-year period, he had between 50 and 60 songs cut each year. During this early time Rafe also worked as a session musician on many hit records, and then began adding producer to his list of credits, with songwriting always as his first passion.
Rafe has been active and successful as both writer and producer over four decades with credits in several categories and genres of music, including a Grammy Nomination, 11 BMI One Million Airplay Awards, 3 BMI Two Million Airplay Awards and beyond. His songs have been recorded by George Jones and Tammy Wynette (including the classic “Golden Ring”), the Oak Ridge Boys, Michael Martin Murphy (“What’s Forever For”), John Conlee, Patti Loveless, Brooks and Dunn, Reba McEntire, Leann Rimes, Fleetwood Mac, Diana Ross, Issac Hayes, Paul Carrack, and a long list of others, including Trick Daddy (“I’m A Thug”). His songs have been on records selling well over 150 million copies. Rafe was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023.
Rafe loves working in all styles of music and continues to stay current creating music in many formats.

SOLD OUT: 1927 Concert Series with Special Guest Sam Grisman Project
2024-10-25 18:00 - 21:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
The Birthplace of Country Music proudly presents the intimate 1927 Concert Series experience featuring live music by Sam Grisman Project.
Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Performance Theater, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $100
BUY TICKETS

The 1927 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 heavy hors d’oeuvres and an open bar before the show (ages 21+ with valid ID), food and drinks included with ticket.
Members of the Birthplace of Country Music’s 1927 Society are given access to exclusive ticket pre-sales to the 1927 Concert Series before they go on sale to the public. To learn more about becoming a member of the 1927 Society and all its advantages, click here.
About Sam Grisman Project
A Note From Sam— The music that my father David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, made in the early 90s (in the house that I grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers my oldest and fondest musical memories. What I find most inspiring about this material is the way their camaraderie and their love and joy for the music, simply oozes out of each recording. It is also impressive how deeply they get beneath their favorite songs—whether they are originals, covers or traditional/old time tunes—and how expertly that material was curated.
My goal in starting Sam Grisman Project is to build a platform for my friends and me to showcase our genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music. By playing some of their beloved repertoire and sharing the original music that our own collective has to offer, we will also show the impact that this music has had on our own individual musical voices. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes me happier than playing great songs with my best friends and my hope is to share that happiness with audiences all over!”
For more information about Sam Grisman Project, visit SamGrismanProject.net.

Songwriter Musician Exhibit Talk with Ed Rode and Don Henry
2024-11-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP HERE
Join us for this conversation with nationally renowned photographer Ed Rode and his Grammy-winning songwriter-musician friend, Don Henry, as they share stories and music related to Ed’s exhibit Songwriter Musician and the craft of songwriting on Saturday, November 9 at 7 p.m. at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Attendees are invited to explore the exhibit before the program begins at 7 p.m.; a curator will be on hand to answer questions around 6:30 p.m.
This program will also be live-streamed. For those attending virtually, 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.
Read the article in Billboard Magazine:
Ed Rode Brings Decades of Country Royalty and Industry Insiders Into Focus in New Photography Book
About Ed Rode
Ed Rode (pronounced Road-ay) is a nationally recognized photographer based in Nashville. Over the course of his four-decade long career, he has shot everything from sports, movie, tv, and music legends to travel destinations and restaurants. He grew up in the Midwest and moved to Nashville in 1990 as a staff photographer for the Nashville Banner, an afternoon daily paper. Ed soon built a reputation as a photographer with a storyteller’s eye and a historian’s instincts. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, the Nashville International Airport, the legendary Bluebird Cafe, and as album covers for artists such as Willie Nelson, The Chicks, and Peter Frampton. He has also passed on his skills to the next generation while serving as an instructor or lecturer at Vanderbilt University, O’More College, Western Kentucky University, and Northwestern University. He is currently a full-time professor at Murray State University.
About Don Henry
Grammy winner Don Henry’s songs have been recorded by some of the music industry’s greatest artists, including Ray Charles, Conway Twitty, Patti Page, Blake Shelton, and Miranda Lambert, and he’s shared the stage with performers as different as Joey Ramone and Keith Urban.
His songs – filled with wit and wisdom – are renowned, from the hilarious “B.F.D.” to the biker lullaby “Harley” to the poignant tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., “Beautiful Fool.” Don’s country classic “Where’ve You Been” won a Grammy, and Kathy Mattea’s version of this piece won Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and Nashville Songwriters Association International. It was the first song in country music to win all four honors in the same year!
About Songwriter Musician
More than 30 years ago, photographer Ed Rode met Chet Atkins, one of the greatest figures in country music. Soon they were talking about where to find the good stories on Music Row — specifically, with the talented songwriters whose unseen contributions powered Nashville’s iconic sound. After many conversations, the Songwriter Musician project was born, resulting in “fly-on-the-wall” documentary portraits of a wide range of artists that bring to life the vulnerable, provocative, and unexpected moments inside Nashville’s rich tradition of songwriting. Featured artists include Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, The Chicks, Jelly Roll, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, John Prine, George Strait, and Keb Mo, amongst others.
These photographs will be on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum August 31–December 31, 2024, alongside objects and memorabilia related to the artists captured by Rode’s camera. Visit The Museum Store for a copy of Songwriter Musician: Behind the Curtain with Nashville’s Iconic Storytellers and Players, A Photo Documentary by Ed Rode, available for purchase for the duration of the special exhibit.
Check our Events Page for complementary programming to the special exhibit, including:

Thursday, October 17, 7 p.m. – Songwriters in the Round: Linda and David Lay, Sandy Shortridge, and Rafe Van Hoy

Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit.

