The Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Green Team is gearing up for the 16th annual festival, and we’ve chosen this awesome new design for our volunteer t-shirts!
You can help us reduce, reuse, and razzle dazzle, so plan to volunteer for Green Team where the t-shirts are cool and saving the planet is even cooler! Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion happens September 16-18, 2016!
When Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion released their annual lineup they promised a couple more headliners “TBA.” This week they made good on revealing one of those artists: Anderson East.
Listed among Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know,” Anderson East has had a busy year performing sold out shows across the country with his Devil In Me Tour. He’s opened shows for Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, and is featured on Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb’s critically acclaimed Southern Family compilation.
Anderson’s brand of blue-eyed soul is often compared to that of Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett, but his brand of Americana is all his own.
Weekend Passes to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion are $80 for a limited time.
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 16-18, 2016
State Street, Historic Downtown Bristol, VA/TN
Don’t miss your chance to see Loretty Lynn, The Indigo Girls, Houndmouth, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Marty Stuart, Keller Williams, Hayes Carll, the Darrell Scott Band, Cracker, Steep Canyon Rangers, and many many more amazing artists performing at Bristol Rhythm ’16 this September for only $70!
There are only around 50 passes left before the price goes up to $80 so order today!
Click here to purchase the 2016 festival poster and poster t-shirt in our online store.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn is among the headlining artists to appear at the 16th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival this September; the announcement was made during a special “super fan” event held at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Thursday.
Loretta Lynn is among the most awarded country artists of all time, with more hall of fame inductions than any other female artist including the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lynn was also the first woman to be named the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 1972. She received Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. Loretta Lynn has won four Grammys, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, and sold more than 45 million albums worldwide.
“Loretta Lynn is country music royalty,” said Leah Ross, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. “She’s been on our wish list for some time and this year we were able to make it happen. Her latest album, produced by John Carter Cash, even includes the Bristol Sessions classic ‘In the Pines.’ The timing couldn’t be more perfect.”
Another headlining newcomer to Bristol Rhythm will be the Grammy-winning folk rock duo Indigo Girls, known for their intricate arrangements and vocal harmonies as well as their political activism. Combined with the announcement that festival alumni Hayes Carll and the Darrell Scott Band will return in 2016, along with newcomer Joe Purdy, it looks like Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion’s tradition of powerful singer/songwriters remains true to form.
Married in life and music, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn will return to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion—this time as a duo. Fleck made his first appearance at Bristol Rhythm with Bryan Sutton and Casey Driessen in 2005; Abigail followed in 2007 as part of the all-girl acoustic group Uncle Earl. The couple won their first Grammy as a duo this year for Best Folk Album; Fleck has 13 previous Grammy wins.
Festy alumni, prolific recording artist, and one-man jam band Keller Williams also returns to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion for what’s sure to be a killer live-looping performance; his 2013 Cumberland Square Park set has gone down in class notes as the stuff of legend.
Grammy and IBMA award-winning The Steep Canyon Rangers top the festival’s bluegrass roundup that also includes IBMA, SPBGMA, and Independent Music Award-winners Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out.
“There are two other headlining acts that we can’t announce at this time,” said Ross. “We’ll release those this summer and, I can tell you, they are awesome!”
Marty Stuart, Houndmouth, Cracker, Mike Farris, Scythian, Unknown Hinson, Jill Andrews, HONEY HONEY, Hot Club of Cowtown and EmiSunshine are among the stellar cast of Bristol Rhythm 2016 artists previously revealed during the festival’s “countdown to Bristol Rhythm.” Other outstanding festival favorites to be noted include Larry Sparks, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Folk Soul Revival, the Fiddlin’ Carson Peters Band, Becky Buller, and Levi Lowery.
It wouldn’t be Bristol Rhythm without the inclusion of fantastic emerging artists; acts like Liz Vice, Noah Gundersen, The Lonely Biscuits, Mipso, Front Country, John Moreland, Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Wild Reeds, Seth Walker, and The Americans are are brand-spankin’ new to the festival and are definitely bands to watch.
This year’s stunning festival artwork was also part of Thursday’s big reveal; Bristol native and award-winning muralist Leigh Ann Agee unveiled her interpretation of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion as a pick-up truck packed with all things Bristol, barreling down a deeply-rooted road paved with music. An in-demand item for collectors, this year’s festival poster is sure to be a hot commodity.
CLICK TO VIEW FULL 2016 FESTIVAL LINEUP
CLICK TO VIEW 2016 FESTIVAL LINEUP VIDEO
Festival dates are September 16-18 with weekend wristbands on sale now for $70, a bargain for the amount of music showcased at this world-class, 3-day event that boasts 20 stages and more than 100 artists. Bristol Rhythm takes place on and around State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee, the heart of the Birthplace of Country music.
Are you a Bristol Rhythm Super Fan? If so, enter our Facebook contest for a chance to be chosen as one of our 16 Super Fans and attend our Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Lineup Reveal at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum April 21! The event will include live music, food, and a fun prize pack.
