Country music - RV update: places, products, clubs, & activities you can enjoy in your RV - Brief Article

Travel America, July-August, 2002 by Nancy Baren Miller

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance will stage special performances July 25 to August 3 in Bristol, a town that straddles the Virginia-Tennessee state line. More than 40 bands and stars like Loretta Lynn and Earl Scruggs will help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Bristol Sessions, when an RCA/Victor producer traveled to the mountains of Appalachia to record legends like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family for the first time.

These 1927 recordings marked the beginnings of commercial country music. The highlight will be a two-day outdoor concert the last weekend in July at Bristol Motor Speedway, where camping will be available. In Bristol Mall, off Interstate 81, the alliance's museum traces the region's musical heritage and hosts live entertainment every Thursday on its "Pickin' Porch." A downtown mural depicting the Bristol Sessions is a backdrop for free bluegrass jams every Tuesday night in summer. For information, call toll-free (866) MTN-MUSIC.