Recently, Appalachia Bare perused Tom Murphy’s amazing collection of Blue Ridge Music memorabilia, hosted by Pellissippi State Community College’s Strawberry Plains Campus Library and the Appalachian Heritage Project. Viewing the collection is free and the display continues until June 15.
In the good old days, traveling entertainment events were advertised on cheaply printed cards and posters, making them easy to distribute and tack onto poles, buildings, and windows. So many of these posters went straight to the trash after each event. Thankfully, Tom Murphy has collected these historical treasures for over 50 years in order to graciously share them with the region. His collection showcases “53 rare, original concert announcements, dating back to as early as 1939.”1)From A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music The collection encompasses window cards, handbills, mailers, broadsides, etc., that document a visual story of bluegrass, country, and old-time music from our region.
The exhibit features Knoxville and East Tennessee venues and artists including Dolly Parton, Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, and the WNOX Midday Merry-Go-Round as well as country, old time, and bluegrass legends The Carter Family, The Monroe Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, Kitty Wells, and Doc Watson.2)From A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Detailed narrative histories accompany the visual stories “so that viewers can learn about the artists and their music as well as their impact on the culture.” Take a look at our gallery below. (Click the images for a better view.)
Blue Ridge Music Cardboard History
**All images photographed by Delonda Anderson
References
| ↑1, ↑2 | From A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music |
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