Monthly Speaker Sessions

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s free monthly Speaker Sessions will be shared below. To view upcoming speaker topics, please see our events page.

June 2025- Charles Hughes- You Don’t Know My Mind: Country, Blues, and their Connections

No two kinds of music have a closer and more complex relationship than country and blues. With this Speaker Session, historian and author Charles L. Hughes will discuss the historical relationship between the two genres. Hughes will consider their shared roots, their continuing overlaps, and what the relationship between them tells us about the larger history of the United States.

Charles L. Hughes is the author of the acclaimed books Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South and Why Bushwick Bill Matters. He has also written numerous book chapters and essays in publications including Oxford American, Slate, Washington Post, Southern Cultures, and American Quarterly. He is the co-founder of the digital music newsletter No Fences Review, a former regular contributor to the podcast Teaching Hard History, and a voting member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He is Associate Professor of History and Urban Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

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May 2025- Erika Barker and Julia Underkoffler on Country Music, Comedy, and the Small Screen

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April 2025- Mary Munsey on Connections between Songwriting and Visual Art

For the last year, Mary Munsey’s motto has been: “If your song is well written it should paint a picture in the listener’s mind. If not, keep working on it.” And with that motto, she decided to see if some of her songs fit this tall requirement by working with several area artists to explore their interpretation of her songs in a visual format. Each artist rose to the occasion, interpreting and creating what they saw (or didn’t see) in the music and lyrics, while also helping Mary to identify the different ways people aurally process songs. With this Speaker Session, Mary shares how this artistic challenge worked, what she learned, and how it revealed the connections between music and art.

Mary Munsey received her B.A. in music education from Emory & Henry and her master’s in music from James Madison University. She has been an elementary, middle, and high school choral director for 18 years, and she has just retired after 13 years as director of the music department at VHCC (Virginia Highlands Community College).

She has had a wide and varied career in music performance, including as a bassoonist in symphonies, bass, mandolin, and guitar playing in acoustic groups, and singing and playing saxophone and keyboard in many Tri-Cities area bands, including Samantha Gray and the Jukebox Jam Band. Mary has been writing and performing music for many years locally and nationally including multiple performances at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, The Carter Fold, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, and bluegrass festivals like Ralph Stanley’s Festival in Coeburn, Va.

Mary has been widely honored for her original songs and musical work, including winning the 2010 Woody Guthrie International Folk Songwriting Contest for her song “Nine Days Old” and placing 2nd in the International Bluegrass Music Association’s lesson plan contests in 2009 and 2010. In 2011 she had songs place in songwriter competitions in Texas, Wisconsin, and Connecticut, including a 2nd place recognition for her song “This Side of The Wall” at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival. Her song “Eight Lives to Spare” was a winner in the Smoky Mountain Songwriting Competition in 2019, and she has placed twice in the Gathering in the Gap Festival. She has also presented several songwriting workshops for the Virginia Highlands Festival, and she facilitates regional Songwriters of the Highlands Appalachia groups, including the new Songwriters Circle program on the second Saturday of each month at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

Her CD Nine Days Old includes heartfelt material and songs that display her off-beat sense of humor. Reflections, released in 2013 includes instrumentals, country, bluegrass, blues, and pop. Shades of Refinements released in 2015 features original jazz and blues. This recording displays her joy of playing saxophone and keyboard as well as songwriting. She is currently working on another CD of originals.

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November 2024 – Speaker Sessions: Lisa Sorrell on Boot Making

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October 2024 – Speaker Sessions: Cam Collins on “Old Gods of Appalachia”

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August 2024 – Speaker Sessions: Brandon Story on Gospel According to Bristol

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July 2024 – Speaker Sessions: After the Big Bang: A Record Collector’s Journey of Local Independent Record Labels with Lonnie Salyer

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June 2024 – Andrew Finn Magill

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May 2024 – Dave Eggar & Len Cook

Join us with Dave Eggar and Len Cook on “Composing a Champion: A New Horizon in Professional Performance.”

It takes courage to follow your dreams and create something unique. In 1927, the people who came to Bristol to record showed that courage and sparked a revolution in music. For generations, Bristolians embraced their art and heritage with unwavering tenacity to get Bristol recognized as the birthplace of country music. Dave Eggar and Len Cook – two high-level performers who understand the characteristics of a successful artist and what qualities contribute to courage, resilience, and confidence – have taken the collective experiences, habits, strategies, and mindsets that have led them to success on the stage and in the ring across the country to discuss strategies for overcoming self-doubt, performance anxiety, and the limits we put on ourselves.  With this Speaker Sessions, Dave and Len will share how they developed their program “Composing a Champion,” their experience taking it on the road to 25 colleges to work with artist-side confidence-building and finding their unique voice, and the impact this work has had. Taking inspiration from the early pioneers of Bristol, both then and now, join us on this journey to a new horizon in performance.

Dave Eggar is a five-time Grammy-nominated virtuoso cellist, Harvard graduate, and Ivy League college professor. Over the past 2 1/2 decades, Dave has been a first-call cellist and string arranger for superstars like Coldplay, Evanescence, John Legend, Lewis Capaldi and Bebe Rexha and Foreigner. He is a regular performer at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion.

Len Cook is a career martial artist with over 20 years of experience. He is a professional MMA fighter, undefeated professional kickboxer, and owner and head coach of Champion Striking and Fitness in Bristol, Virginia. As a competitor, Len climbed his way up the ranks and quickly claimed 3 Bantamweight champion titles and was ranked as number 1 Bantamweight fighter in the Southeast region.

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April 2024 – Celine Aubry of Hatch Show Print

 

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March 2024 – Chef T and the Pakalachian

Our next Speaker Sessions is with Katlin & Mohsin Kazmi (The Pakalachian Food Truck) and Chef T (Union 41 Bristol). This program will explore how these regional chefs meld different cultural traditions with Appalachian foodways to create a wonderful and tasty dining experience – from food on the road to a meal in a historic bus station!

