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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. Most country, bluegrass, and old-time music artists have written about the beauty and simplicity of rural life in some form, but a few go even further. Many artists have used their music to inspire change and speak out about environmental issues. Since today is Earth Day, we want to highlight a few of these environmentalist artists and the causes they sang for. 

A number of songs distinctly focus on the growing effects of pollution, human interference in ecosystems, and unsustainable development. In the decades since the 1927 Bristol Sessions, more and more artists have taken a stance on environmental issues and spoken out about being better custodians of the land.

Woody Guthrie in 1943
Photo by Al Aumuller
From the Library of Congress

Woody Guthrie, one of folk music’s most famous artists, focused many of his early songs on the Dust Bowl. The hardships of the Great Depression were only compounded for farmers living in the American Great Plains as overuse of the land and improper farming methods led to the destruction of the topsoil. This, in turn, left the region susceptible to wind erosion, leading to winds kicking up massive dust storms that ravaged the plains for most of the 1930s. One of his most famous songs, “So Long, it’s been Good to Know Yuh,” originally titled “Dusty Old Dust,” focused on the Dust Bowl’s ravaging effects on the communities in Northern Texas. In one verse, he sings about how the local preacher invited the townspeople to pray for their salvation, but as the black dust storm blocks out all light and he can’t read his Bible, he tells the congregation, “So long, it’s been good to know yuh.”

Automobile buried by dust storm in Dallas, South Dakota, 1936
Photo by Sloan
From the United States Department of Agriculture

Jean Ritchie, known for collecting British and Irish folk songs as well as the many songs she wrote and recorded with the Appalachian dulcimer, did not stay silent on the growing dangers of pollution and overdevelopment. Primarily focusing on the effects of the mining industry in her native Kentucky, Ritchie wrote “Black Waters,” detailing the destruction of the natural environment due to unsustainable mining practices:

 

In the coming of springtime we planted our corn

In the ending of springtime we buried our son

In the summer come a nice man saying everything’s fine

My employer just requires a way to his mine

Then they tore down my mountain and covered my corn

Now the grave on the hillside’s a mile deeper down

And the man stands a talking with his hat in his hand

While the poison black waters rise over my land

 

One of the more famous environmental songs Ritchie recorded is“Now Is the Cool of the Day,” a hymn urging people to be better custodians of the Earth and treat each other with respect. While both songs have powerful messages set to beautiful music, “Now Is the Cool of the Day” became the unofficial song of those opposing mountaintop removal mining. Ritchie even allowed the song to be used by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a working-class organization focusing on limiting strip-mining and mountaintop removal mining in the area, along with a myriad of other progressive causes.

Jean Ritchie in 1950
Photo by George Pickow
From the American Folklife Center George Pickow and Jean Ritchie Collection

John Prine, whose family came from Kentucky coal country, grew up in the Chicago suburbs and in the summer visited his parents’ aptly named hometown of Paradise in Muhlenberg County. While some mining operations had existed in the county since the early 19th century, it wasn’t until the 1960s that heavy coal mining operations began as they discovered multiple shallow coal seams, which lead to large coal companies buying up swaths of land for high-intensity mining operations. What little environmental protections followed in the 60s were very loosely enforced as the mining caused soil erosion and pollution of the county’s groundwater. The Tennessee Valley Authority opened a coal-fired power plant in Paradise around the same time. Pollution from its smokestacks became so bad that locals would hang their laundry out to dry, only to return to find their clothing and linens turned gray from the ash. Shortly after, Paradise became a ghost town. The last three families were told by TVA that they had to leave the town by December 30, 1967, so that they could expand their coal plant enough to make it the largest in the world at the time.

Prine wrote “Paradise” about the destruction of his parents’ home, not only the community but the natural landscape as well. 

 

Then the coal company came with the world’s largest shovel

And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land

Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken

Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man

 

And Daddy, won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County?

Down by the Green River where Paradise lay

Well, I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking

Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away

John Prine in 2016
Photo by Matt Ludin
From the United States National Park Service

The year after “Paradise” came out, coal output in Muhlenberg peaked at 26 million tons, but Prine’s song quickly raised awareness of the destruction in Muhlenberg County. By 1991, two decades after the song’s release, coal production in the county dropped to 5 million tons, and the lush green landscape had begun to return to Muhlenberg. Today, the three coal-firing units at the Paradise power plant have been shut down and demolished, and have been replaced with cleaner natural-gas units, along with plans to install a solar farm. However, the only part of Paradise that remains is a lone cemetery near the plant site.

