- The Birthplace of Country Music
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Celebrating America250 at the Museum

This year, across the country, communities are commemorating America’s 250th anniversary through a variety of programs and events. Cultural organizations have been planning for this national milestone for years. Groups […]

three round record stickers in different colors
TWIN-CITY Records, part II

© by Matt Ringressi & Lonnie Salyer with assistance from Gary Reid and Corbin Hayslett Welcome back for Part II of the Twin City Story. We ended Part I as […]

TWIN-CITY Records, part I

© by Matt Ringressi & Lonnie Salyer with assistance from Gary Reid and Corbin Hayslett Hey gang, this is Big Lon, host of Diggin’ With Big Lon on Radio Bristol. […]

drawing of five medieval minstrels each with a different instrument.
The Carrying Stream: A Musical Heritage Journey Through the Eyes of a Museum Docent

Mary Geiger has been one of the longest-serving volunteer docents at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, from its opening until her retirement last year. She wrote this article as […]

Pick 5: Women Musicians with their own Record Label

Maggie McClellan is a volunteer at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. For our “Pick 5” blog series, we ask Museum or Radio Bristol staff or volunteers to pick five […]

Toe-Tappin’ Terminology for Boot-Scootin’ History

Lisa Sorrell is an award-winning master bootmaker and fine artist whose canvas is the cowboy boot. Based in Oklahoma, her works are inspired by the art of the cowboy boot […]

The Complicated Origins of Recorded Sound: Phonograph vs Phonautograph

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. This month marks the 148th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s cylinder phonograph, which was assembled on August […]

Medieval to Metal: A Look at the William King Museum of Art’s latest exhibit

Anna Buchanan is the Head Curator at the William King Museum of Art located in Abingdon, Virginia. Buchanan is a graduate from Clemson University where she received her MFA with […]

A collage of images of Patrick Haggerty, his husband J.B., and Lavender Country's two albums' covers.
Come Out Singing: The Music and Activism of Patrick Haggerty

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. From the campfires of Valley Forge, to religious reformers in the First Great Awakening, to even […]

A screenshot from the scene from the 1980s film "The Blues Brothers," with the brothers making disappointed faces when told the "Country Bunker" has both kinds of music-- "Country and Western."
Both Kinds of Music: What is the difference between Country and Western?

By Ed Hagen, Gallery Assistant and Guest Blogger What’s the difference between Country and Western? Many people are familiar with a popular scene in The Blues Brothers movie where the […]

A black and white photo of Joe Hill imposed over a collage of pamphlets, letters, and cartoons either created by Hill or referenced in his music.
Troubadour or Tramp? The Protest Songs of Joe Hill

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Protest and labor have been common themes of American folk music for a long time. Woody […]

The Earth is a Garden: Environmentalism in Country and Folk Music

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. A genre like country music relies heavily on the land and our natural surroundings for inspiration. […]