Bristol Sessions Festival

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Bristol Sessions Festival

Presented by the City of Bristol, Tennessee. One year. 12 nights of songwriters and stories.

The countdown to the centennial celebration of the 1927 Bristol Sessions in May 2027.

16/10/2026

Night 6 has a poster worthy of the pickers who inspired it.

Lester Flatt. Earl Scruggs. Two names that changed what a guitar and a banjo could do together, and two legends who walked the same musical ground this series is built on.

For Night 6, we went to Richard Graves. Richard is a Neo-Appalachian artist from the wolf hills of Abingdon, Virginia, whose work lives at the intersection of place, memory, and ink-stained sketchbooks. He works in watercolor and wet media, and every piece carries the evidence of a hand that has been drawing for a long time.

You can find Richard's work in Bristol at HollerHouse. Follow his practice on Instagram at .

14/10/2026

“That Henderson mandolin is as good as any I’ve had my hands on.” – Doc Watson

When Doc Watson says that about your work, you’ve earned your place among the greats. Wayne Henderson is a master guitarist and luthier from Grayson County, Virginia, who builds about 20 instruments a year. His guitars are sought after by players worldwide, his mandolins are nearly as legendary and in 1995 he received the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Award.

His finger-picking is just as celebrated, with performances at Carnegie Hall, three national tours of Masters of the Steel-String Guitar and stops in seven countries across Asia.

Come hear Wayne Henderson at Night 6 of Road to 100: The Pickers.

09/10/2026

Five nights down. The Road to 100 continues.
From our first night in May to A True Taste of Tennessee in September, each Bristol Sessions Night has told another part of the story leading us toward 100 years of country music.
We’ve celebrated the music, artists and traditions that connect Bristol’s past to its present. Now, the next chapter is ready to be played.
Next stop: The Pickers.
Join us October 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bristol Listening Room as the Road to 100 continues.
Get your tickets at bristolsessionsfestival.com.

07/10/2026

What did a picker pick in 1927?
Fiddle. Banjo. Guitar. These were the three primary instruments played on recordings at the 1927 Bristol Sessions, but they weren’t the only ones. Musicians also brought instruments including mandolin, ukulele, autoharp, harmonica and even the jaw harp, bones and kazoo.
Nearly 100 years later, Bristol is still picking.
Night 6 of the Road to 100 celebrates the instrumental side of the music with The Pickers, featuring banjo, mandolin, fiddle and flat-top guitar.
Join us October 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bristol Listening Room for the next chapter of Bristol Sessions Nights.
Get your tickets at bristolsessionsfestival.com.

05/10/2026

“It’s what I do. It’s who I am.”

An Appalachian-born storyteller and true American troubadour, Bobby Starnes has written more than 3,000 songs, with 150 cuts and seven #1 hits across the Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel charts, along with multiple Grammy nominations throughout his career.

Bobby brings his Appalachian roots to life through songs and stories that are raw, witty, and heartfelt. His songs have been recorded by some of the biggest names in music, including the legendary bluegrass band Blue Highway, who have recorded many of his songs—especially those co-written with longtime collaborator Tim Stafford.

His inspiration can come from just about anywhere: Taylor Swift nods, neighbors down the road, late-night drives home from Walmart, hometown characters, online dating misadventures, Music Row memories, rodeo days, and his mama. If everyday life holds a story, Bobby will find the hook.

His award-winning catalog has also made its way to television and film, while his circle of co-writers includes Tim Stafford, Grammy Award winner Trey Hensley, Larry Cordle, Carson Peters, and more.

And if you’re looking for a killer opening line, Bobby is the mind behind gems like “You Look Like My Next Ex-Wife” and “Belly up to the bar” from “Beer 30.”

Come hear the stories, songs, and Appalachian soul behind the songwriting at Bristol Sessions Nights: The Pickers.

