Fiddlin' Powers and Family was a Virginia string band from the 1920s, considered pioneers in early country music . They were the first family string band to make a commercial record (1924). The band consisted of Cowan Powers and his children, Charles, Orpha, Carrie and Ada. Cowan also played with his wife, Matilda, until her death in 1916.
41-539: The Bristol Sessions were a series of recording sessions held in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee , considered by some as the "Big Bang" of modern country music . The recordings were made by Victor Talking Machine Company producer Ralph Peer . Bristol was one of the stops on a two-month, $ 60,000 trip that took Peer through several major southern cities and yielded important recordings of blues, ragtime, gospel, ballads, topical songs, and string bands. The Bristol Sessions marked
82-493: A benefit for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum . The two-CD set pays homage to the original 1927 sessions with 18 songs updated by some of country music's biggest stars, such as Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley . WSM disc jockey and country music historian Eddie Stubbs narrates 19 tracks that tell the story of the 1927 recording sessions. Click on a label to change the sorting. Bristol, Tennessee Bristol
123-603: A contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League, in which the Pirates played, was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league , and the Pirates were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores. Bristol Tennessee City Schools operates public schools serving almost all of the city, with Tennessee High School being its public high school. Small sections are in
164-498: A population of 307,614 in 2020. The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020. Bristol is known for being the site of some of the earliest commercial recordings of country music , showcasing Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family , and later a favorite venue of mountain musician Uncle Charlie Osborne . The U.S. Congress recognized Bristol as
205-557: A series of interviews in 1959. "He's dressed in overalls and the women are country women from way back there. They looked like hillbillies. But as soon as I heard Sara's voice, that was it. I knew it was going to be wonderful." The Carters recorded four songs on the second Monday of the sessions and two the next day. On 1 August, Sara sang lead while playing autoharp, A.P. sang bass, and 18-year-old Maybelle played guitar with an unusual and subsequently influential style that allowed her to provide both melody and rhythm. The Victor Company released
246-575: A song on his own with Edison, Wild and Reckless Hobo . The last recording session was for Okeh records in Winston–Salem, North Carolina, September 28, 1927. Within three years the band would be no more, as the girls married and began families. They recorded six songs, of which four were issued, Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe? , Old Molly Hair , Old Virginia Reel — Part 1 , and Old Virginia Reel — Part 2 . There has been some speculation as to
287-633: A sound better than radio, which had threatened to reduce the recording industry to irrelevance in the early 1920s. This new method allowed softer instruments such as dulcimers , guitars and jaw harps to be heard, and it also meant recording equipment was somewhat more portable – and as such, recordings could be made nearly anywhere (the cumbersome acoustic equipment was not really portable.) Peer asked Ernest Stoneman, who had recorded for Okeh, how to find more rural talent. Stoneman convinced Peer to travel through southern Appalachia and record artists who would have been unable to travel to New York. Peer recognized
328-666: A stop in Savannah, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina . He settled on Bristol (at the urging of Stoneman) as a third stop, because with Johnson City and Kingsport, Tennessee , it formed the Tri-Cities , the largest urban area in the Appalachians at the time. In addition, three other record companies had held or were scheduling auditions for Bristol. So Peer set out with his wife and two engineers for Bristol. Between 25 July and 5 August 1927, Peer held recording sessions on
369-563: A trial recording with Victor Recordings in New York City, August 8, 1924, recording Way Down to Georgia . They started recording records for Victor, doing six records 10 days later on August 18. Of those recordings, three records were issued, The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane , Old Joe Clark , and Sour Wood Mountains . They continued recording the next day, August 19. They recorded eleven songs of which five were issued, Patty on
410-556: Is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee , United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census . It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia , which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia . The boundary between the two cities is also the state line, which runs along State Street in their common downtown district. It is a principal city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area , which had
451-613: Is the location of Bristol Motor Speedway , a motorsports venue that hosts several NASCAR events. It is also home to Bristol Dragway, which hosts the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals, an NHRA national event. A Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Minor League Baseball affiliate, the Bristol Pirates , played its home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, Virginia, from 1969 to 2020. In conjunction with
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#1732780739502492-450: Is the municipal law enforcement agency for the city. The department has 73 sworn officers and 27 civilian support staff. It also makes use of citizen volunteers as an auxiliary staff, which saves the department over $ 100,000 annually. Cowan Powers and his Family Band Record companies of the time were trying to get " old time " or "hill country" music to sell, and tried using professional musicians such as Vernon Dalhart to imitate
