Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion isn’t just a music festival. It’s an infectious, three-day music experience, bursting with creative passion, electricity, and soul. Every third weekend in September, State Street in historic Downtown Bristol, TN/VA is amped to the beat of Appalachia’s past, present, and future. It digs down deep into the roots of traditional Appalachian sound and lifts its branches to new heights–and it all happens in the heart of The Birthplace of Country Music. It is, and isn’t, your Daddy’s country music. It’s hardly strictly bluegrass. It’s not a rock show, but it totally does. And if you’ve never been, you’ll never know how much.
Nashville may be country music’s capitol, but Bristol is the birthplace. It was on State Street in 1927 that talent scout Ralph Peer made the very first country music recordings with The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman, and others, for the Victor Talking Machine Company. The recordings known as The Bristol Sessions are recognized internationally as the “Big Bang” of country music.
The first festival took place in October of 2001 with just a couple thousand people in attendance. By its 10th anniversary in 2010, 45,000 people from 8 foreign countries and 34 states descended upon Downtown Bristol to celebrate the music.
A 501(c)3, non-profit organization, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is dedicated to keeping ticket prices low for families. The festival relies heavily on volunteerism, fundraising and grant funding. The Reunion is very fortunate to have been embraced by the community in a very personal way. BRRR works closely with a number of local non-profits on projects year-round in support of Bristol’s Downtown and music tourism in the region.
In Spring of 2011 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance formed a partnership that will combine both organizations in an effort to complete Bristol’s Cultural Heritage Center Project. A grassroots capitol fundraising campaign, Friends of 1927, is currently under way to help raise $1 Million. The idea is for 1,927 people to give $520 toward the project. If you would like to contribute, visit birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.