Watch Ed Snodderly’s Paste Session Recorded Live at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
Paste Studio “On The Road” set up shop at the 2024 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia, the annual music festival that’s been honky tonkin’ since 2001. The festival features Americana, Appalachian Roots and more, honoring the legacy of Ralph Peer’s 1927 Bristol Sessions that introduced the Carter Family to the world, and continues to inform and inspire musicians to this day. We chose the most fitting location for this intimate series, showcasing artists in the performance space inside the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, dedicated to telling the story of the Bristol Sessions.
Full Session
Local legend Ed Snodderly shared three songs with us including the title track of his current record Chimney Smoke. I’d heard Ed referred to as the unofficial “Mayor” of Bristol Rhythm & Roots, we knew that no trip to East Tennessee would be complete without him. He filled us in on the history of the place and the festival between songs, starting his mini set with “There You Are.”
“There You Are”
Snodderly has played his part in decades of Appalaichian roots music history, co-founding the Down Home in Johnson City, TN way back in 1976, landing a minor role in O Brother Where Art Thou?, teaching at East Tennessee State University, and mentoring the next generation of Americana greats including Amythyst Kiah.
“Chimney Smoke”
One of Snodderly’s aims in creating Chimney Smoke was to make a quintessentially “Southern” album, sharing his Appalachian roots. Of Bristol, Snodderly tells us, “The soul of this town is real… We’re in a real place.” We could already tell that was the truth, but it resonated even more deeply when he said it.
“The Diamond Stream”
Big thanks to Charlene, Danielle and the whole team at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, and to June and her team at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for bringing these sessions to life. Stay tuned for more Bristol x Paste sessions on the way.