Monthly Bluegrass Jam
2025-01-25 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-02-22 14:00 - 17:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, in partnership with the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association, hosts a monthly gathering of local musicians for a bluegrass jam session. The jam events are intended to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun. The jams are acoustic and only feature traditional bluegrass instruments: acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and dobro.
The jams are free and open to the public. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Those just interested in joining as a spectator are welcome at no charge.
Bluegrass Jams will be held every fourth Saturday of the month from 2-5 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.

2025 Tennessee Songwriters Week Qualifying Round at the Museum
2025-01-31 18:00 - 21:00 | VA
The Birthplace of Country Music is hosting a qualifying round for Tennessee Songwriters Week in 2025!
Registration for songwriters has now ended.
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Tickets: $10 (For spectators only; no registration fee required for songwriter entries.)

BUY SPECTATOR TICKETS
Congratulations and best of luck to the following Bristol qualifiers:

Alexis May
Johnson City, Tenn.
Austin Barrett
Fairview, N.C.
Brian Allen Cox
Elizabethton, Tenn.
Camden Benoit
Johnson City, Tenn.
Claire Chill
Big Stone Gap, Va.
David Sexton
Louisa, Va.
Deborah Silverstein
Asheville, N.C.
Erin Dalton
Johnson City, Tenn.
Hannah Rae Adams
Bristol, Tenn.
Jacy Chadwell
Ewing, Va.

Jim Street
Johnson City, TN
Katie Powderly
Frederick, Md.
Landon Camper
Bristol, Va.
Linda Mckenzie
Lebanon, Tenn.
Lloyd Iving White
Rogersville, Tenn.
Madison Denhardt
Big Stone Gap, Va.
Scotty Arnold
Bulls Gap, Tenn.
Tom Lynn
Morehead, Ky.
Travis Wright
Johnson City, Tenn.
William Seymour
Roanoke, Va.

Aspiring singer-songwriters dream of the opportunity to perform at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, and for a few lucky artists, that opportunity will arrive during 2025 Tennessee Songwriters Week! Dozens of venues across the state, including the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Downtown Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee, will host qualifying rounds for singer-songwriters to compete for a place in the spotlight at this historic proving ground for artists – and spectators are invited to be part of the live audience to cheer on contestants. The Bristol competition will also stream live on WBCM Radio Bristol’s Facebook page.
Two (2) songwriters will be chosen from the Bristol competition to move forward and compete during Tennessee Songwriters Week Showcase at Paramount Bristol in Bristol, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. One songwriter will move forward from each Showcase event across the state of Tennessee to perform at Bluebird Cafe on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
Up to 20 contestants will be considered for the qualifying round on Friday, January 31, 2025 at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. There is no registration fee or purchase necessary to enter. Internet access is required to enter. Any legal resident of the Unites States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are eligible. Must be 18 years of age or have attained their state of residence’s age of majority. Entrants can be an individual songwriter, duo or trio who has not previously won a Showcase Event. **Please read Tennessee Songwriters Week Official Rules in their entirety to ensure you are qualified to enter.
To enter, songwriters must submit their contact information, song lyrics for the song they plan to perform, and a YouTube link to a video of the song they will perform during the competition. Songwriters will be judged based on their overall performance, originality and connection to the audience. Songs deemed inappropriate or inflammatory will not be considered. Songwriters are only permitted to register with one venue during qualifying rounds. Internet access is required to enter, with no purchase necessary. All entrants of Bristol qualifying round must sign a photo/video release waiver as the event will be streaming live.
**Click here to read Tennessee Songwriters Week Official Rules**
For more information on qualifying rounds across the state of Tennessee, click here.
Timeline of events for Tennessee Songwriters Week:
December 12: Songwriter registration opens
January 13: Deadline for Bristol qualifying round entry
January 26 – February 8: Qualifying Rounds statewide (Bristol qualifying round is Jan. 31)
February 23 – March 1: Showcase Events statewide
March 30: Finale at The Bluebird Cafe
Made possible by The Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development, The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Taylor Guitars; committed to making sure songwriters can share their original work on stage with other writers.

Community Square Dance at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
2025-02-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum, 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA, 24201, United States
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2024
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Cost: Free but any donations at the door will support the museum
The event is at capacity currently. Please email info@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org to be placed on the waitlist.
RSVP HERE
Come do-si-do and promenade with us!
Join the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a community square dance on Saturday, February 8. Caller Tyler Hughes will lead a short introduction to dance steps, followed by a full square dance with a lively string band lead by John Bills.
This event is open to all ages and no experience or partner is required. To protect the Special Exhibits Gallery floor, no heels please; we recommend sturdy shoes so you can dance all night!
Space is limited so sign up to participate soon!
