New “Hometown Stars” Special Exhibit Opening Feb. 7

The talents and repertoires of Southwest Virginia musicians proved to be a deep musical well for the nation’s growing recording industry. Few other parts of the country produced so much commercially recorded music in the pre-World War II era. Still, only a handful of Southwest Virginia performers saw real fame or money. Most were simply hometown stars, playing music locally and living average lives. “Hometown Stars,” an exhibit produced by the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, tells the stories of these artists — including the Powers Family, Dock Boggs, Carl Martin, The Roanoke Jug Band, and Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain Stringband — through text, photographs, and artifacts.
“Hometown Stars” will be on display in the Special Exhibits Gallery at the Birthplace of Country Music from February 7, 2017 through June 4, 2017.