533-792: Is −21 °F (−29 °C), set on January 21, 1985 , while the all-time record high is 103 °F (39 °C), set on June 30, 2012 . Precipitation is low compared to much of East Tennessee, averaging 41.0 inches (1,040 mm) annually, and reaches a low during autumn. The rainiest calendar day on record is October 16, 1964, when 3.65 inches (93 mm) of rain fell; monthly precipitation has ranged from 0.02 inches (0.51 mm) in October 2002 to 12.70 inches (323 mm) in July 2012. Bristol's normal (1981–2010) winter snowfall stands at 13.3 inches (34 cm), significantly more than what most of Tennessee receives. The most snow in one calendar day
574-526: The Country Music Foundation issued a Grammy Award-nominated two-LP set, The Bristol Sessions , with 35 tracks. This was reissued on CD in 1991. In 2011, Bear Family Records issued a Grammy Award-nominated five-CD box set The Bristol Sessions: The Big Bang of Country Music 1927-1928 containing 124 tracks and a 120-page hardcover book. In 2015, Sony Legacy Recordings released Orthophonic Joy : The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited as
615-555: The Sullivan County School District . Television: Note-WEMT is licensed to Greeneville, Tennessee , but co-located with sister station WCYB-TV . The Bristol Fire Department has 82 full-time and six part-time employees. It responds to over 5,000 calls per year and has five stations. The department is accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The Bristol Police Department
656-480: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 29.5 square miles (76.4 km ), of which 29.4 square miles (76.1 km ) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km ) (0.44%) is covered by water. Like much of the rest of the state, Bristol has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ), although with significantly cooler temperatures, especially in
697-523: The "Birthplace of Country Music" in 1998, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum is located nearby in Bristol, Virginia . It also is the birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford . Bristol is the site of Bristol Motor Speedway , a NASCAR short track . The world's fifth-largest coal producer, Contura Energy , is based in Bristol. Before 1852, the land where Bristol is located was owned by Reverend James King . His son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson of Blountville, Tennessee , bought 100 acres (40 ha) of
738-409: The $ 100/day that he was receiving for recording in Bristol, generated much more interest. Dozens of artists went to Bristol, many of whom had never been to Bristol. He scheduled night sessions to accommodate the extra talent, which included Jimmie Rodgers. Rodgers had a disagreement with the band in which he was a member over what name to record under, and so Rodgers recorded solo and the band recorded as
779-503: The Johnson Brothers vaudeville duo (best known for their Crime of The D'Autremont Brothers ) and a church choir, filled out the rest of July. However, these artists were only enough to fill the first week of recordings and Peer needed to fill out his second week. A newspaper article about one of Stoneman's recordings ( Skip To Ma Lou, My Darling ), which stressed the $ 3,600 in royalties that Stoneman had received in 1926 and
820-652: The Old 97 "; Ernest Stoneman from Galax, Virginia ; Henry Whitter ; A.C. (Eck) Robertson , who recorded the first documented country record along with Henry C. Gilliland ("Sallie Gooden" b/w "Arkansaw Traveler"); and Uncle Dave Macon . However, any "hillbilly" artists who recorded had to travel to the New York City studios of the major labels, and many artists, including Dalhart, were not true "hillbilly" artists but instead crossed over from other genres. Okeh Records and later Columbia Records had sent producers around
861-665: The Rooster's Going to Crow" sold out in weeks. This experience convinced Peer of the potential for "hillbilly" music. Peer left Okeh for the Victor Talking Machine Company, taking a salary of $ 1 per year. However, Peer owned the publishing rights to all the recordings he made. Peer's arrangement of paying royalties to artists based on sales is the basis for record contracts today, and the company he founded, Peermusic , remains in existence today. The birth of electrical recording in 1925 allowed records to have
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#1732780739502902-589: The South in an attempt to discover new talent. Peer, who worked for Okeh at the time, recorded Fiddlin' John Carson using the old acoustic method (known for its large intrusive sound-gathering horn) in 1923, at the behest of the Okeh dealer in Atlanta, Georgia , Polk Brockman. Despite Peer's belief that the record was of poor quality, the 500 copies made of "The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" and "The Old Hen Cackled and
943-552: The Tenneva Ramblers. Rodgers and the band found out about the sessions only when they stayed at the boarding house run by the mother of one band member. The arrival of the Carter Family was more expected. Ralph Peer had corresponded with the family earlier in the summer, but later wrote that "he was still surprised to see them," primarily due to their appearance. "They wander in," Peer told Lillian Borgeson during
984-518: The Turnpike , Callahan's Reel , Sugar in the Gourd , Cripple Creek , and Ida Red . The family recorded with Edison in 1925, October 2, 3, 6 and 7 in New York City. Seven of the nine that they recorded were issued, Old Joe Clark , Sour Wood Mountains , Ida Red , Cripple Creek , Cluck Old Hen , Rocky Road to Dinah's House , and Sugar in the Gourd . Charlie Powers, Cowan's son, also recorded
1025-527: The age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were not families. Nearly 32% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the age distribution was 21.1% under 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 or older. The median age
1066-523: The birthplace of country music. Bristol is located in the northeast corner of Tennessee, at 36°34′9″N 82°11′51″W / 36.56917°N 82.19750°W / 36.56917; -82.19750 (36.569135, −82.197489). Bristol is located 20.95 miles east of Kingsport, Tennessee , 21.51 miles northeast of Johnson City, Tennessee , 38.74 miles northwest of Boone, North Carolina , 105.96 miles northeast of Knoxville, Tennessee , and 132.61 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia . According to
1107-441: The city. The population density in 2000 was 846 people per square mile (326.5/km ). The 11,511 housing units averaged 392.2 per square mile (151.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 95.15% White, 2.97% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.68% of the population. Of the 10,648 households, 26.2% had children under
