Stories, quotes and anecdotes from Appalachia. 1880s-1950s era.

Category: Appalachian music

Granny’d sing us her Christmas carol, “Brightest and Best”

Born in Viper, Kentucky, Jean Ritchie came from a family of musicians who have preserved folk traditions for generations.

In 1928 & 1929, Frank Buckley Walker, Columbia Records’ head of “hillbilly” recordings division, headed to Johnson City, TN.

The song’s odyssey began September 15, 1937 when folklorist Alan Lomax recorded a version by 16-year-old Georgia Turner in Middlesboro, Ky.

Yes, Nashville has the Grand Ole Opry and the big name recording artists. But Bristol stakes its claim as the birthplace of country music.

Both Charlie & Ira were attracted to the close-harmony country brother duets of the Blue Sky Boys and the Delmore Brothers.

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