Katlin Wohlford Kazmi is the Executive Director of the Region VII Virtual Academy and co-owner of The Pakalachian Food Truck. Katlin obtained her Masters in Education from the University of Virginia in 2012 and her Educational Specialist in Policy and Administration from Virginia Tech in 2014. Climbing the educational ladder from teacher to assistant principal, she now works collaboratively with 18 rural school divisions in Virginia’s Region 7. Named as one of 2020’s 40 under Forty in the Business Journal of the Tri-Cities, Katlin advocates for creating opportunities to keep hardworking people living and working in the mountains she calls home. Most recently, Katlin co-founded To The Brim, a nonprofit aiming to provide economic opportunities and cultural experiences to the people of Southwest Virginia.

Mohsin Kazmi is an entrepreneur, public speaker, food truck owner, and conservation photographer specializing in tropical jungle ecosystems. Mohsin graduated with his Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech. He is CEO and Board Member of Junglekeepers, a nonprofit working in the Madre de Dios region of Peru to protect 50,000 hectares of rainforest and create sustainable opportunities for local Peruvians. Mohsin helped build Tamandua Expeditions, a conservation-based ecotourism company that specializes in educational trips to the same region of Peru. Mohsin is a two-time TEDx Speaker and a published conservation photographer. His photography has been featured in Mongabay, Environment 360, Ecology.com, The Rainforest Alliance, New York Times, and The United Nations International Forum on Forests, among others.  Locally, he is the Resident Naturalist and Marketing Photographer for Nicewonder Farms and Vineyards and co-owner of The Pakalachian Food Truck.

With a passion for food that began as a child when she watched her grandmother feed their community from her tiny kitchen on the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Chef T has become a decorated and respected Chef within the food service industry. As a founder of “Chef T Culinary Concepts,” she strives to provide her culinary vision and love of food to those that she cooks with as well as those that she serves. Her best-selling cookbook PARADIGM: A Macro Manifesto to Food, is a lifestyle cookbook that further honors her vision of food as a celebration of life. She is the owner and Executive Chef of Union 41 Bristol.

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February 2024 – Bailey George and Jessica Stiles on Country Music Duets

Join us for our February Speaker Sessions with Bailey George and Jessica Stiles. With “You and Me: A Journey through Country Music’s Rich Duet Tradition,” Bailey and Jessica will explore the winding stream of country duets from brother acts of the 1930s to chart topping country pop of the 1970s. Hear the stories and witness the harmonies that birthed an American tradition.

Bailey George is a musician, historian, and radio personality. Becoming interested in roots music at a young age, Bailey began collecting, performing, and chronicling the history of American vernacular music, as well as hosting various radio programs across the southeast. Bailey has been hosting Honky Tonk Hit Parade weekly on Radio Bristol since 2016, as well as developing a steady career as a musician with various groups including Bailey George and Jukebox Jess and Bailey George and the Oscillators.

A Yale graduate, Jessica Stiles has had a multi-faceted career in music across many aspects of the industry. As a musician, she has led her own band and has performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Bluebird Cafe, and on Music City Roots. As an engineer and technical consultant, she has worked on broadcast shows Bluegrass Underground and American Masters on PBS, as well as being a freelance broadcast engineer at 650 AM WSM, home of the Grand Ole Opry. In addition, she has interviewed country music icons such as Mac Wiseman, Ramona Jones, and Marty Stuart. Jessica is a broadcaster and songwriter, currently performing as part of Bailey George and Jukebox Jess as well as under her own name.

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January 2024 – Holly G on the Black Opry

Join us for our first Speaker Sessions of 2024! Holly G will be with us via Zoom to talk about the Black Opry, the home for Black artists, fans, and industry professionals working in country, Americana, blues, and folk music. This program is also connected to Bristol’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration event.

Holly G is a country music industry disruptor. In April 2021, she founded the Black Opry, which began as a website and Twitter account celebrating the Black performers working in country, Americana, folk, and other adjacent musical styles and quickly grew into a “vital voice” (Billboard) within those genres, devoted to advocating for Black entertainers and helping the marginalized group reclaim its place in the American musical canon. The Black Opry Revue, the organization’s national touring showcase, began in October 2022, and Holly G launched Black Opry Records, in partnership with Thirty Tigers, in September 2023. Holly’s writing has appeared on Grammy.com, Holler, Taste of Country, and The Boot, as well as in the quarterly roots music journal No Depression.

Black Opry is a home for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana music. Country music has been made by and loved by Black people since it’s conception. For just as long, they have been overlooked and disregarded in the genre by fans and executives. Black Opry wants to change that. They invite you to discover, support, and enjoy the Black artists that make magic in this space. One of the most valuable aspects of country music is its versatility and diversity in sound. Country, blues, folk, and Americana music often overlap or weave together – these artists explore all of those sounds and intersections. .

The organization and its work are featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibition American Currents: State of the Music 2022, has a year-long collaboration with Wrangler, and, in early 2023, partnered with Philadelphia public radio station WXPN for the first Black Opry Residency, which brought five acts together for virtual workshops and a week of creative work in Philadelphia. (A podcast documenting the residency is forthcoming.) The “hub for Black talent” (Grammy.com) has devoted itself to advocating for Black entertainers and helping the marginalized group reclaim its place in the American musical canon.

The Black Opry Revue, the organization’s national touring showcase, began in October 2022 and has since staged performances at Nashville’s Exit/In; Los Angeles’s Troubadour; the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, Calif.’s non-profit venues Freight & Savage; and several City Winery venues. The Revue has also earned slots at festivals including the Newport Folk Festival (2022, 2023), Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (2022), AmericanaFest (2022), the 30A Songwriters Festival (2023), Cayamo (2023), MerleFest (2023), and the High Water Festival (2023).

