Stomping in Bristol TN/VA

The Kentucky part of our road trip began in, of all places, Glasgow where we had a very good breakfast.  It's a pleasant town. We went on to London, which was rather disappointing.  I much prefer the original.  Then Corbin, where Colonel Sanders opened his first fried chicken restaurant. We also passed by Barbourville, home of frontiers man Daniel Boone  and Pineville  where I got a couple of LPs. Our stop for the night was Middlesboro, which is close to the Cumberland Gap which cuts a path through the Appalachians. We went up to the Pinnacle where you can see three states: Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Middlesboro is dry, meaning you can't buy booze there, so we had a beer in the village of Cumberland Gap, which is across the state border, and bought some beer for later  before having a steak back in Middlesboro.
Next day we headed back into Tennessee, stopping off at Greeneville on the hunt for records, and the Davy Crockett State Park where the man who all people of my age remember from the fifties film and song was born. The homestead where he was born was not on a mountain top as the song claimed. We stayed overnight at Bristol where the Rhythm and Roots Reunion Festival starts tomorrow. The main street in town, State Street,  straddles the border between Tennessee and Virginia and the town claims to be the birthplace of country music as Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family made early recordings there with Ralph Peer.
Bristol's claim to be the Birthplace of Country Music is celebrated at a museum of that name which explains, very effectively, how record man Ralph Peer brought together a group of singers in 1927 and recorded seminal hillbilly, country, folk and gospel material. These artists included Jimmie Rodgers  the Carter Family and Ernest Stoneman and were very influential in the development of the genres. There is an exhibition downstairs of original photographs by Marty Stuart who dropped in while we were there so Lee and I took the opportunity of getting our photo taken with him.
The festival kicked off that evening and was rather mixed in terms of quality.  Tameca Jones, billed as the queen of Austin soul  looked good in high heeled black boots and a skimpy dress, but was rather too much in the modern soul category for me, with some original numbers such as 'Hot and Bothered' and 'I'm Drowning Inside' and unusual covers including 'Benny and the Jets' and 'Miss You'. Backed by a single guitarist and, at times, a backing track she clearly has potential but didn't really do it for me. I checked out a couple of bands that didn't impress (Virginia Grand and Wayne Gordon) but only to pass the time before the biggest, and best act of the night appeared, Marty Stuart and Fabulous Superlatives. Marty was excellent. Dressed in black  in contrast to the sparkly light blue and pink of his band  he reeled off a string of classic songs in various genres ranging from outlaw songs to semi rock and country. These included 'Turn The Wood Pile Down', 'The Whisky Isnt Working Any More', 'I'm Tempted', 'Way Out West', 'In Old Mexico' and the excellent 'Six White Horses'. Each of the band members, guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry Stinson and bass player Chris Scruggs did two numbers each, which was perhaps slightly too many, but Marty came back strongly with some mandolin virtuosity on 'Orange Blossom Special. Overall this was a great set, one of the best of my trip. The same couldn't be said for St Paul and the Broken Bones. I'd heard a lot about this band, and the audience clearly loved them, but I didn't agree. After lots of flashing lights at the start St Paul came on stage and proved to be a tubby, balding bloke wearing a sparkling green cape who posed, did a bit of dad dancing and sang a couple of rock numbers in a shrieky voice reminiscent of Tiny Tim. Admittedly he was better on one or two slower soul numbers and the seven piece band  with three horns was fine, but I honestly can't see what the fuss is about. I will pass on them in future. Other acts I saw a part of included Sam Bush, who ranged from bluegrass to rock, and rockabilly man Chuck Mead.