By Andrea Price. Andrea is a student at East Tennessee State University studying history, museum studies, and Appalachian studies. This semester she is an intern with the Birthplace of Country Music learning about museum management, educational programming, and marketing. When not busy researching and writing, she enjoys the outdoors, spending all her money on concert tickets, and listening to her favorite country and bluegrass hits.
As a history major and lover of country music, I am excited to share with you my picks of songs for International Women’s Day and some of the stories behind the artists!
“Wildflowers,” Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris
Is there anything more iconic than Dolly Parton? Well, maybe Dolly forming the female supergroup Trio with stars Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris in 1987. In a world of radio charts and limited air time (especially for women), it can be easy to view other performers as competition. Alternatively, you can take notes from these three world class musicians and choose friendship in the form of beautifully crafted harmonies and paperdoll album artwork. This song in particular makes my list because of its theme of growing up and exploring the world outside the gardens of home. As a “wild rambling rose seeking mysteries untold,” I love the empowering feeling of freedom granted to me by this trio on the road they’ve so excellently paved as women in music.
“You’re Lookin’ at Country,” Loretta Lynn
As the most awarded lady in country music, Loretta Lynn proved that the pinnacle of success could be achieved by overcoming whatever obstacles life threw her way. Throughout her career, Loretta had multiple songs banned from country radio as she tackled controversial topics in several of her songs. Loretta’s music may have been autobiographical, but her blunt honesty and stubborn nature connected with many of the women who tuned in to her performances. I’ve always loved “You’re Lookin’ at Country” for its outright display of Loretta’s unapologetic ‘what you see is what you get’ attitude. Nowadays, this is my soundtrack to carefree confidence and unabashed action.
“Keep on the Sunny Side,” Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters
I could never write about women of country music without including one of the women who started it all – Maybelle Carter. After recording with her family at the 1927 Bristol Sessions, Maybelle continued her career as a performer throughout her lifetime and became known as the “Mother of Country Music.” Maybelle revolutionized country style guitar playing with her popularization of the playing style known as the “Carter Scratch,” was integral in the guitar becoming a lead instrument, and is credited with transforming the way the autoharp is played. I truly believe country music would not be where it is today without the influence of Maybelle Carter and her enduring legacy as an innovator and trailblazer. This song reflects the continuation of Maybelle’s career as she shared her passion with her daughters and passed the baton to the next generation of country music.
“Mean (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift
Before she was the princess of pop, Taylor Swift was dominating country radio and sweeping award shows with her catchy early 2000s country chart toppers. “Mean” is a single from her third studio album Speak Now which was single handedly written by Swift after critics claimed she didn’t write her own songs. This song in particular, which took home Grammy wins for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance in 2012, directly addressed those critics with an earworm of a chorus. Watching this saga unfold while I was growing up, I was inspired by Swift’s courage to stand up to the bigger man and prove herself worthy of the rooms she would one day dominate. I’ll always be indebted to Taylor Swift for the confidence I gained by singing “Mean” at the top of my lungs while I forgot what the girls at school and the comments on social media said about me.
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” Ashley McBryde
In the world of modern country music, no one does it quite like Ashley McBryde. With an array of hits, it was hard to nail down just one for this blog post but “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” is a song I’ve obsessed over since my first listen. As a love letter to the naysayers, this song is a perfect anthem for proving everyone wrong. Several times in my life I’ve felt like all eyes were on me hoping I would make a fatal mistake or throw in the towel on my seemingly unattainable dreams. Ashley’s lyricism and incredible stage presence are frequent reminders to me that one day when my dreams have been achieved I’ll get to have my moment “where they said I’d never be is exactly where I am.”
Getting the word out takes on a special significance when one talks about the method that the visual word is produced. Many have heard of the history of printing, that Gutenberg produced the first movable type in Europe. Some know that over the following five hundred years, printers used a variety of technologies, from monotype to linotype and letterpress to offset printing to our modern digital processes. Yet few recognize the threads that run through the centuries of printing that are reflected in the current exhibit at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum entitled, “A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music.”
A variety of posters which have come from the Sign of the George Press at King University, Bristol, TN. The Chandler and Price press, workhorse of the Sign of the George Press.
These posters that anchor the exhibit were produced with handset and letterpress printed type, some from small local print shops and some from more established print shops, such as Hatch Show Print in Nashville. The posters used primarily wooden type, which could be up to 5” in height to grab your attention. Some of the smaller type up to 1” were metal. Both types would have been arranged and fastened together to be printed on presses that had their origins in the early days of printing, both presses that were flat bed operated manually and presses that were motorized.