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December 2023 – McKenzie Isom on Women in Country Music

Our next Speaker Session will feature Dr. McKenzie Isom as she examines the experience of women in country music. Throughout the long 1970s, country music sought to cultivate a traditional, “authentic,” and conservative image and sound that would be commercially competitive. Though the study of country music continues to develop, very little attention has been paid to how this adherence to authenticity and traditionalism impacted its artists’ personal and professional lives, particularly among its roster of female artists. In her presentation, Dr. Isom will provide a more nuanced look into the inner workings of the country music industry, one that sheds light on the highly restrictive atmosphere and working culture that female country artists regularly struggled against during this period.

McKenzie L. Isom is an instructor of History at Trine University, where she teaches courses related to American history. She received her Ph.D. in History from Purdue University, where she specialized in 20th-century US history, gender studies, and popular culture. Her dissertation, “Rustic Roots and Rhinestone Cowboys: Southern Identity, Authenticity, and the Gendered Construction of Persona in the Long 1970s Country Music Industry,” examined the evolution of the term “authenticity” within the country music industry and its impact on female artists and their careers over time. Her most recent article about Bob Dylan’s connections to country music will be included in The Politics and Power of Bob Dylan’s Live Performance (Routledge Press). She is also currently working on an article discussing Welsh mythology’s impact on Stevie Nicks’ lyricism and stage persona that will be included in Classic Rock and Ancient History (Bloomsbury Publishing).

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November 2023 – Appalachian Folklore with Damean Mathews

Have you lived your life hearing tales of the strange goings on in the mountains? Did your grandparents warn you about what might lurk in the dark after the lights go out? Or do you want to learn about some of the mystery and magic our Appalachian culture is built on? Then step into the world of Appalachian folklore with local author Damean Mathews to hear about many such myths and legends.

Damean Mathews was born in Tazewell, Virginia and almost immediately fell in love with literature. From an early age he preferred to be in the company of books than most anyone else, taking books with him everywhere he went. The only thing that matched his love of the written word, was his fascination with the paranormal. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves and monsters make up much of Damean’s life. It only made sense that, at some point, Damean began to write. At first he would toy around with rewriting some of his favorite stories, or coming up with ideas for sequels to tales where none existed. In his junior year of high school, Damean got a story idea that “absolutely demanded to be written. I had no idea how something in my own head could be so powerful. It was in that exact moment that I knew I had to write.”

Taking this urge by storm, Damean started his first novel, quickly turning one idea into nearly half a dozen. While working on novels, he also put out a few short stories, one of which earned him his first publication in a literary journal. That first publication inspired him to write more than ever, leading to more publications in more journals, while somewhere along the way Damean managed to finish three novels. Specializing in the paranormal, the self-proclaimed vampirologist, attended symposiums, learning more about the craft and eventually teaching lessons about how to relate worldwide legends to local lore in the Southwest Virginia region in particular. Damean is incredibly proud of his Appalachian culture and loves to explore the region his ancestors lived in. He often emphasizes elements of that culture within his writing and makes it a mission to seek out as much mountain lore and legend he possibly can, both for personal enjoyment and to use in his writing. He independently published his first print collection, “Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre: Stories From the Appalachian Foothills,” in 2019, his Appalachian werewolf novel “Moonlight” in 2020, and his much awaited and beloved Appalachian vampire novel, “Maverip” in 2021. Damean teaches high school English and continues to write while loving every second of life with his incredible wife, who provides endless support and encouragement, in their mountain home.

Visit Damean’s website at dameanmathews.com.

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October 2023 – Ballad Singer Donna Ray Norton on Murder Ballads

Join us for our next Speaker Sessions as we explore balladry and murder ballads as part of “spooky season.” Eighth-generation ballad singer Donna Ray Norton will explore the history of murder ballads in story and song, and share examples of ballads that have flipped the narrative of female victim to protagonist. When Donna Ray Norton thinks about Appalachian music, she says, “I think about home.” Home for Donna Ray is Revere, also known as Sodom Laurel, in Madison County. It’s hard to imagine a deeper musical heritage than Norton’s. She is an eighth- generation ballad singer, the granddaughter of fiddler Byard Ray and Morris Norton, who played the banjo and mouth bow, daughter of singer Lena Jean Ray, and cousin to Sheila Adams and many other prominent Madison County musicians. Like her forbearers, Donna Ray grew up hearing her family’s music and stories in her home; but it did not always appeal to her. It was just one of those things that you grew accustomed to, and you learned from hearing them. When she was seventeen, however, a senior project in high school was what really got me interested in my heritage. Researching the tradition of ballads led to learning them—from her mother, from Adams, Marilyn McMinn McReadie, and Bobby McMillon—and then to performing.

Norton is now a highly regarded member of the younger generation of Madison County ballad singers and storytellers. She was featured in the documentary Madison County Project, which won the 2005 Audience Choice Award at the Asheville Film Festival. She has performed at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival, Mars Hill University Heritage Day, and at many other venues in western North Carolina every year since she began her musical journey. In 2005, she was honored with the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Youth Award for Balladry. In 2006, Donna Ray performed with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra in their Blue Skies/Red Earth concert series in Raleigh. She also toured western North Carolina with the Symphony concert at the end of May 2007 and received The Key to the City of Hickory for her contributions to musical heritage. In September 2007 Donna Ray performed at the Berkeley Old Time Music Festival in Berkeley California and was scheduled for a return performance there in September of 2019! She has been performing across North Carolina at several different venues, including a show at the NC Museum of History. She performed at the 50th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. in July of 2017 with her cousins, Sheila Kay Adams and Melanie Rice Penland. She and Melanie performed in Washington at the Folklore Society of Greater Washington’s Getaway in October of 2018. She has been a part of many different performances celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Cecil Sharp traveling through the Appalachian Mountains and collecting a ton of old ballads from people in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These shows were in Blowing Rock and Mars Hill, NC and at The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol. Most recently Donna Ray has added hosting events to her long list of accomplishments. She, alongside her cousin Sheila Kay Adams, hosts a monthly Ballad Swap at the historic Old Marshall Jail Hotel and Zadie’s Restaurant.

