The two Mountain Stage [1] radio shows which were recorded before a live audience in Bristol this past July will be available to Public Radio International affiliates the week of October 13 and 20. The two hour shows can be heard on over 100 Public Radio International affiliates throughout the United States, Voice of America, and XM Satellite Radio. Individuals should check with each affiliate for its air date. A list of affiliates is available at www.mountainstage.org [2]

For listeners in the immediate Tri-Cities Tennessee-Virginia region, local Mountain Stage affiliate WETS (FM 89.5) [3] will air the two shows on October 21st and 28th at 8:00 PM. These shows will also be simulcast on WETS’ internet feed and can be heard through their website at www.wets.org [4]

During the weekend of July 22-23, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance, with contributing support from The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail and Virginia Tourism Corporation, hosted Mountain Stage, for a celebratory weekend acknowledging Bristol’s designation as “the Birthplace of Country Music.” Artists which appeared on the shows include: Roni Stoneman, Darrell Scott, Rambling Jack Elliott, Ollabelle, Reagan Boggs, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Yonder Mountain String Band, Tim O’Brien, Dale Jett, and Odetta.

Mountain Stage, a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, is a two-hour radio show recorded before a live audience that has established a long tradition of featuring national and international acts in almost every style of music. In addition to recording the radio shows, Mountain Stage also recorded four television broadcasts in HD that will be available after the first of the year for PBS stations nationwide.

“Mountain Stage has done an excellent job representing the diversity of styles of music that originated or were influenced by our region,” commented Bill Hartley, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. The shows featured artists with a deep roots our region’s music, such as Ralph Stanley and Roni Stoneman, other artists along the Crooked Road Music Trail such as Reagan Boggs and Dale Jett, and contemporary artists such as Olabelle that have drawn inspiration from this region’s musical legacy. Hartley added that the broadcasts will provide hundreds of thousands of listeners exposure to our region and its musical heritage. “After people enjoy the shows, we hope that they come to our region to listen to, learn about, and experience our living musical heritage first hand.”

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of the living musical heritage of the Appalachian mountains and the cultural traditions that sustain it. The BCMA is funded in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission. July 22nd Artist Lineup [4]

July 23rd Artist Lineup [4]

Mountain Stage Website [5]

Media Coverage

Below are links to local media stories which appeared during the recordings by Mountain Stage in Bristol.

Bristol Herald Courier