In the early days of country music, hand bills that could be put up in stores and stations advertised the location of music shows. The posters of this collection are primarily from the 40s through the 70s and advertised concerts and small festivals. They were printed on thick cardboard, were cheap and easy to produce, and were expected only to last from the time of posting to the time of the show and then thrown away. The fact that many have survived is a tribute to both the stability of the printed form and the diligence of those who recognized their historical importance.
Letterpress printing is a trade that has gone out of favor with the coming of more modern techniques, but has reemerged as a craft in the art field. When many of the old shops closed or were converted, often the type was scrapped, the presses were sold for their weight in cast iron, and the typecases ended up as showcases for knick-knacks. For those materials and equipment that survived, the current recognition of hand-crafted art will prolong the legacy of the printing trade.
Letterpress refers to both the type of medium which is being printed, as well as the technique and presses which are used for printing. In this context, the letters are individual or monotype. This means that each letter has to be uniquely selected and arranged to form the words. These lines of type are then firmly locked into a frame, which is then printed on a press.
Composing a body of type before printing.
Pictures that accompany the text can be made mechanically or by hand, cut from wood, linoleum or engraved. When the copy is set and prepared, ink is applied by rollers, either by hand or mechanically on the larger presses. Unique to this process is that the letters are created and set in reverse, essentially backward, so that when the impression is made it comes out right side up and readable.
Locally in Bristol at King University, the Sign of the George Press has had a resurgence with the support of the Digital Media Art and Design Department. The Press was started by Dr. George P. “Pat” Winship in the late 60s as a way to show his English students the methods that authors like William Shakespeare had to manage to get their literary works into print. Dr. Winship had a small press when he was growing up as the son of a rare books librarian and he continued the press by accumulating type and presses from the printshops that were going out of or away from the letterpress business as they modernized. The press at King is operated by Winship’s son David, a retired public-school educator who grew up with the press.
Lee Jones, left, and Joe Strickland, right, at the press with students. Both are professors with the DMAD (Digital Media Art and Design) Department at King University.
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will offer a hands-on workshop at the Museum on March 16, which will allow participants the opportunity to learn about letterpress printing, produce a poster of their own, and to tour the exhibit. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour the Sign of the George Press on King University campus to get a close up look at the printing process.
Poster advertising has been used as a marketing tool since the late 1800s. Companies and businesses would advertise anything from places to shop, war propaganda and music events. Since these posters were often made of paper and glued to an outside surface, like a telephone pole or outside of a business storefront, many early posters ads did not survive and are often highly sought after by many collectors.
Letterpress is one of the most recognizable forms of concert posters in Country music styles. Letterpress printing is a technique, which has been used for centuries, of printing multiple copies of the same design by inking a raised surface and stamping it on a piece of paper. Similar to a stamp, the letters and designs are replaceable. The design is held together with a frame and is placed opposite of how the poster will be hung. To learn and make your own letterpress poster sign up for a Letterpress workshop with BCM and King University on March 16, 2024.
Photo by Julia Underkoffler. On loan from the Tom Murphy Collection, a part of Cardboard History of the Blue Ridge.
The company that would later become Hatch Show Print was founded in 1875 and became infamous in the country music industry for their work with the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry starting in the mid-1920s. You can join us for a Speaker Session on April 9, 2024 with guest Celene Aubry from Hatch Show Print to learn more!
Today, however, many posters are produced digitally. There is still a deep nostalgia for letterpress posters.
Fifth Annual Fiddlers Convention
Donated to BCMM in 2017, this poster advertises the fifth annual Fiddlers Convention and North Carolina State Championship held at Cool Springs School in Statesville, North Carolina on November 19, 1966. Dwight Barker, a radio and TV personality, was the M.C. for the convention. There were cash prizes for the top three best bands, best banjo players, and most promising talent, as well as trophies to the state champions.
Photo by Ashli Linkous. Donated in honor of all the musicians that participated.
Roy Acuff for Governor Poster
Donated at the request of the late William Wampler in 2016. The poster was produced for Acuff’s Tennessee Governor campaign in 1948, when he accepted the Republican nomination. Although he did not win the Governorship these posters survived and reproduction prints are still being sold by Hatch Show Print. The copy in our collection was signed by Acuff on August 26, 1972.
