A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

Upcoming ExhibitionsAmerica 250
Written By BRAHM

March 1, 2025 - April 26, 2025 | Alexander Community Gallery

This unique exhibit offers an in-depth look at the rich history of Blue Ridge music. The exhibition showcases 36 original, letterpress-style posters, dating back to as early as 1939. Each poster has detailed information about the life and legacy of the featured musicians.

Originally, window cards and other announcement posters were created to advertise upcoming entertainment events staged by troupes of traveling performers. By design, they were printed on inexpensive paper or cardboard to last only a few months as they were nailed to telephone poles, plastered onto the sides of buildings, and placed in store windows. After the event, most were discarded or left to deteriorate outdoors. These pieces, designed to be ephemeral, document the story of Bluegrass music from infancy to international popularity.

All posters shown here are from the private poster collection of Tom Murphy. As a collector, Murphy has been preserving window cards, handbills, mailers, broadsides, and other posters of various genres for over 50 years. 

Visitors will enjoy an immersive experience, including a curated playlist of music by artists in the exhibit.

Cardboard History Song Collage:

Calling all musicians! In conjunction with the exhibition A Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music, BRAHM wants to share the voices keeping traditional music alive. Bands and individuals are invited to be part of a video collage of the traditional Appalachian tune, "Shady Grove."

Given the Museum's location in Watauga County, NC, to be included in the collage your submission needs to be similar to Doc Watson's arrangement of the song.

All submissions must be made by Friday, March 21, 2025, at 11:59 PM. You must be signed into a Google account to submit your video via this form. If you do not have a Google account please email your submissions to programs@blowingrockmuseum.org.

This exhibition is made possible through a grant from America 250 NC, an initiative by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Presenting sponsor for this exhibition is The Mountain Times: The High Country's Art and Entertainment Source and Watauga Democrat: Watauga County's independent news source and newspaper of record since 1888.

Featured
Songwriter Sessions: Zoe & Cloyd “Songs of Our Grandfathers”
Mar 6
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Songwriter Sessions: Zoe & Cloyd “Songs of Our Grandfathers”
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

BRAHM is excited to host a 3-day artist residency with the band Zoe & Cloyd. 

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Zoe & Cloyd in Concert at App Theatre - not at BRAHM
Mar 8
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Zoe & Cloyd in Concert at App Theatre - not at BRAHM
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

BRAHM is excited to host a 3-day artist residency with the band Zoe & Cloyd. 

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame
Mar 13
America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame
America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

Music is an important thread in the fabric of our culture. Wilkes Heritage Museum Director, Jennifer Furr, will discuss the creation of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and how it links our region together.

America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Blue Ridge Ballads Revisited
Mar 27
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Blue Ridge Ballads Revisited
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

This presentation and performance traces the history behind ballads from the Blue Ridge Mountains. While strongly associated with European and British Isles traditions, balladry in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia reflects a broad range of cultural influences, including roots in and stories connected to African and Native American experiences.

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Mothers of Mountain Music: the Blue Ridge and Beyond
Apr 3
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Mothers of Mountain Music: the Blue Ridge and Beyond
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

Women are key figures in the history of Appalachia and its music. From the mothers of miners, pioneering women of bluegrass, and activists, the songs of women have long endured. Music sustains movements and carries stories throughout generations. By way of music, women brought the region’s issues to mainstream audiences through their songs. Giving a voice to the underrepresented and oppressed, these women asserted themselves in the heavily male-dominated music industry and became the voices of future generations. This talk examines some key women in Appalachia whose voices transcended generations and transformed the music we know today. 

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Hatch Show Print: Every Poster Tells a Story
Apr 12
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Hatch Show Print: Every Poster Tells a Story
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

Hatch Show Print is a letterpress poster and design shop located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1879, HSP is still designing and printing over 700 jobs a year, using the original wood type found on countless posters advertising live music, carnivals, circuses, and vaudeville and minstrel shows of years gone by, combined with hand carved imagery that spans the history of the shop. Though the 145 year old business is known for its twentieth century country music posters, the work the shop has put out over five generations in operation reflects changes in technology, communication arts, and commerce, as well as the evolution of popular entertainment.

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Bluegrass Beyond the Stage: The Impact of Women at Festivals and Beyond. 
Apr 17
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Bluegrass Beyond the Stage: The Impact of Women at Festivals and Beyond. 
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

The complex traditions of bluegrass music have long been shaped by powerful voices, both on stage and behind the scenes. This talk moves from the stage to the perimeter of the festival grounds and industry, highlighting the ways women have impacted the genre (largely without recognition).

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Doc Watson A Life in Music, Book Discussion with Author Eddie Huffman
Apr 19
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
Doc Watson A Life in Music, Book Discussion with Author Eddie Huffman
TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music

Join Author Eddie Huffman as he takes us through is new book, Doc Watson: A Life In Music. Huffman will take us through the process of researching and writing the book and sharing some of his favorite stories about the man, the myth, the legend of the Blue Ridge, Doc Watson. 

TAC Talks, America 250, Cardboard History of Blue Ridge Music
BRAHM https://blowingrockmuseum.org
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