C.W. McCall, most famous for his hit “Convoy,” also advocated for environmentalist causes through his music. In his 1976 album Wilderness, he features the song “There Won’t Be No Country Music,” in which the singer warns that time is running out before the last bits of nature are overcome by human greed. Every verse, the time left shrinks, with the consequences of inaction becoming more and more dire:

 

Yeah, it’s only gonna take about a minute or so

‘Til the factories blot the sun out

You gonna have to turn your lights on just to see

And them lights are gonna be neon, sayin’

“Fly Our Jets To Paradise”

And the whole damn world is gonna be made of styrene

 

“There Won’t Be No Country Music” features the usual driving rhythm and supporting chorus that fans of McCall will be familiar with, though with a more grim message, warning listeners that “When they take away our country, they’ll take away our soul.” 

These are just a few of the songs written by a handful of artists within the broad country genre about environmental issues, and there are so many more! Such as John Denver,  who recorded songs about conservation and treating the Earth better, and even Alabama recorded “Pass It On Down, again calling on people to be more mindful of the environment and take responsibility for its conservation. All of these artists understood that if we don’t take care of the land now, nurture and protect it, then one day it might not be around to inspire music. 

Advocacy Means Action: Help Protect Museums and Libraries Today

By Erika Barker, Curatorial Manager at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Featured image of Erika on Capitol Hill for AAM’s 2025 Museum Advocacy Day.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is Advocacy? 

As various political and social issues continue to flood our feeds on social media, one word often stands out. Advocate. Everyone seems to want to identify as an advocate or encourage others to advocate for something. But what is advocacy, and why would someone even want to do that? 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, advocacy is the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal. And this can be any cause! You can advocate at home for more equitable treatment from your parents, or at work for better workplace policies for you and your coworkers, or for national issues that are important to you or your loved ones. 

To be an effective advocate, though, strategic action is important – from learning about the issue and speaking up about it to friends, family, and your networks to sharing your views with your political representatives and getting involved with organizations who are supporting or working toward meaningful change related to the issue. In other words, it is more than just a desire to make changes; it is also about the action behind that desire.

Group of museum and arts advocates with Virginia State Senator Todd Pillion

What does this have to do with museums? 

Just like any other industry there are causes and concerns that affect all museums. Organizations like the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM), and the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) have annual advocacy days at the state level. The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) organizes their annual Museums Advocacy Day each February where museum professionals from across the country gather at Capitol Hill to advocate together at the national level. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) shares advocacy updates with its members and participates in a variety of advocacy events at the state and national level. The American Library Association (ALA) also published this helpful FAQ about the Executive Order. All of these organizations – along with many others – help distribute information and make resources available to all museums and their supporters so that anyone can help advocate on behalf of their favorite museum!

Group of Museum professionals from the Virginia Association of Museums in the Senate building.
Group of Museum professionals from the Virginia Association of Museums in the Senate building.

Why does this matter right now? 

On March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order calling for the elimination of the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS). This federal agency – the only one dedicated to directly supporting American museums and libraries – does a huge amount of good for museums and libraries across the country, especially ones located in small or rural communities like ours. 

Did you know that there are more museums in America than McDonalds and Starbucks combined? It shows just how much Americans love museums! Museums generate more than $50 billion dollars and support 726,000 jobs – they are definitely a good thing for our economy, not to mention our state of mind. And museums and libraries across the United States are hugely valued by their communities – they provide accessible educational resources; offer a wide range of programs, trainings, and workshops; preserve local and national history; partner with other organizations to serve their audiences; and so much more. The American Alliance of Museums shares many more facts about museums’ impact on American communities; you can also check out the American Library Association for more information on libraries and their impact.

IMLS funding is central to museums and libraries, and to the ways that they serve their communities. IMLS’s budget makes up only 0.0046% of the federal budget (that is less than $1 per taxpayer each year), and they use that money to provide grant support and resources to museums and libraries on a variety of levels. On both sides of the political spectrum, museums are valued as educational and cultural resources. Research shows that 96% of Americans want to maintain or increase federal funding for museums and approve of lawmakers who act to support museums. 

Group of museum and arts advocates with Virginia State Delegate Israel O’Quinn

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum received an IMLS grant in 2021–2022, specifically targeted at helping institutions like ours recover from the pandemic.  The grant provided support for educational training for our museum docents (the people who lead tours), disaster training (to make sure all our staff and volunteers know how to respond during a disaster so we can keep our visitors and collections safe), and a wide range of professional development opportunities for our curatorial team. The benefits of the classes, webinars, training courses, and conferences we attended – and the partnerships we forged through these opportunities – are still being felt today. None of that would have been possible without the IMLS grant.

