Tennessee Historical Commission Marker 1A-140: “Bristol Sessions, July 25 through August 5, 1927”

Located at the intersection of State Street and MLK Boulevard in Bristol, Tennessee.

“In 1927 Ralph Peer, a record producer with the Victor Talking Machine Company, set up a temporary music studio on this site. Over the next 12 days he recorded 76 songs by 19 artists, including the Stonemans and the first recordings of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family. These recordings launched the country music industry. In 1998 the United States Congress recognized Bristol as the ‘Birthplace of Country Music.'”

GPS Coordinates: +36° 35′ 41.40″, -82° 10′ 52.45″

A granite marker between “Bristol Sessions” and “Birthplace of Bristol” reads: “Erected August 16, 1971, honoring A.P. Carter, Sara Carter, Maybelle Carter, Jimmie Rodgers, who recorded the first country and western music to be distributed nationwide in Bristol, Tennessee on August 2, 1927.”

On the north side of the marker is engraved: “Dedicated by the people of Bristol, the Historical Committee of the Greater Bristol area, Chamber of Commerce, the Bristol Lodge No. 14, International Oddfellows.”

Photos June 2012 by Sharon Steele-Smith.