Donna Ray has three albums for sale. Her newest album was produced by Grammy nominated, highly accomplished old time, bluegrass, and swing musician, Josh Goforth. Josh also provides the musical accompaniment for Donna Ray’s first ever old time song, featured on this album. A special treat for any listener, for sure! One of her songs was used by Sarah Council, an independent choreographer, in a piece that she created telling the story of her southern roots and personal history, in New York City. She was featured on an album called “Big Bend Killing, The Appalachian Ballad Tradition”, with artists such as Sheila Kay Adams, Bobby McMillon, Alice Gerrard, Amythyst Kiah, Roy Andrade, David Holt, and Roseanne Cash. This album was released in the fall of 2017 and won a Grammy in 2018 for Best Album Compilation!

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August 2023 – Dr. Bryan Pierce, National Museum of African American Music

Join us for our next Speaker Sessions with Dr. Bryan Pierce from the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville, Tennessee! Dr. Pierce will share insights into the work of NMAAM and explore the histories and stories of Black music and artists in America, including several that connect to traditional or country music.

Dr. Bryan Pierce is the curator of the National Museum of African American Music. He previously held the position of Digital Archivist at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. In both his academic work and as a museum professional, Bryan has specialized in subterranean African American aesthetics in music and decorative arts. He pursued a PhD from Arkansas State University and throughout his time at ASU, Bryan worked at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. He was also on the exhibition development team for the Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash. After completing his doctorate, Bryan accepted an Assistant Registrar/ Curator position with the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

The National Museum of African American Music is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. The museum’s expertly-curated collections share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to bring the musical heroes of the past into the present. NMAAM broke ground in early 2017 and officially opened in 2021. Since its opening, NMAAM has welcomed guests from across the U.S. and is one of Music City’s top must-see tourist destinations.

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July 2023 – Dr. Angela Keaton on Appalachian Stereotypes

Join us for our next Speaker Sessions with Dr. Angela Keaton of Tusculum University as we explore Appalachian stereotypes.

Misconceptions have always existed about Appalachia – too often with negative consequences. Dr. Keaton will examine how myths about the region became embedded in people’s minds, while also highlighting the region’s diversity, economy, and activism to dispel these myths. Her presentation will provide a more nuanced understanding of Appalachia and its residents that goes beyond the stereotypes, and give attendees the chance to consider how distortions of history have negatively impacted perceptions of the region and the lives of contemporary Appalachians.

Angela Keaton, Professor of History, joined the Tusculum Department of History and Museum Studies in 2006 after earning her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Keaton has published work focused on both history and pedagogy. Her research investigates the many ways Americans encountered firearms in the post-World War II period, a “golden age” of gun use that ended abruptly in the 1960s due to a host of political, cultural, and social factors. Her article, “Backyard Desperadoes: American Attitudes Concerning Toy Guns in the Cold War Era” published in the Journal of American Culture, earned the Carl Bode Award for the best article published in that journal in 2010.  Her most recent article about hunting and gun culture will be included in Red Reckoning: A New History of the Cold War and the Transformation of American Life (LSU Press).

She has served in a variety of leadership positions at Tusculum and earned the Tusculum Excellence in Teaching and Campus Leadership Award in 2009 and 2018, in addition to being awarded a National Living Alumni Faculty Award in 2018. She teaches American history as well as classes on historical research, gender, Asia, and the contemporary Middle East. She especially enjoys sharing history with the public, giving numerous lectures and workshops each year ranging in subject matter from material culture to the history of food.

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June 2023 – Women Walk The Line with author Holly Gleason

Join us for our next Speaker Sessions with journalist and author Holly Gleason as she explores the stories and impact of country music’s women.

Hope, grief, grit, dreams – and music. Country’s female artists have always told their truths in songs. Gleason’s WOMAN, WALK THE LINE tracks the impact those artists have had over time, bringing together moving and in-depth essays by Rosanne Cash, Taylor Swift, Caroline Randall Williams, Alice Randall, Ali Berlow, and Grace Potter and featuring artists like Emmylou Harris, Hazel Dickens, Lucinda Williams, Rhiannon Giddens, Dolly Parton, Maybelle Carter, and Lil Hardin. Through this Speaker Sessions program, Gleason will explore how women artists change lives through their music, what they embody, and why – even with radio still not playing them – their music has impact. This program is complementary programming to our I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music special exhibit.

Holly Gleason is a Nashville-based writer and artist development consultant. She’s written for Rolling Stone, The LA Times, The New York Times, Oxford American, No Depression, PASTE, Lone Star Music, Texas Music, Spin, Musician, CREEM, Interview, and more. Besides Woman, Walk the Line, Gleason is the co-writer of Miranda Lambert’s #3 New York Times Best SellerY’ALL EAT YET?, and a Belmont Book Award and CMA Media Achievement Award winner. She loves songwriters, roots music, country, r&b, and very early rap, as well as life moments, fame, and its impact on who we are.

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May 2023 – Stringbean: The Life & Murder with Taylor Hagood

Join us for our next Speaker Sessions with author Taylor Hagood as he shares the story of the life and murder of Stringbean.

November 10, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of country music legend, David “Stringbean” Akeman, and his wife, Estelle. The brutal murder of the beloved couple shook Nashville and the country music industry to its foundations, changing it in fundamental ways. Stringbean’s death ended a life that had spanned country music from its beginnings to the Outlaw Country era. Along the way, Stringbean played a foundational role in developing bluegrass music, continued through the honky tonk era, and survived the onslaught of rock-and-roll. He made his mark as a banjo player, singer, and comedian on the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw, forging a persona at once hilariously retro and strikingly ahead of its time. The publication of Taylor Hagood’s book, Stringbean: The Life and Death of a Country Music Legend, coincides with the 50th anniversary of Stringbean’s murder and explores both the myths and facts of the enigmatic performer and his death. Hagood will offer fresh perspectives on Stringbean’s life and career while revisiting the intrigues of the murder, investigation, trial, and parole that altogether form one of country music’s most tragic stories.