We also participate in Museums for All – an initiative of IMLS, administered by the Association of Children’s Museums. This program makes it possible for more than 1,400 museums to offer free or reduced cost admission for those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) simply by presenting their EBT or WIC cards and a photo ID. Taking part in this program means that we can make our museum more accessible and welcoming to people of all socio-economic backgrounds. 

 

BCMM’S Director of Community and Government Relations Leah Ross with Caren Merrick the Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia

 

Advocacy vs. Lobbying: What’s the Difference?

Advocacy is about raising awareness, educating the public – including elected officials, and encouraging civic engagement on important issues—like speaking out to protect IMLS funding. Lobbying, on the other hand, involves directly influencing legislation by asking elected officials to vote for or against a specific bill. While nonprofits lille ours can advocate freely, lobbying has legal limitations depending on the organization’s status. By reaching out to your representatives and sharing why IMLS and BCMM matter, you are engaging in advocacy, not lobbying.

Group of people sitting in various chairs in a formal office setting.
Group of arts advocates in Tennessee State Representative Timothy Hill

Okay, so what can I do to help? 

Without funding from agencies like IMLS our ability to serve our community will be directly impacted. And therefore, now we need YOUR help to take URGENT ACTION as an advocate for museums and libraries!  

There is a letter being circulated to members of the House of Representatives this week asking the Administration to reconsider the executive order that would gut IMLS funding. The deadline for members of Congress to sign onto the letter is tomorrow, Friday, March 28. With the deadline fast approaching, a phone call would be the most effective way to reach your representative. HERE is a call template specifically asking representatives to sign the letter!

After taking that specific action, the best way to advocate is to continue to reach out to your representatives – via phone call, email, or letter – and tell them why something is important to you. The more we share our thoughts and views with elected officials, the more likely they are to act. 

  • Call your members of Congress. Find their phone numbers and a draft script for supporting museums HERE.
  • Write to your members of Congress. Get started with the AAM template letter HERE and PERSONALIZE it with your stories! These emails have significantly more impact when you customize them and tell YOUR story to YOUR elected officials. 

Personal stories go a long way! When you talk to your representatives, be sure to tell them why museums and libraries matter to you specifically. How have you benefited from museums and libraries? How does your community benefit from these institutions? What resources or educational programs have you participated in at your local museum or library? And so much more! The calls and email templates are great, but they have way more impact when you customize them and tell YOUR story to YOUR elected officials. Social media can also be a great way to let people know about issues you care about and encourage them to advocate with you. 

BCMM’S Director of Community and Government Relations Leah Ross with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Finally, keep an eye out for future opportunities to advocate for museums! It is possible that related federal agencies upon which museums rely for funding (such as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)), and by extension the state agencies who administer pass-through grants from these agencies – will be affected by similar proposed cuts in the future. If you see news about this, reach out to your senators and representatives again, and help keep museums and libraries central to our communities!

“It’s Alive, It’s Alive!”: Frankenstein Instruments Brought to Life

By Rene Rodgers, Head Curator at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

November 21 marks the 103rd anniversary of the release of the movie Frankenstein (the book by Mary Shelley upon which it was based was published on January 1, 1818). For those who don’t already know, Frankenstein is the doctor rather than the monster – and Frankenstein’s poor monster only became a true monster after being rejected and alienated by the person who created him and the society around him. As he says at one point in the book, “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.”

image of Mary Shelley's 1818 Frankenstein book cover, 1931 Frankenstein movie poster, and 1974 Young Frankenstein movie poster.
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, 1818; Frankenstein, 1931; Young Frankenstein, 1974

With this anniversary, we want to share some non-fiendish instruments (depending on your perspective!), ones that are made up of elements of different instruments with a mish-mash of musical qualities. “Frankenstein instruments,” if you will!

Two Frankenstein instruments that touch on the history of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and old-time music are the harp guitar and the banjo ukulele – the names of both make the origins of their different parts obvious! The harp guitar is basically a guitar with the addition of a second neck, either curved or straight, that bears several unstopped open strings, which are usually plucked individually as is done when playing the harp. The harp guitar was never commonly used in mainstream American music, but it possibly appears on the 1927 Bristol Sessions in the distinctive gospel recordings by Alfred Karnes who was skilled on the instrument and known to play it. Some scholars believe that he played it on “I Am Bound For The Promised Land,” “When They Ring The Golden Bells,” and “To The Work.” However, others question whether Karnes played harp guitar at all on these songs. The harp guitar is difficult, if not impossible, to hear when played in an ensemble, and Karnes might have used a traditional guitar instead, or perhaps only played the extra strings on the harp guitar now and then. 