1148-421: The commercial debuts of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family . As a result of the influence of these recording sessions, Bristol has been called the "birthplace of country music". Since 2014, the town has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum . Commercial recordings of country music had begun in 1922. Among these very early artists were Vernon Dalhart , who recorded the million-selling " Wreck of
1189-512: The first Carter Family record, "Poor Orphan Child" and "The Wandering Boy," on 4 November 1927. The 1927 sessions recorded 76 songs, recorded by 19 performers or performing groups. A second group of sessions was made by Peer in 1928, but the artistic success was not duplicated. In those twelve days in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, Peer had managed to fully introduce America to the authentic music of southern Appalachia. The results were two new superstars, The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. In 1987,
1230-541: The first recordings by Jimmie Rodgers. Since 1994, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance has promoted the city as a destination to learn about country music and the city's role in the creation of an entire music genre. The alliance is organizing the building of a new Cultural Heritage Center to help educate the public about the history of country music in the region. On August 1, 2014, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum opened in Bristol, Virginia to commemorate
1271-551: The historical significance of the Bristol sessions . The museum features a 24,000-ft building that houses core exhibits, space for special exhibits, a performance theater, and a radio station. Every year, during the third weekend in September, a music festival called the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion takes place. The festival is held downtown, where Tennessee and Virginia meet, and it celebrates Bristol's heritage as
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1312-444: The local sound of traditional "folk" music of the region. One of these local sounds was created by the Carter Family, who got their start on July 31, 1927, when A.P. Carter and his family journeyed from Maces Spring, Virginia , to Bristol to audition for Ralph Peer, who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $ 50 for each song they recorded. That same visit by Peer to Bristol also resulted in
1353-415: The origin of the ukulele in old time music. Those who are fans have pointed out stars who used the instrument, including Fiddlin' Powers and Family, Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters, Ernest V. Stoneman, Walter Smith and Friends, The Blankenship Family, The Hillbillies, The Hilltop Singers, and Jimmie Rodgers . When Ada Powers took up the ukulele in the 20s, there was a craze for Hawaiian music on
1394-523: The plantation and named it Bristol. The G.W. Blackley House , one of the oldest houses in Bristol, was constructed in 1869. The U.S. Congress declared Bristol to be the "Birthplace of Country Music", according to a resolution passed in 1998, recognizing its contributions to early country music recordings and influence, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum is located in Bristol. In 1927 , record producer Ralph Peer of Victor Records began recording local musicians in Bristol , to attempt to capture
1435-459: The potential with the mountain music, as even residents of Appalachia who didn't have electricity often owned hand-cranked Victrolas , or other phonographs. He decided to make a trip, hoping to record blues, gospel and "hillbilly" music. Artists were paid $ 50 cash on the spot for each side cut, and 2½ cents for each single sold. In February and March, he made a trip recording blues and gospel music, and decided to make another trip. He decided to make
1476-564: The sound. When it became clear the customers wanted the "real thing" the companies sought musicians to travel from the south to the recording studios in New York and Chicago. The Powers family, who were based in Scott County , Southwest Virginia , made records with Victor Talking Machine Company , Edison Records and Okeh Records . They recorded at least 26 songs, of which 15 were issued. Their recording of Old Joe Clark in 1924
1517-471: The summer, due to elevation; it is part of USDA hardiness zone 6b, with areas to the southwest falling in zone 7a. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from 35.2 °F (1.8 °C) in January to 74.6 °F (23.7 °C) in July, while, on average, 8.8 days have temperatures at or below freezing and 17 days with highs at or above 90 °F (32 °C) per year. The all-time record low
1558-605: The third floor of the Taylor-Christian Hat and Glove Company on State Street, which is the state line in Bristol. He placed advertisements in the local newspapers, which did not receive much response aside from artists who had already traveled to New York (such as the Powers Family ) or were already known by Stoneman. Stoneman was the first to record with Peer, on 25 July 1927. He recorded with his wife Hattie, Eck Dunford and Mooney Brewer. Other acts, including
1599-485: Was 16.2 inches (41 cm) on November 21, 1952, while the most in one month is 27.9 inches (71 cm) during March 1960, which contributed to the winter of 1959–60, with a total of 51.0 inches (130 cm), finishing as the snowiest on record. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 27,147 people, 11,450 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, 24,821 people, 10,648 households, and 6,825 families were residing in
1640-493: Was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 30,039, and for a family was $ 37,341. Males had a median income of $ 28,210 versus $ 21,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,535. About 11.5% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over. Bristol
1681-573: Was the third best selling album for that year. They performed live in "the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and perhaps a dozen other states". They played dances. At the time of the Bristol Sessions they were performing live over the radio, WOPI in Bristol, Virginia, and were among the first country acts to do so. The daughters restarted the band in the 1970s, with Orpha's husband Eugene D. Ireson. The Powers family did