ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Explore Asheville is celebrating a century-old recording session that sparked America’s country music legacy.
During a media conference on Tuesday, Aug. 19, Explore Asheville said a music group called “The Asheville Sessions” was a part of the first chapter of the nation’s country music story, creating the earliest recordings of Appalachian sound.
They also announced the “Celebrating 100 Years of Americana & Appalachia” concert series.
During the press conference Tuesday, a local musician performed “I’m Going Back to North Carolina,” a song originally recorded by the Asheville Sessions back in the early 1900s.
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If The Sessions had never recorded at what was once the George Vanderbilt Hotel in 1925, the musical traditions of Appalachia may not have been preserved.
Richard Emmitt with Blue Ridge Music Center said the musicians have a lasting influence on country and roots music.
“These sessions were historic,” Emmitt said. “They were the first commercial recordings of any genre of music ever made in Appalachia.”
To commemorate their legacy, the concert series will be held on Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8.
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Explore Asheville CEO Vic Isley said this gathering is part of healing from the impact of Hurricane Helene.
“We’ve had our challenges in the face of Helene with the great local festivals like AVLFest being postponed, but this is a way for us to shine a light on our creative community,” Isley said. “Invite our own community members and regional members to be a part of this, as well as people from across the country and world.”
Along with the centennial celebration, there is a historic album release.
“This album features 28 retried tracks sourced for rare original 78 RPM discs and meticulously remastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Bryan Wright of River Mont Records,” Emmitt said. “For the first time in over a century, these voices and instruments can be heard with a clarity that was not available to those who first purchased and listened to these records.”
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The concert performances will link the groundbreaking work from a century ago to the city’s modern music scene.
“These stories deserve to be shared and told with the new generation of music fans across the world today. We have here to honor our history, celebrate our present and invite the world to experience Asheville through music this fall,” Isley said.
Descendants of the Asheville Sessions will share stories of their legacy. There will also be panels and symposiums.
For concert ticket and album information, click here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source newschannel9.com ’