A large guitar with an extra neck and open strings resembling a harp.
Harp guitars, like this model by The Gibson Company, became popular in the 1910s and appeared throughout the United States as part of mandolin orchestra ensembles. On display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, loaned from the collection of Joseph R. Gregory

Banjo ukuleles – more commonly called banjo ukes and also known as banjoleles – look like a reduced version of a banjo with the standard body/head of the banjo and the shorter neck and four strings of the ukulele. Banjo ukes were particularly popular during the 1920s and 1930s, giving performers the ease of playing and tuning found with the ukulele with the sound and volume of the banjo. Popular on the vaudeville circuit, they have also been played by country and bluegrass musicians, and often are used in comedic playing styles. Other banjo hybrids include the banjo dulcimer (or dulci-banjo), the mandolin banjo (or banjolin), and the bass banjo. 

five different sizes and styles of banjo ukes.
Several different banjo ukes showing the varying sizes and design features. Ukulele magazine, Fall 2016

The kazoo is another instrument that often takes on the form of or is combined with different instruments. For instance, kazoos can look like trumpets or saxophones, amongst other instruments or musical items (like a microphone). And there are also trumpet, trombone, and French horn kazoos that come closer to their partner instruments’ sizes. While these kazoo mixes are similar to other Frankenstein instruments in that they look like they are a mix-up of different instruments together, they are still played – and mostly still sound – like kazoos, without taking on any of the musical qualities of the partner instrument. If you want to know more about kazoos in general, check out our Instrument Interview HERE

 A collection of differently shaped kazoos including ones that look like a saxophone, trumpet, and boat.
A collection of differently shaped kazoos. Courtesy UC San Diego Library

One of the weirdest Frankenstein instruments is the ukelin, an instrument we’ve highlighted on our blog before. Of the Frankenstein instruments, the ukelin is closest to a monstrosity – not in appearance but in its effects on those who tried to play it! The ukelin utilizes two sets of strings for a total of 32: one set of sixteen melody strings and another set of four groups of four bass strings all tuned to a different chord. On the neck of the instrument, the first set of strings is akin to a violin, and there are guiding posts located on the neck to show the player where to move the bow in order to elicit the desired melody. On the body of the instrument, the accompanying chords are meant to be plucked or picked to the song being played. Ukelins were first patented in 1923 and became quite popular in the 1930s – they were sold door-to-door by traveling salesmen who would disingenuously convince potential customers that the instrument was easy to play and would make them into a musician within days or even hours. Once bought, however, the actual playing proved to be a real challenge. There were too many strings doing different things, and once they fell out of tune, they were nearly impossible to get back into tune, soon resulting in a cacophony of unpleasant sounds. Inevitably, these instruments soon ended up either given away, stored and forgotten in attics, or perhaps even trashed by someone whose patience ran too thin while trying to make beautiful music…which is why we have two ukelins in our collection! 

an instrument resembling a wide and flat ukulele with extra strings on the neck.
With this ukelin in the museum’s collection, you can see the full instrument, along with its bow and a tuning key to the left. The two up-close photos show the ukelin’s deceptively beautiful decorative elements (hiding the monster within!) and its built-in cheat sheet for the chords that can be played on the instrument. Photograph © Birthplace of Country Music; gift of Bruce Maass.

Finally, none of these Frankenstein instruments should be confused with what is known as the Frankenstein guitar, the name given to Eddie Van Halen’s guitar by his devoted fans. This wonderfully different instrument was first properly introduced to the world with Van Halen’s (the band) debut album in 1979. Not only was it played by Eddie Van Halen, but it was also essentially built by him from different parts, concepts, and personal innovations. Basically, the guitars he could buy didn’t have all the qualities or abilities he needed to perform the music he wanted to play – so he created exactly what was needed to make him one of the most revered rock guitarists of all time. You can read more HERE about this extraordinary player and his Frankenstein guitar (and even get a replica of your own!).

magazine cover with a young man with big wavy brown hair and an unbuttoned blue shirt. He is posed with his arms crossed and wearing a red guitar with whit and black stripes.
Eddie Van Halen and his Frankenstein guitar were on the cover of Musician magazine in 1982. https://vanhalengear.com/frankenstrat/

Spook Season: Graveyard Hunts for Bristol Sessions Artists

By Julia Underkoffler, Collection Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Happy spooky season! This time of year, many people seek out ghost tours and other spooky adventures, many of which take place in cemeteries. People who visit cemeteries for specific or unique tombstones are called “tombstone tourists.” But did you know you can also learn a lot about history in a cemetery? 

