This year's Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion drew us even deeper into the rich history of recorded music in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee-Virginia. It's coming up on a century since Ralph Peer's 1927 Bristol Sessions introduced Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to the world. The performance space inside of the The Birthplace of Country Music Museum - the cultural center dedicated to preserving and carrying the tradition forward - provided the most fitting "studio" location for us to add our own recordings to the already vast catalog.
We’ve been crossing paths with emergent Alabama quartet Mountain Grass Unit as often as possible over the last year and a half, taking every opportunity to catch their live sets and to record them when we can. The progression we see in each of their shows is amazing, even when we’d seen them only a month earlier, and the month before that.
They started their No Depression Session with a tip of the cap to Johnny Cash by playing “Folsom Prison Blues,” also a nod to our hosts at the museum. They followed it up with “Smugglin’” from the 2024 EP Runnin’ From Trouble, and closed out with “Shay’s Rebellion” from their 2022 album Places I’ve Been. Enjoy this mini-set, and please stay tuned for more No Depression Sessions from Bristol 2025.
Big thanks to Charlene, Danielle, Leah, and the whole team at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. To June, Julia, Grace, and everybody at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, thank you for helping to bring these sessions to life. And congratulations to Kris Truelsen and Radio Bristol on their 10th anniversary, here's to 90 more!
Setlist:
“Folsom Prison Blues” (Johnny Cash)
“Smugglin’”
“Shay’s Rebellion”
Personnel:
Drury Anderson - Mandolin & lead vocals
Luke Black - Guitar & vocals
Josiah Nelson - Fiddle & vocals
Sam Wilson - Upright bass & vocals
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