Editing Bristol, Virginia (section)

=== "Birthplace of Country Music" ===
[[File:Rhythm ^ Roots (and FlickrFriday) - Flickr - danielgrogan.jpg|thumb|2021 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival]]
Bristol was recognized as the "Birthplace of Country Music", according to a resolution passed by the US Congress in 1998;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=V.N. (Bud)|title=A good place to live : Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia|date=2006|publisher=Overmountain Press|location=Johnson City, Tenn.|isbn=9781570723148|page=211|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bi528RDRdBIC&pg=PA211|access-date=14 June 2016}}</ref> residents of the city had contributed to early [[country music]] recordings and influence, and the [[Birthplace of Country Music Museum]] is located in Bristol.

In 1927 record producer [[Ralph Peer]] of Victor Records began recording local musicians in Bristol to attempt to capture the local sound of traditional "folk" music of the region. One of these local sounds was created by the [[Carter Family]]. The Carter Family got their start on July 31, 1927, when A.P. Carter and his family journeyed from [[Maces Spring, Virginia]], to Bristol, Tennessee, to audition for Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.

On the early hours of January 1, 1953, [[Hank Williams]] stopped in Bristol during some of the last moments of his life. He was being driven to a concert in [[Canton, Ohio]] by Charles Carr. Carr stopped outside a hamburger joint today named Burger Bar and asked Williams if he wanted to eat, to which Williams responded negatively.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=VICE |date=2017-02-28 |title=Inside the Burger Restaurant Where Hank Williams Uttered His Last Words |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/inside-the-burger-restaurant-where-hank-williams-uttered-his-last-words/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref>

Since 1994, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance has promoted the city as a destination to learn about the history of the region and its role in the creation of an entire music genre. The Alliance is organizing the building of a new Cultural Heritage Center to help educate the public about the history of country music in the region.<ref>{{cite web|title=Birthplace of Country Music|url=http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/|access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>