Originally founded by Jim Tipton in 1995 to document where famous people were buried, Find a Grave soon opened up to allow a passionate online community to document, recover, and preserve the history held in cemeteries worldwide. Over 250 million graves have now been documented. Anyone can create an account to contribute to this open resource! You can also build “virtual cemeteries” with collections of gravesites from different cemeteries. I have done one for my ancestors on both sides of my family tree and one for the 1927 Bristol Sessions!

So far, there are 43 members in the Bristol Sessions Virtual Cemetery and graves in 7 different states – Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico, and California. As you explore the cemetery, you will notice that most of the artist’s gravestones are not particularly ornate; they are just simple markers, and some are not marked at all. Now, let’s explore exactly where the session artists are buried!

Large marble statue of a woman standing on a casket in the center of a garden.
Image of Peer’s resting place was added to Findagrave.com by Gardens of Memory841.
  • Ralph Peer
    • Buried next to his wife Monique, who accompanied him on his Bristol Sessions trip, in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. 
  • Ernest “Pop” Stoneman and his wife Hattie 
  • The Stonemans invited nine of their friends and family members to record with them at the Bristol Sessions. 
    • Pop Stoneman’s older brother George Stoneman
      • Buried in McKenzie Cemetery in Grayson County, Virginia.
    • Hattie’s twin siblings Bolen and Irma Frost
      • Buried in Ballard Cemetery in Galax, Virginia.
    • Kahle and Edna Brewer
      • Buried in Felts Memorial Cemetery in Galax, Virginia. 
    • Iver Edwards
      • Buried in Monta Vista Gardens in Galax, Virginia.
grassy hill with numerous old tombstones.
Image of Old Quaker Cemetery in Pipers Gap, Carroll County, Virginia was added to findagrave.com by Dan.
  • Alexander “Uncle Eck” Dunford  
    • Buried in Old Quaker Cemetery in Pipers Gap, Virginia
  • Ernest Phipps and his Holiness Quartet all stayed near Corbin, Kentucky, and are buried within a four-mile radius of each other.
    • Ernest Phipps and A. G. Baker 
      • Buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Corbin, Kentucky.
    • Rolan Johnson
      • Buried in Felts Chapel Cemetery in Corbin, Kentucky.
    • Ancil McVay
      • Buried in Rest Haven Cemetery in Corbin, Kentucky.
  • John Preston (J.P.) Nester
    • Buried in Cruise Cemetery in Hillsville, Virginia.
  • Norman Edmonds 
    • Buried in Gardner Memorial Cemetery in Hillsville, Virginia. 
  • The Bull Mountain Moonshiners 
    • Charles M. McReynolds, the grandfather of Jim and Jesse McReynolds
      • Buried in Hazelton Stallard Cemetery in Coeburn, Virginia.
    • William McReynolds  
      • Buried in Hazelton Stallard Cemetery in Coeburn, Virginia.
    • Howard Greear 
      • Buried in the Greear Family Cemetery in Flatwoods, Virginia. 
    • Charles Greear
      • Buried in Greenwood Memorial Gardens located in Coeburn, Virginia.
    • Bill Deane. 
      • The only member of the Bull Mountain Moonshiners I have not yet been able to find is Bill Deane.
Bronze grave marker that says "Mother Maybelle Carter, The First Lady of Country Music. God has picked his wildwood flower."
Image of Maybelle’s resting place was added to findavgrave.com by Randy McCoy.
  • The Carter Family,
    • Alvin Pleasant Carter, and his wife, Sarah
      • Buried in Mount Vernon Methodist Church Cemetery in Hiltons, Virginia, along with their three children,Gladys, Janette, and Joe.
    • Sarah’s cousin, Maybelle Carter
      • Buried in Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee, next to her husband (and A.P.’s cousin) Ezra. Their three girls, Helen, June, and Anita, are buried there as well. And yes, June is buried next to Johnny Cash.
  • Two members of The Alcoa Quartet are buried in cemeteries that are about five miles from each other. I have been unable to identify stones for the other two members, the brothers John Edgar and James Herbert Thomas. 
    • William Burrell Hitch
      • Buried in Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Maryville, Tennessee 
    • John Leonard “Lennie” Wells.
      • Buried in Grandview Cemetery in Maryville, Tennessee.
