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Downtown Bristol Blog

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Among Rolling Stone's Hottest

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival has been listed among Rolling Stone's "31 Hottest Country Tours & Festivals." Other major festivals to be included are the CMA Music Festival, the Americana Music Festival & Conference, and Farm Aid.

"Rolling Stone is one of the most influential music publications in the world," said Leah Ross, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music, the festival's parent organization. "It's humbling and rewarding that Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is being recognized alongside some of the greatest events in the country."

Dates for this year's Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion are September 16-18, 2016. Click for more information or to buy tickets.



BCM Announces Strategic Partnership with Airplay Direct

The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with AirPlay Direct, a web-based artist marketing, promotion, education, and advocacy platform that delivers premium digital services, and Collective Evolution, an entertainment and media consulting firm.

“Over the past several years, the Birthplace of Country Music has grown tremendously with the opening of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, celebrating 15-years of Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and launching Radio Bristol, a collection of three radio stations, this past fall,” said Leah Ross, Executive Director of BCM. “This partnership with AirPlay Direct and Collective Evolution is exciting as it will allow BCM to work with industry experts at AirPlay Direct to build an innovative strategy to help establish and sustain Radio Bristol, as well as expand our reach into more national markets.”

The strategic partnership will focus on business strategy and brand development, as well as creation of new marketing and programming initiatives.

“This is a very exciting time in the entertainment industry,” said Robert Weingartz, Chairman of AirPlay Direct / Collective Evolution. “The Birthplace of Country Music is a wonderful, historic musical brand, they have a ‘super-talented’ executive team, and their musical and historical assets are world-class. I look forward with great anticipation to announcing the special projects and programs we are currently developing together for launch in 2016.”

The Strategic Partnership was signed at Eddy Arnold’s Office at Plowboy Records in December.

“This new Strategic Partnership Agreement was inked in the historic Brentwood, Tennessee office of the legendary Mr. Eddy Arnold, on the very same conference table he signed all of his professional agreements,” said Lynda Weingartz, CEO of AirPlay Direct. “The sense of history and relevance in this office was inspiring and most exciting.”

For more information about AirPlay Direct visit AirPlaydirect.com or contact Lynda Weingartz at lynda@AirPlayDirect.com, and for more information about the Birthplace of Country Music visit www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.



Downtown Bristol Events

Crazy Like Lexi

January 23 | Shelbee's Vintage Cafe

Crazy Like Lexi is an acoustic trio playing your favorite rock, blues and country songs from the 70's, 80's and 90's. No Cover. Eat great food and choose from over 35 Craft, Domestic and Import Beers.

Dale Carnegie Class: Present with Impact

January 26 | Bristol Chamber of Commerce

In his book, The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking, Dale Carnegie says that people evaluate us in four ways: what we say, how we say it, what we do, and how we do it. Presenting with impact means we use every resource available to communicate with credibility and confidence. This includes the wide spectrum of visual support tools available. It also includes us. The most important part of any communication is how we present ourselves. We are the message. At the completion of this module, participants will be able to:

  • Establish trust, credibility, and respect with listeners
  • Clarify the key points of a message
  • Open and close sessions with impact
  • Understand the variety of support tools that strengthen a message

Cost: Complimentary for members, $35 for non-members. Email reservations@bristolchamber.org to RSVP.

Special Screening of Tennessee Ernie Ford's Amazing Grace

January 26 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum

In cooperation with Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum will screenTennessee Ernie Ford’s Amazing Graceon Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m. The film features Ford singing a variety offavorite hymns and sacred songs.

This event is free and open to the public. Regular admission fees apply for visiting the museum exhibits and the “Tennessee Ernie Ford: A Life on Stage” special exhibit.

History Harvest: Tennessee Ernie Ford

January 28 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum wants to record and preserve your Tennessee Ernie Ford stories, photographs, and memorabilia during a “history harvest”!

Do you have a story about a personal connection with Tennessee Ernie Ford, his parents, or his family? Do you or your family have photographs – particularly candid photos – of Ernie on his visits to Bristol, or other Ford-related memorabilia? We would love to add a digital copy to our archive at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum! Come to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Saturday, January 16 from 11–4 or on Thursday, January 28 from 1–5 with your item or story to share.

We will record your stories or memories, and scan or photograph the items that you bring with you to add to BCM’s digital archive. These items will help to tell the story of Tennessee Ernie Ford and his connection to Bristol to future generations, and the recordings or digital images will be available to community members, museum staff, and researchers for years to come. BCM will not keep your originals, though museum staff members are happy to discuss the process of donating items to the museum. BCM will send History Harvest participants who provide their email addresses a digital copy of their scanned image, photographed item, or recorded story after the event.

Please contact Dave Lewis (dlewis@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org), our Curator of Collections and Digital Media with any questions, or if you have a particularly large collection of items.

We hope to see all you pea-pickers there!

Korean Night

January 29 | KP

Join KP for an authentic, family style Korean meal. Call 423-764-3889 to make your reservation today!

Also Coming Up

More Upcoming Events »


Community Notice Board

Bristol Office Supply Weekly Specials

Through January 22

Click here to view weekly specials.