About the Speaker

Taylor Hagood is a writer, speaker, literary critic, musician, artist, and educator. An internationally-renowned scholar of the writing of William Faulkner, Hagood is the author of multiple books, including Faulkner, Writer of Disability, which won the C. Hugh Holman Award for Best Book in Southern Studies. His many articles range from literary criticism to a series of travel essays for the online journal Throomers. He has lectured throughout the United States and Europe at universities, institutes, and private clubs. His interest in country music is deep and lifelong, and he has had a particular fascination with banjo playing, construction, and history. A native of Ripley, Mississippi, he is currently a professor at Florida Atlantic University.

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April 2023 – Cast & Collaborators for Barter Theatre’s “Keep on the Sunny Side”

Join us with the cast and collaborators of Barter Theatre’s upcoming production of Keep on the Sunny Side: The Songs and Story of the Original Carter Family. Together they will tell stories about the history of the play and their collaboration with members of the Carter Family, along with singing songs from the show and sharing the joy this play has brought to thousands of people. Featuring playwright Doug Pote, director Nick Piper, Eugene Wolf, and members of the cast.

Barter Theatre opened its doors, proclaiming “With vegetables you cannot sell, you can buy a good laugh.” The price of admission was 40 cents or an equivalent amount of produce. Four out of five theatregoers paid their way with vegetables, dairy products and livestock. To the surprise of many, all the seats for the first show were filled. The concept of trading “ham for Hamlet” caught on quickly. At the end of the first season, the Barter Company cleared $4.35 in cash, two barrels of jelly, and a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.

Today, at least one performance a year celebrates Barter’s history by accepting donations for Feeding America Southwest Virginia. Barter Days happen in the month of June as a birthday celebration for Barter Theatre. The state theatre of Virginia, the Barter is the nation’s longest running professional theatre, and has received countless awards and accolades over its history and has been a launching pad for the careers of many iconic actors and actresses.

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March 2023 – Jen Larson on the Grand Ole Opry Archives

Join us for our next Speaker Sessions when we will be hosting Jen Larson, the Grand Ole Opry’s Archives Manager. For this virtual program, Jen will be providing a behind-the-scenes view of the Grand Ole Opry archives, sharing several interesting country music artifacts and collections that represent nearly a century of legendary programming with an iconic roster artist members.

The Grand Ole Opry archives are comprised of thousands of photographs and live recordings from some of the most significant artists in the history of American music. The archive spans decades and includes photographs, interviews, performances, and appearances by both country artists and non-country talent at the height of their careers.

Jen Larson is the Archives Manager for the Grand Ole Opry Archives, and she also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum. While simultaneously developing her career in museum collections and archives management, over the years she also garnered critical praise with the bluegrass band Straight Drive, and she’s performed widely in concert series and music festivals. Additionally, Jen has shared her passion for bluegrass music through educational programs through Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, a U.S. State Department goodwill tour, and the Augusta Heritage Center.

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February 2023 – Greg Cornett on the Influences of Jimmie Rodgers with Special Guest Wayne Henderson

Greg B. Cornett is a fourth generation musician, born and raised in one of the most musically rich areas in the country – east Tennessee. It is there that he heard his father and grandfather play the songs of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. His great-grandparents played fiddle and banjo. Greg’s influences are woven into his guitar, mandolin, and banjo to create is own distinctive style.

Wayne C. Henderson is an American guitar maker who specializes in the crafting of handmade, custom acoustic guitars. He also occasionally makes other stringed instruments, such as mandolins, banjos, and fiddles.

Henderson’s guitars are inspired by the great pre-World War II guitars of C.F. Martin & Company, and are hand-built in limited quantities; by October 2012, over five hundred Henderson guitars had been constructed. As of the year 2022, Henderson has built nearly nine hundred acoustic guitars, over one hundred mandolins, and has also built several banjos to add to his name. Henderson was originally exposed to the art of luthiery by a local of Grayson County, Albert Hash. Hash was a violin builder and repairer who gave inspiration to Henderson and helped him learn about different types of wood and how to work with wood.

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January 2023 – Kristina Gaddy on the Banjo’s Hidden History

Join author Kristina Gaddy for a discussion of her new book Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History. In an extraordinary story unfolding across two hundred years, Kristina uncovers the banjo’s key role in Black spirituality, ritual, and rebellion. Learn about the earliest history of the banjo through music, images, and a reading, with a special focus on the history of the banjo in Virginia and the resurgence of Black banjo players in American music today. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Kristina R. Gaddy, author of Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History and Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis, is a Baltimore-based writer and fiddler. She has received the Parsons Award from the Library of Congress, Logan Nonfiction Fellowship, and a Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Rubys artist award. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Goucher College, and her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Baltimore magazine, Washington City Paper, Baltimore Sun, Bitch Magazine, Narratively, Proximity, Atlas Obscura, OZY, Shore Monthly, and other smaller history and music publications.

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December 2022 – “All Aboard!” The Santa Train with Don Royston

Join us  for an evening with Don Royston a.k.a. Santa Claus from the Appalachia’s Santa Train! Royston will share the program’s history and his memories from his time on the Santa Train over the years. The train, which is set to make its 80th trip from Pikeville, Kentucky, to Kingsport, Tennessee, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in celebration of the holiday season, makes 14 stops in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee, distributing more than 15 tons and $300,000 worth of clothing, food, candy, toys, and gifts to thousands of people in the Appalachian region. This event is free and open to the public, but you will need to register for the Zoom link if you attending virtually. We ask that you RSVP at the link above if you will be joining us in-person. We also encourage all in-person attendees to bring a non-perishable food item for the Bristol Emergency Food Pantry!

Don Royston was with Dent K. Burk Associates, P.C. from 1974 and a principal from 1982 until 2016 when they merged their firm with Brown Edwards & Company, LLP. He retired from the full-time practice of public accounting in 2018. He is a graduate of Tennessee High in Bristol, Tennessee and East Tennessee State University (ETSU). He now maintains his active CPA license. Don is a member of Colonial Heights Baptist Church. In addition, he serves in numerous professional andcommunity organizations, including the Appalachian Chapter of TSCPA; the Tennessee Society of CPAs; Kingsport College Foundation, which serves as the advisory committee for ETSU at Kingsport; the Inventor Center of Kingsport; Kingsport Homeless Ministry Inc.; Appalachian Miles for Smiles, Inc.; Kiwanis Club; Tennessee Baptist Association; and Microloans of Belize. He has been actively involved in the Kingsport Chamber/CSX Transportation Santa Train, playing Santa Claus since 1999 (24 years!). He also supports the Santa Train Scholarship Program. Don and his wife Vicki (deceased) have two children, Audrey and Rachael, and five grandchildren.