Photo by Ashli Linkous. Roy Acuff poster donated at the request of the late William Wampler.
Mountain Stage/BCMA
A signed poster from a partnered show between Mountain Stage, a live radio program in West Virginia, and the former Birthplace of Country Music Alliance (BCMA) organization. In 2013 BCMA and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion merged to create the Birthplace of Country Music Inc. organization. This event was on August 21, 2011 and included Jim Lauderdale, John Lilly, Red Molly, The David Mayfield Parade, Vince Gill, and hosted by Larry Groce.
Photo by Ashli Linkous. From the Birthplace of Country Music’s Institutional Archives
Orthophonic Joy
Orthophonic Joy is a collection of reimagined recordings of the original 1927 Bristol Sessions songs. This album was produced by Carl Jackson, a Grammy award winner and used as a benefit for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The album includes Emmylou Harris singing “Bury Me Beneath the Willow”, Dolly Parton singing “When They Ring Those Golden Bells”, Sheryl Crow singing “The Wandering Boy,” and Brad Paisley and Carl Jackson singing “In the Pines.” This CD can be purchased in the museum store.
Photo by Ashli Linkous. From the Birthplace of Country Music’s Institutional Archives.
Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion Festival Posters
Starting in 2001 the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion festival (BRRR) was created to celebrate the rich musical heritage that was popularized by the 1927 Bristol sessions. Occurring on the second weekend in September every year, BRRR has seen countless legendary musicians on the lineup, like The Del McCoury Band, Little Jimmie Dickens, Jim Lauderdale, who made his first appearance in 2004, and Marty Stuart just to name a few. Each year the organization gets a different artist to create and design the festival poster. Over the last 20 plus years we’ve had artists including Willard Gayheart, Charles Vess, and Leigh Ann Agee and many more. Only so many of these posters are printed every year and once they are gone, they are gone! Below are some of my personal favorites.
2001 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Poster
The first year highlights the train station which helped many artists get to Bristol in 1927 to record with Ralph Peer and make Bristol what it is today!
Photo by Julia Underkoffler. From the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Institutional Archives
2005 Bristol Rhythm and Roots Poster
I love all of the artists that were included in this poster. It is a great way of showing the impact Bristol has had to music.
Photo by Julia Underkoffler. From the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Institutional Archives
2006 Bristol Rhythm and Roots Poster
This poster was designed by Charles Vess. I absolutely love how the colors complement each other and the tree roots making a treble clef.
Photo by Julia Underkoffler. From the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Institutional Archives.
2021 Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion Poster
This will always be one of my favorite BRRR posters because it was my first BRRR.
10th and 20th Anniversary Posters
These are two special posters we came out with for the 20th anniversary. This is a great way to display all of the first 20 years of festival posters.
Photos by Julia Underkoffler. From the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Institutional Archives.
Several years of Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion posters are still available for purchase at the museum store.
One thing I’ve long found fascinating is why certain artifacts instill such reverence. Nowhere is this more true than in music history circles.
In recognition of National Guitar Day on this February 11th, this is the story of Duane Allman’s 1961 Gibson Les Paul.
Some Background
Guitarist Duane Allman founded the Allman Brothers Band (ABB) in March 1969. Based in Macon, Georgia, the ABB are the first group to emerge from the South in the rock era. From Macon, the band toured relentlessly, spending 300 days a year on the road and building a devoted audience.
The ABB had a unique lineup that included two drummers—Jaimoe and Butch Trucks—and two lead guitar players—Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Bassist Berry Oakley and Duane’s brother Gregg Allman (organ/vocals) rounded out the group.
The band recorded their third album live on the biggest stage in rock. At Fillmore East a one-take album with no overdubs. The record hit gold (500,000 sales) within 3 months. Days after learning the news, Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in Macon. His bandmates responded by finishing Eat a Peach, which they were working on when Duane died.
Duane played four main guitars in his Allman Brothers Band tenure. This is the story of one of them.