Get your tickets at bristolsessionsfestival.com

02/10/2026

James R. "Jack" Grant was a mandolin player from Bristol who recorded during the famous 1927 Bristol Sessions with his band, The Tenneva Ramblers. Alongside his brother, Claude Grant, on guitar and vocals, fiddle player Jack Pierce, and banjo player Claude T. Slagle, Grant helped bring the sound of Appalachian string-band music to a national audience. Their music helped develop country music and influenced the string-band traditions that followed.

During the 1927 Bristol Sessions, The Tenneva Ramblers recorded "The Longest Train I Ever Saw", "Sweet Heaven When I Die", and "Miss Liza, Poor Gal". The group returned to the studio in 1928, recording songs including "If I Die a Railroad Man" in Atlanta.

We invite you to join us for Night 6: The Pickers on October 16 at 7:30pm.

Photo Credits: Discography of American Historical Recordings on Jack Grant

01/10/2026

The 6th night of Road to 100 is all about the Pickers and we’re kicking things off with a true master of the craft.

We’re excited to welcome Tim Stafford as our headliner! A Grammy-winning bluegrass musician, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, Stafford brings decades of Appalachian music experience to the stage. Tim Stafford is a founding member of Blue Highway, the band Bluegrass Today readers named the most popular bluegrass artist in history. Since 1994, the band has earned three Grammy nominations, a Dove Award, and 32 IBMA Awards.

Before Blue Highway, Tim played guitar in Alison Krauss and Union Station on the Grammy-winning album Every Time You Say Goodbye.

He is one of the most recorded songwriters in bluegrass, with more than 400 songs cut by other artists. IBMA named him Songwriter of the Year three times (2014, 2017, 2023), and his "Lonesome State of Mind" was the most-played bluegrass song of 2023. He co-wrote IBMA's 2008 Song of the Year, "Through the Window of a Train."

As a three time recipient of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America's Guitar Performer of the Year, Tim has recorded with more than 75 artists, including Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, and Shane MacGowan of the Pogues.

Tim was born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee. He co-authored Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story, the authorized biography of the bluegrass legend, and served as Artist in Residence in ETSU's Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies program from 2023 to 2025.

And we’re not done yet… More musicians will be announced next week. Get your tickets at bristolsessionsfestival.com

28/09/2026

In the 1920s when you couldn't afford molasses...

Long before sorghum syrup reached the kitchen table, it began in the fields. Cane was harvested, crushed, and pressed to extract its sweet juice, which was then boiled down into syrup. Sorghum making was an important part of Appalachian agricultural life, bringing together work, tradition, and community.

Photo Credits: Archives of Appalachia, Joseph Sargent Hall Collection

25/09/2026

Night 5 of our Road to 100 brought together a wonderful combination of local food, Tennessee wh***ey, and live music as we celebrated A True Taste of Tennessee. We kicked off the evening with a delicious wh***ey tasting from our partners at Tennessee Hills featuring four pours. Afterwards, Ryder Casey kicked off the night with live music before Adrian Bundy brought the audience to its feet as our main performance.

We hope you will join us for Night 6: Pickers on October 16, 2026. Presented by the City of Bristol, Tennessee.

23/09/2026

Maybelle Carter was one of the most influential guitar pickers and singers in early country music. As a member of the Carter Family, her distinctive guitar style helped shape the sound of country music and continues to inspire musicians for generations. Maybelle pioneered what became known as the “Carter Scratch,” a groundbreaking style of playing that allowed her to carry both the melody and rhythm on the guitar at the same time.

The Carter Family recorded songs like “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow” and “Little Log Cabin by the Sea” during the 1927 Bristol Sessions. Her story is a reminder that some of music’s biggest legacies can begin in small places. Nearly 100 years later, we’re still celebrating the pickers who carried on that legacy on Night 6 of the Road to 100 on October 16, 2026.

Video credit: on YouTube

Address

37620

Telephone

(423)9895513

Website

http://www.bristolsessionsnights.com/, https://cityofbristoltn.ticketspice.com/bristol-sessions-festival-2026

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