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November 2022 – Martin Guitars with Jason Ahner 

Join us on Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00pm for our conversation with Jason Ahner, archivist and museum manager for Martin Guitars! Jason will give insight into the role Martin Guitars has played – and continues to play – in country music and beyond, and why Martin has became synonymous with top quality acoustic instruments.

Jason Ahner is a native Pennsylvanian who has lived his entire life within a half hour drive of the Martin factory. He has been with Martin Guitar for 10 1/2 years, serving as the company’s archivist since 2018 and managing its museum since 2019. Prior to his role as archivist, Jason held positions in customer service and the polishing department in the factory. He’s had a fascination with the guitar for as long as he can remember and started playing guitar when he was 6. He’s also always loved history and has been studying the history of Martin Guitar and other guitar manufacturers for over two decades.

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October 2022 – Spooky Stories and Terrifying Tales with
DonnaMarie Emmert, The Haint Mistress of Abingdon

Join us  for an evening of spooky stories with Donnamarie Emmert, the famous Haint Mistress of Abingdon. Donnamarie will share local and regional tales of goosebump-raising ghosts and witches, horrifying historical happenings, and more with our audience – the perfect way to get ready for Halloween later in the month!

Donnamarie Emmert has been sharing Abingdon, Virginia’s secrets, legends, and ghostly tales for over 25 years. Having a Masters Degree in Storytelling, an outrageous love for of all things Halloween-y and that go bump in the night, and a ferocious attraction to history, she combines these skills into a memorable entertainment.

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August 2022 – Dr. Malcolm Smith on “Appalachian Fiddler Albert Hash”

Writer and banjo player Dr. Malcolm L. Smith will discuss his book “Appalachian Fiddler Albert Hash: The Last Leaf on the Tree” as part of this month’s Speaker Series at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Historic Downtown Bristol. Luthier and 1995 NEA National Heritage Fellow Wayne Henderson credits his entire career to the mentorship of Albert Hash. “He was a true folk hero,” says Henderson in the forward to Smith’s biography. Born and raised near Whitetop Mountain in extreme poverty, Hash rose to become one of the premiere old-time fiddlers in the world with the Whitetop Mountain Band, as well as building hundreds of sought after fiddles in his shop on Virginia’s second highest peak.

With this Speaker Series, Smith will share stories and memories that he learned in over 100 hours of interviews conducted while researching Hash. During the program, a local musician will demonstrate Hash’s unique bowing style and play some of the fiddler’s songs. Smith will also sign copies of his book “Appalachian Fiddler Albert Hash: The Last Leaf on the Tree,” which will be available for purchase at the event. Dr. Smith specializes in writing about old-time musicians. In addition to Albert Hash’s biography, Smith has written countless stories for The Old Time Herald, SingOut!, and other magazines. He has written feature stories on banjo builder Mac Traynham, 90-year-old banjoist Rhoda Kemp, Walt Koken and Clare Milner, and many others.

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July 2022 – 1927 Bristol Sessions with Ralph Peer II 

This year marks the 95th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions. In honor of that occasion, we are excited that Ralph Peer II, the son of Ralph S. Peer, the Victor producer at those historic recordings, will be with us via Zoom to talk about his father’s career, the legacy and impact of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, and the music industry.

Ralph Peer, II grew up in a household long familiar with country music. He remembers attending Jimmie Rodgers Days in Meridian as boy and, later in life, a number of visits to the Carter Fold and Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia. He is now Executive Chair of a global network of music publishing and neighboring rights companies operating from 38 offices located in 31 countries, which was founded by his father, Ralph S. Peer, in 1928. He is a lifetime Board member of the Country Music Association and Vice-President and Director of the National Music Publishers’ Association (USA), and he has served on the Boards of MCPS (UK), HFA (USA), ASCAP (USA), and the GRD (UK). Mr. Peer is past Chair and a longtime Director of the Brussels-based International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP/CIEM). He was a founding Board Member of e-Music, serving from its inception until its sale to Vivendi. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA from Stanford University. In 1999 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Witten/Herdecke University in Germany. He is a former Trustee of the Copyright Society of the USA for whom he delivered the 1983 Jean Geiringer lecture in International Copyright Law. Numerous recognitions for his service to songwriters and publishers have been awarded to him including those from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, National Music Publishers Association, Music Publishers Association (USA), and International Confederation of Music Publishers (Brussels). Mr. Peer was presented France’s top cultural honor – “Officier dans Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” (“Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters”) – in 2018.

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June 2022 – Dr. Daniel Pierce

Whether you call it firewater or mountain dew, moonshine flows clear throughout Southern Appalachian culture and is an interesting topic worth exploring. Dr. Daniel Pierce literally wrote the book on the subject, and he’s sharing his knowledge of the history of hooch in our June 2022 Speaker Sessions. The subject of this month’s Speaker Series, “That’s Why All the Folks on Rocky Top Get Their Corn from a Jar: Myth, Reality, and Moonshine in the Southern Mountains,” is supplementary programming to the museum’s special exhibit “It’ll Tickle Yore Innards!:” A (Hillbilly) History of Mountain Dew.

Dr. Daniel Pierce, Professor of History and Distinguished Interdisciplinary Professor of the Mountain South at the University of North Carolina Asheville, is the author of “Tarheel Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Mooshine Capital of the World,” “Corn From a Jar: Moonshining in the Great Smoky Mountains,” and the first truly comprehensive history of early NASCAR, “Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France.” He also recently collaborated with renowned Nashville, Tennessee poster artist Joel Anderson to produce the “Illustrated Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park” and the “Illustrated Guide to Exploring the Grand Circle: Utah and Arizona.”