Winners will receive two (2) tickets to the Big Reveal event and a Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion prize pack that includes a limited edition festival t-shirt and festival poster. To enter, log on to Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion’s Facebook page and fill out the contest form.
Each week Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is unlocking new artists booked to perform at this year’s festival leading up to the “Big Lineup Reveal” on April 21. Visit CountdownToBristolRhythm.com to see if your favorite band made the coveted list, then purchase your Weekend Passes now for $60. The discount ends soon, so take advantage of the savings and check in on Facebook and Twitter to see what band gets “UNLOCKed” next!
The 16th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival is always the third weekend in September. This year’s dates are September 16-18, 2016.
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival has been listed among Rolling Stone’s “31 Hottest Country Tours & Festivals.” Other major festivals to be included are the CMA Music Festival, the Americana Music Festival & Conference, and Farm Aid.
“Rolling Stone is one of the most influential music publications in the world,” said Leah Ross, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music, the festival’s parent organization. “It’s humbling and rewarding that Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is being recognized alongside some of the greatest events in the country.”
Dates for this year’s Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion are September 16-18, 2016. Click for more information or to buy tickets.
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is proud to partner with The Paramount Chamber Players to produce a one-of-a-kind evening dedicated to the music of Tennessee Ernie Ford on February 13, 2015 at 7 P.M. at the Paramount Center for the Arts. The Tennessee Ernie Ford Tribute Concert, on what would have been Ford’s 97th birthday, will feature songs from Ford’s vast repertoire performed by The Paramount Chamber Players, special guests The Jeff Little Trio, a choral ensemble, and vocal soloists, along with accompanying narration.
“The collaboration between a museum dedicated to country music and an ensemble dedicated to classical music may seem at first glance an odd pairing,” says Craig Combs, Artistic Director of The Paramount Chamber Players, “but in recent decades, there is a trend of honoring artists of previous generations by creating new versions of their music which often involves merging musical styles or creating a completely new composition.”
The two-hour concert will include something for everyone: gospel tunes, country boogie tunes, patriotic and folk songs, and a new rendition of “Sixteen Tons.” The program intends to reimagine and reinvigorate the significant contribution of Tennessee Ernie Ford to many genres of American popular music. It will also feature two premieres: newly-discovered lyrics from the museum archives and an arrangement of some of Ford’s signature hymn tunes by composer Ann Holler, specially commissioned for this concert.
Dr. Jessica Turner, Director of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, notes: “The concert really represents a synergy of research, cultural stewardship, and performance. Our staff spent time reviewing our large collection of papers, sheet music, and recordings related to Tennessee Ernie Ford to find tunes that Ford sang or recorded from which Craig and his arranger Thomas Maternik created the program. We also invited composer Ann Holler, The Jeff Little Trio, and writers Joe and Ann Goodpasture to lend their unique talents to the evening.”
The concert will also include performances by the winners of the museum’s “Sixteen Tons” cover contest held in December 2015. “We had so many delightful entries, and our panel of judges had a difficult time deciding the winners,” said David Lewis, the museum’s Curator of Collections and Digital Media. “We’re excited about the wide variety of entries we received and the ways the musicians made Ford’s most famous song their own.”
Admission for the concert is $20; tickets are available at the Paramount Center for the Arts box office, or their website.
Christmas came a little early for music lovers this year as fans of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion eagerly counted down to the holiday with a daily sneak peek of the annual music festival’s artist lineup. Over the last two weeks Bristol Rhythm organizers announced 12 different festival artists during the “big reveal,” lighting up Facebook and Twitter with enthusiasm for the September event.
For the Birthplace of Country Music (BCM), the parent organization of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, the artist reveal has become a tradition designed for locals to take advantage of the early-bird discount and to also encourage folks to visit the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The Museum Store is the only walk-up ticket outlet for purchase of Bristol Rhythm wristbands.
“Most of our attendees are visitors who have been coming to the festival for years and would purchase Weekend Passes anyway,” said Birthplace of Country Music Executive Director Leah Ross. “But the artist reveal gets our locals excited and we want them to take advantage of the savings. We also hope that when they come to the museum to pick up passes they will see how amazing it is and be drawn to take a tour.”
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion 12 Days of Christmas Artist Reveal Re-cap:
1. EmiSunshine
2. Mipso
4. Dave Eggar
6. Joe Purdy
7. Jill Andrews
8. Larry Sparks
9. Cracker
10. Scythian
11. Houndmouth
12. Marty Stuart
Weekend Passes to the 16th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion are $50 (plus Bristol, VA admission tax and handling fee) through December 31, 2015, the lowest discount of the year. The festival lineup will be released in the spring of 2016. The 16th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion will be held September 16-18, 2016.
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is open six days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. On New Year’s Eve the museum will be open from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., closed on New Year’s Day.