The Guitar
This 1961 Gibson Les Paul (SG)1 is one of the more significant in Allman Brothers history because it is the only guitar that I know of that both Duane and his guitar partner Dickey Betts played on a regular basis. Dickey throughout 1970, Duane in 1971.2
1961 Gibson Les Paul/SG on display at Songbirds Museum in Chattanooga, TN. Courtesy of of Bob Beatty/Long Live the ABB.
Lipham’s Music January/February 1970
Betts bought the guitar in 1970 from the place every road musician in Florida shopped: Lipham’s Music in Gainesville. Just one year earlier, Buster Lipham had advanced the band more than $10,000 in equipment, which they were paying back in weekly installments of several hundred dollars each.3
Duane’s SG was part of a separate transaction altogether, Chuck Emery of the Royal Guardsmen explained. “On a trip to [Lipham’s] in early ’70 a beautiful SG caught my eye. I came to a deal; and the sales guy put the guitar [aside] until my return the next week. The following Monday the sales guy said, ‘Uh, Duane and them came in…played the SG, and uh, well, they bought it.’”4
Dickey Betts and the SG Spring 1970
The SG became Dickey’s main stage guitar throughout 1970. It originally had a sideways Vibrola tremolo which he later swapped out for a stop bar tailpiece (see photos below):
The Allman Brothers Band at Florida Presbyterian (now Eckerd College) St. Petersburg, Florida, April 18, 1970. Photo from Logos, Florida Presbyterian College, 1970, courtesy of the Eckerd College Archives, St. Petersburg, Florida.Dickey Betts onstage at the Atlanta Pop Festival July 3, 1970. Notice the difference between this photo and the one above. Courtesy of Dennis Eavenson.
The guitar is identifiable by its three “snakebites”—screw holes where the original tailpiece was.
Detail of “snakebites” on Duane Allman’s SG, on display at Songbirds Museum. Courtesy of Bob Beatty/Long Live the ABB
From Dickey to Duane Spring 1971
The guitar ended up in Duane’s hands in 1971. Because he preferred to play slide in open-E tuning, Duane regularly had to retune his guitar. It not only slowed down pacing, it also bored Dickey Betts.5
“When Duane wanted to play slide he would have to retune his one [damn] guitar every time. I got tired of it and said, ‘Here, take this guitar and tune it, and leave it tuned!’”
Though it’s unclear whether Duane played the guitar on At Fillmore East, he definitely played in on “One Way Out” from Eat a Peach—recorded the closing night of Fillmore East, June 27, 1971 (photo below)
Duane Allman from the Fillmore East stage, June 27, 1971. Image credit, Don Paulson
When Duane died in a motorcycle accident October 29, 1971, the original intention was to bury the guitar with him. This didn’t happen. Gregg played it through 1972 before giving it to Gerry Groom, a protégée of Duane’s. Groom later sold it to Graham Nash.
Duane’s other Allman Brothers Band Guitars
The SG is one of four Les Pauls Duane played in his Allman Brothers Band career. Three of them, a 1957 goldtop he used through September 1970, a 1959 cherry burst, and a 195(?)6 tobacco burst. A private collector owns the goldtop and it’s often on display at the Big House Museum in Macon. Duane’s daughter Galadrielle owns the other two, which she’s loaned out for exhibition from time to time, most recently the Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution.
In 2011, Gibson reissued the guitar, dubbed “From One Brother to Another.” Duane’s daughter gave Artist’s Proof #4 to Derek Trucks, who played in the Allman Brothers Band from 1999-2014. It’s been Derek’s main stage guitar for more than a decade now.
Duane’s SG Today
The SG stayed out of the public eye for many years. The first I remember it appearing was a 2013 exhibit called Guitars! Roundups to Rockers at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis. In 2019, Nash made the guitar available for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Play It Loudexhibition. He sold the guitar to a private collector who has it on loan to the Songbirds Museum in Chattanooga. Yours truly wrote the label copy.
Derek Trucks and his SG. Note the snakebite holes. Image credit Amy Harris.
Footnotes
1 Though it’s a misnomer to call Duane Allman’s cherry 1961 Gibson Les Paul an SG (that name, short for “Solid Guitar,” arrived in 1963), pretty much everyone calls it an SG. I follow that convention here. 2 Dickey Betts also played the SG in some of the too-rare video footage of the Duane-era Allman Brothers Band, including at Bill Graham’s famed Fillmore East in September 1970. 3 Bob Beatty, Play All Night! Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2022), 120. 4 I love Emery’s conclusion, “I was [exploitive] at Duane and them for quite a while, even after I learned about the Allmans.” Ground Guitar, “Duane Allman’s 1961 Gibson SG / Les Paul,” accessed October 31, 2023. 5 Open E is tuned to the E chord on a guitar–EBEG#Be. Standard tuning is EAGBDe. 6 See Ground Guitar, “Duane Allman’s 1961 Gibson SG / Les Paul.”