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May 2022 – Musical Stories Kelle Jolly

Kelle Jolly will join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and Zoom to share musical stories and songs from the Appalachian South and explore the connections between music and storytelling. Kelle Jolly, “The Tennessee Ukulele Lady,” is an accomplished music entertainer and educator. Her repertoire includes traditional African American music of blues, jazz, spirituals, and folk. Jolly is a graduate of South Carolina State University, where she studied Music Education with Concentrations in Voice. She is also the 2011 Mountain Soul Vocal competition winner and the Knoxville Community Shares 2013 Artist of the Year. Jolly hosts Jazz Jam, Knoxville’s only vocal jazz radio show, on WUOT 91.9FM. She is the founder of the Women in Jazz Jam Festival and Ukesphere of Knoxville. Kelle and her saxophonist husband, Will Boyd, have served as ambassadors of jazz from Tennessee to Japan, and they are Knoxville MLK Commission Artist Award recipients. In 2021, the City of Knoxville proclaimed July 21st, “Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd” Day. Jolly is currently a graduate student in the Communication and Storytelling Studies program at East Tennessee State University, pursuing her Master of Arts degree.

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March 2022 – Scott Paulson on the Kazoo’s Place in History and Music

Scott Paulson, Exhibits & Events Coordinator at the UC San Diego library, has used some serious library research tools to gather some surprising kazoo trivia (and not all of it is trivial) – and he’s ready to share it with us. More than an annoying party favor, the kazoo is an effective tool used by some speech therapists and has serious roots in African
masked ceremonies. From Americana kitsch to recent finds at Central American archaeological excavations, lots of kazoo surprises are in store at this upcoming virtual lecture.

Of note: the Birthplace of Country Music Museum has a historic kazoo connection that will be celebrated.

Also: we’ll survey “the greatest kazoo solos that somehow you forgot all about”!

And YES: some brief kazoo premieres will be featured.

Scott Paulson has spent more than four decades at UC San Diego, first as a student studying music and linguistics, and today as the Exhibits & Events Coordinator for the campus’s iconic Geisel Library. Scott has been part of the library’s special events around National Kazoo Day for the past few years. Starting off from a challenge to use “serious library tools to investigate a light, playful topic,” the Library’s “kazoo salute” has included exhibits, live kazoo performances, and the commissioning of original kazoo music. He also contributed his expertise and several photographs for our blog post “Instrument Interview: The Kazoo.”

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February 2022 – Histories of Black Life and Music in Appalachia

Dr. William H. Turner will partner with Dr. Ted Olson for discussions on music, including the Sepia Tones podcast, and Turner’s book The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life In Appalachian Coal Towns. Through sharing their unique knowledge and perspectives on the Black experience in Appalachia, Drs. Turner and Olson will take the audience beyond the assumptions and stereotypes about this region for a deeper and richer understanding of its history.

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January 2022 – AAME Panel: Art as Work

We are kicking off another year of the museum’s Speaker Series by partnering with the Arts Alliance Mountain Empire (AAME) for our first hybrid virtual and in-person event! A panel of local artists will discuss what it is like to work in the arts field and how their work is represented in art. Artists on the panel are active in the Tri-Cities region and include Leigh Ann Agee (author and visual artist), Cherylonda Fitzgerald (cellist and music teacher), Richard Graves (visual artist), Val Lyle (sculptor and public artist), and Eugene Wolf (actor and singer). All of our panelists have made art their work in multiple ways, and their versatility and business acumen has augmented their ability to bring their creative vision to the world. This program will give local artists the opportunity to help us understand how they work at the intersection of imaginative freedom and pragmatic demand – how they create art that will provide an income.

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December 2021 – Birthplace of Country Music Museum Curatorial Team on Music and Work

In December of 2021, our Curatorial Staff led the Speaker Session to discuss the relationship between music and work. This talk will go along with our current special exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, The Way We Worked, which is on display at the museum through January 23. René Rodgers (Head Curator), Erika Barker (Curatorial Manager), and Scotty Almany (Digital Media, Programming & Exhibit Logistics Manager) will discuss how music is interwoven throughout the history of America’s workforce culture.

Proletariat anthems, union movement songs, stories of hard labor and tragedy, and how music influences workflow and productivity will be thoughtfully examined and presented by our staff. We look forward to sharing this exploration of music and work with our virtual audience!

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November 2021 – Jennifer Licko on Appalachia and Scottish Folk Songs

Musician and historian Jennifer Licko joins us to discuss the relations between Scottish and Appalachian music. Scottish settlers established themselves in the Appalachian region of several states, including North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. In these isolated areas, the old songs of love, loss, murder, ghosts, and earlier times were passed down by oral tradition, expressing timeless themes and ties to the past. Over time the melodies and words changed creating variations that are still sung today. Licko, a North Carolina native, will be sharing her observations on variants and versions of Scottish folk songs that exist in Appalachia.

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October 2021 – Spookers and Haints: Affrilachian Storytelling

Lyn Ford explores the importance of Affilachian storytelling within Appalachia communities and her own family, talks about the power of telling stories about “spookers and haints” and some of their origins and history, and shares a tale or two with the audience to get us in the mood for the month of Halloween!

Affrilachian storyteller Lyn Ford has been called one of the top 20 ghost story-tellers in the country. Lyn’s favorites: silly stories for kids, creepy tales for teens through adults, and original stories for everybody. She has appeared at numerous storytelling festivals, including Jonesborough’s National Storytelling Festival, and has written several books, including Affrilachian Tales, Beyond the Briar Patch, and Hot Wind, Boiling Rain. Lyn is also an Ohio teaching artist, author, laughter yoga teacher, and great-grandmother.

