News Category: Museum

BRISTOL, Tenn.-Va. (Nov. 19, 2025) – Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time welcomes Paul McDonald and Liv Greene, two unique voices in the realm of Americana and folk, to the stage for a live taping of the show at 7 p.m. EST, Dec. 4, at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

Paul McDonald is often compared to legends like Rod Stewart and Bob Dylan, the poetic story-driven narratives and deeply catchy hooks in his music are delivered by a raspy –  yet refined – voice reminiscent of another era that demands to be heard right now. He pulls off the rare feat of being a poet, visual artist, songwriter, adamant performer, and a powerful vocalist. Paul’s hope is to spread peace, love, and unity through his music. His first album in more than six years, “So Long To the Dark Side,” dropped back in July with the electric single, “Dark Side,” leading a string of releases in the build up.

BRISTOL, Va.-Tenn. (Nov. 14, 2025) – The Birthplace of Country Music Museum invites you to a very special Speaker Session with producer and host of the roots music history podcast “American Songcatcher,” Nicholas Edward Williams. The program, entitled “Roots Music History: Live!” will take place in the museum’s performance theater at 7 p.m. EST, Dec. 9. The event is free and open to the public.

“Roots Music History: Live” is a multi-media presentation on local East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia music history. The experience includes historical audio, video, imagery, and a short concert of early songs recorded or documented in the region.

Founder and Director of the Hurricane Helene instrument relief organization ReString Appalachia, Nicholas Edward Williams is also a multi-instrumentalist, storyteller and preservationist who has spent the last 15+ years touring three continents, honoring and blending the American roots music spectrum with his own flair. He’s opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, CAAMP, Dom Flemons, Ballroom Thieves, John Craigie, John Paul White and Town Mountain and presented for TEDx. His 2019 debut album, “As I Go Ramblin’ Around,” hit the Top 10 Folk DJ charts for album and song. His critically acclaimed sophomore release “Folk Songs for Old Times’ Sake” has been heralded by well-regarded figures such as David Holt, Oliver Wood, and JP Harris. His newest traditional record, “Rags, Folk, and Blues, Oh My!” was released earlier this year.

Every month the Birthplace of Country Music Museum welcomes a variety of engaging and thought-provoking guests for its free Speaker Sessions program. If you are interested in attending, please pre-register through the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org. The program will also stream live on Radio Bristol’s YouTube channel.

BRISTOL, Va. (Nov. 11, 2025) – The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is featured as a destination in the newly launched Virginia 250 Passport. This collaborative, statewide initiative — organized by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC), Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF) and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello —encourages Virginians and visitors to commemorate America’s 250th by engaging with the Commonwealth’s foremost historic sites and museums. The project is supported by the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) and the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC).

Beginning Nov. 11, 2025, Passports will be available free of charge at signature sites — VMHC, Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello and the JYF’s Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown — as well as at the VA250 Mobile Museum, select VA250 events and all 12 Virginia Welcome Centers, each located at gateways along interstate highways. A total of 250,000 copies will be distributed.

“This statewide partnership between some of the finest history institutions in the nation is an example of how, when we work together, we can create engaging, meaningful experiences for our fellow Virginians,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “We encourage you to pick up your passport while supplies last and spend a year with us traveling around our great Commonwealth.”

The Virginia 250 Passport serves as a travel guide, discount book and keepsake. The 64-page commemorative booklet features descriptions of the 70 participating museums and historic sites across five regions of the Commonwealth: Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley, Southwestern Virginia and Tidewater. Governor Glenn Youngkin published a video announcement for the program.

Governor Glenn Youngkin published a video announcement for the program.

“America’s 250th anniversary is a once in a lifetime opportunity to come together, reflect on our shared past, and recommit ourselves to the continued progress of our nation. And there is no better place to do this than right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Jamie Bosket, president & CEO of the VMHC.

Travelers can collect unique stamps while visiting each passport site. Once they have secured a stamp in their passport, they can receive up to a 15% discount at future participating locations that charge admission. Collecting at least five stamps makes them eligible to enter the prize drawing. Prizes will be drawn in December 2026 and include yearlong museum memberships and cash awards up to $2,500.

“Bristol’s music history is not only a vital part of America’s music history, but core to America’s story – one that continues to resonate around the world,” said Melissa Roberts, executive director of the Birthplace of Country Music (BCM), the parent nonprofit of the Birthplace of Country Museum, the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and Radio Bristol. “Being part of the Virginia 250 Passport helps us invite travelers to experience everything we have to offer here in Bristol, including our museum and our festival, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in September of next year. We are honored to be included among Virginia’s most significant historic and cultural landmarks.”

The Virginia Department of Education will be partnering with superintendents across the Commonwealth to ensure that schools and teachers are aware of the passport, and are sharing it with students and families statewide. “The Virginia 250 Passport is a wonderful tool that can be used both inside and outside the classroom to inspire curiosity, learning and civic pride as it makes history come alive across the Commonwealth,” said Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Virginia secretary of education. “By exploring the people and places that shaped our nation, young Virginians and their families can connect more deeply with our shared story and gain a greater appreciation for the ideals that continue to define the Commonwealth and our country.”

The Virginia 250 Passport program runs from Nov. 11, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. More information, including sweepstakes rules, is available at VirginiaHistory.org/250Passport.

BRISTOL, Va.-Tenn. (Oct. 24, 2025) – You’re invited to a very special evening steeped in Appalachian heritage as the Birthplace of Country Music Museum proudly presents “Love & Murder A Capella,” a deeply moving gathering of traditional ballad singers known as A Nest of Singing Birds. The concert will be held in the museum’s “acoustically perfect” performance theater on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. EST, the perfect venue for such a powerful and moving display of unaccompanied voices and timeless storytelling.

Led by eighth-generation ballad singer Donna Ray Norton, the evening brings together some of Appalachia’s most cherished voices for a centuries-old tradition of storytelling in song – the ballad swap – with performers Sheila Kay Adams, Leila Weinstein, Sarah “Songbird” Burkey, and Darci DeWulf.

Channeling the spirit of the region’s oral history, the ballad swap offers an intimate glimpse into a practice passed down through generations. Ballad singing in the Appalachian mountains, and particularly in Madison County, North Carolina, holds a vital place in American folk history.

“Back in 1916 English folk song collector Cecil Sharp traveled to Madison County and was so impressed by the number of talented voices he found there that he described the region as ‘a nest of singing birds,'” said Museum Director Dr. Rene Rodgers. “Over 100 years later, Donna Ray Norton and a new generation of ‘singing birds’ are carrying on that uniquely Appalachian tradition. We are very excited to bring this collective to the museum for folks in our region to experience and enjoy.”

Today, this unique tradition – spanning more than nine generations – faces new challenges. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of the singers’ hometown, the Nest of Singing Birds collective has taken their regular ballad swap, traditionally held at the Old Marshall Jail, on the road to raise awareness of the fragility of both the practice and the region from which it was born. For more information about The Nest of Singing Birds, visit NestOfSingingBirds.com.

Tickets to “Love & Murder A Capella” are on sale now for $20 (price includes all applicable taxes and fees) and may be purchased through the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org. Do not miss this opportunity to experience a powerful piece of living history, through the voices of those keeping it alive.