  • The Shelor Family stayed in the Meadows of Dan area and were buried in cemeteries about three miles from each other. 
    • Joe Blackard
      • Buried in the Joseph Blackard Cemetery in Meadows of Dan, Virginia.
    • Joe’s daughter Clarice, her husband Jesse, and Jesse’s brother Pyrhus are all buried in the Meadows of Dan Baptist Church Cemetery in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. 
  • Couple James Whiley and Flora Baker are buried in Baker Cemetery in Dungannon, Virginia.
  • Red Snodgrass and His Alabamians
    • Thomas P. Snodgrass and his brother Ralph Campbell Snodgrass are buried in Sunset Memorial Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
Large headstone with the word "Rodgers" in the middle. with a pot of white flowers and a guitar laid in front.
Image of Jimmie Rodgers resting place was added to findagrave.com by Gregory Leonard Watson.
  • Jimmie Rodgers 
    • Buried in Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Meridian, Mississippi.
  • Tenneva Ramblers
    • I believe I have found Jack Pierce (Shelby Hills Cemetery) and Claude Slagle (East Hill Cemetery) in Bristol, Tennessee. However, I have not yet been able to locate Jack’s brother Claude or James “Jack” Grant. Except for Jimmy Rodgers, The Jimmie Rodgers Entertainers (soon to be called the Tenneva Ramblers) were all from Bristol. A chance visit to their hometown gave this Asheville-based band an opportunity to audition for the Bristol Sessions.
  • The West Virginia Coon Hunters 
    • Wesley’ Bane’ Boles 
      • Buried in Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery in Nebo, Virginia, and his place of rest is unmarked.
    • Vernal Vest
      • Buried in Trail Cemetery in Princeton, West Virginia. 
    • Clyde S. Meadows 
      • Buried in Big Run Cemetery in Diana, West Virginia. 
    • It is not easy to say for sure where Joe Stephens and Fred Belcher have been laid to rest. Several possible locations have been identified, but with no birth or death dates to go off of, we can’t say for certain.
  • The Tennessee Mountaineers was a church group of around twenty people from Bluff City, Tennessee. Here is where three of the members I have identified so far are buried:
    • Roy Hobbs, the brother-in-law of A. P. Carter 
      • Buried in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens in Roanoke, Virginia. 
    • Father and daughter duo George and Georgia Massengill (Warren). At 12 years old, Georgia was the youngest participant in the sessions and the only one still alive when the museum opened in 2014.
      • Buried in Morrell Cemetery in Bluff City, Tennessee.
  • Blind Alfred Reed
    • Buried in Elgood Cemetery in Elgood, Virginia.
  • B. F. Shelton
    • Buried in Corinth Cemetery in Corbin, Kentucky.
  • Alfred Karnes 
    • Buried in McHargue Cemetery in Lily, Kentucky.
  • Henry Whitter
    • No stones have been found using what we believe are Whitter’s birth and death dates. However, it is not uncommon for the dates on older graves to be slightly off, and this stone, located in Eden Cemetery in Summerset, Kentucky, is assumed to be Whitter’s most likely resting place.
Image of Whitter’s resting place was added to findagrave.com by NashvilleTony.

Lastly, there are five artists – Walter Mooney, Tom Leonard, Paul Johnson, Charles Johnson, and El Watson – whom we know virtually nothing about beyond their names and that they played at the Bristol Sessions. Hopefully we will find their final resting places one day as we continue to research. 

I have always had an interest in cemeteries, the artistry behind making gravestones, and the preservation of them. I even decided to write my master’s thesis on the similarities between public history practices and cemeteries! Creating a virtual cemetery for the Bristol Sessions artists was a passion project that allowed me to view the content of the museum where I work through my favorite historical lens and it doesn’t stop here! If you are interested in exploring more virtual cemeteries, check out the other two I have made: BCM VIPs – people who have carried on the musical tradition and innovated the sounds of Bluegrass, Country, and American, and Women in Old-Time –  a special cemetery dedicated to the women who were featured in our special exhibit, I’ve Endured: Women In Old Time Music,   which is now traveling. All of these virtual cemeteries are updated regularly as I continue to research, so stay tuned for more!