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August 2021 – Henry Glover: The Musical Alchemist of King Records

Charlie Dahan, Recording Industry Professor at Middle Tennessee State University hosts a fascinating discussion about the career of Henry Glover. In the late 1940s, Henry Glover was one of the most successful and influential African American executives in the record business. As the head of A&R and staff producer for the independent label King Records, which was white-owned, Glover produced, arranged, and composed a number of R&B and country classics. Glover’s musical prowess led him to successfully rearrange country songs for the R&B audience and vice versa, and he shaped the “country boogie” sound with the Delmore Brothers that heavily influenced rockabilly and rock music in the 1950s. Glover’s work helped King Records to become one of the largest independent record labels of its time and he would eventually start his own label, RCO Productions, with Levon Helm. Also a talented songwriter, Glover crafted a number of tunes recorded by artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Dinah Washington, The Platters, and B. B. King, to name a few.

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July 2021 – Timothy Duffy on Photography and Southern Music Makers

Timothy Duffy shares stories and insights from his career working with Southern roots musicians, talks about his exploration of the unique process of tintype photography, and discusses the mission of Music Maker Relief Foundation , a nonprofit he founded with his wife Denise that supports these musicians financially and creatively. This program goes along with our current special exhibit, Our Living Past: Platinum Portraits of Southern Music Makers, featuring Tim’s photographs and various pieces of folk art.

The exhibit is on display through September 30, 2021.

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June 2021 – “The Musicianer” Discussion and Film Screening with Director Beth Harrington

Filmmaker Beth Harrington joins us for a screening of her short film (22 minutes), The Musicianer, followed by a discussion with Beth and music from Petunia, the lead actor/musician. This fictional film – Beth calls it “Supernatural Americana” – is based around a yodeling hillbilly singer from the 1920s who finds himself immortal, playing his music down the years and intersecting with some present-day musicologists. One of Beth’s most well-known films is The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes, and the Course of Country Music, and a lot of the research that went into this Carter Family film found its way into The Musicianer, especially the history of the early recording industry, talking pictures, etc. Beth will share the story behind the making of the film, how it intersects with the work she did on The Winding Stream, and much more!

The Musicianer has been part of numerous film festivals as an official selection, and it has won several awards, including Best Short at Rails to Reel in Meridian, Mississippi (Jimmie Rodgers’ hometown!), Best Music Film at the Franklin International Indie Film Festival, and Winner at the Director’s Cut International Film Festival.

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May 2021 – A Brief Tour of Virginia’s Cultural Festivals 

Pat Jarrett, Interim Director of the Virginia Folklife Program, offers
“A Brief Tour of Virginia’s Cultural Festivals” in this edition of the Virtual Speaker Series.
For its entire existence, the Virginia Folklife Program has documented folklife activities, filmed musicians and festivals, and recorded traditional artists all across the Commonwealth. Many of these recordings have remained on physical tapes since the time they were recorded. It’s only in the last 10 years that they’ve started to digitize and preserve these recordings, making them publicly available whenever possible on their YouTube channel. For as many hours as there are publicly accessible recordings, there are still big piles of tapes on their shelves. During this time of lockdown when many have been missing public events, live music, and festivals, the Virginia Folklife Program staff have been bringing these tapes online and premiering them digitally. With this Virtual Speaker Series, Pat Jarrett will be sharing some recordings of festivals never before seen and talking about these hidden gems with Dr. Rene Rodgers.
Pat Jarrett is a photographer and filmmaker who has been working for the Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities for the last decade.

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April 2021 – Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton’s success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton’s compositions like “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music. Hamessley will share insights into the impact of Parton’s background on her songs; the ways that those songs have explored women’s lives, poverty, love and heartbreak; and the genius and creativity of Parton’s songwriting.

Lydia Hamessley is Professor of Music at Hamilton College (Clinton, NY) where she teaches courses in country music, medieval and Renaissance music, music in film, and world music. She received her Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Minnesota in 1991. She writes on old-time and bluegrass music, with an emphasis on women and Southern Appalachia. She has also written about the banjo in nineteenth-century America; Appalachian murder ballads; and Peggy Seeger. She appeared in the BBC2 documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am, which is currently available on Netflix. She is also a clawhammer banjo player.

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March 2021 – Black in Appalachia: Uncovering & Sharing Regional Black Narratives

Join Black in Appalachia’s Alona Norwood and William Isom as they will discuss the public history research and educational components developed in Northeastern Tennessee in their work to uncover and share the Black stories and histories of our region. From school records and community partnerships to racial atrocities, Norwood and Isom will also share the tools, methods and obstacles to making our region’s Black narratives more accessible. Black in Appalachia works to highlight the history of African-Americans in the development of our region and its culture. Through research, local narratives, public engagement, and exhibition, this project aims to raise the visibility and contributions of the Black communities of the Mountain South. This project is a community service for Appalachian residents and families with roots in and through the region.

Alona Norwood is a graduate of Berea College and a native of Elizabethton, Tennessee. She has been working to research the history of Black schools in her hometown and in Eastern Kentucky.William Isom II is the director of the Black in Appalachia project. He coordinates the project’s research, community database development, documentary film and photography production, oral history collection, and educational events with residents.

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February 2021 – Before Coal Miner’s Daughters and Many-Colored Coats: Pioneering Women in Country Music

Details about February’s Topic: Listen to this fascinating talk by Bailey George about the women who made their mark in early country music. Traditionally the role and widespread recognition of women in country music has been relegated to a handful of “superstars” who rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s. But female country artists have been making recordings since the beginnings of country music recording. The impact of these pioneering artists has been somewhat overshadowed by flashier, pop-oriented female artists in recent years, but without these trailblazing recordings, the country music industry as we know it would not exist. With this talk, Bailey George will take a look at some of the forgotten female artists, musicians, writers, and performers from days long before there were coal miner’s daughters or many-colored coats.

Bailey George has been collecting and researching vintage music since he was 11 years old. He is the host of the popular Honky Tonk Hit Parade on Radio Bristol, playing country music from the 1940s and 1950s every Wednesday, 3:00–5:00pm. In addition to his archival work and his time on-air, Bailey also performs in a duo with Jessica Stiles as “Bailey George and Jukebox Jess.”

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