Join us to kick off the Asheville Sessions Centennial with a special event at the Wicked Weed Funkatorium. In August 1925, legendary producer Ralph Peer set up a portable recording studio in the brand-new George Vanderbilt Hotel, capturing the very first commercial recordings made in Appalachia. Now, we’re celebrating that historic moment. The evening begins with drinks and socializing, followed by an official welcome and an insightful talk on the significance of the 1925 Asheville Sessions from renowned music historians Ted Olson and Tony Russell. The night culminates with a live performance by the Russ Wilson Jazz Orchestra, bringing the vibrant sounds of the era to life.
———————-
Asheville wrote the first chapter of America’s country music story by producing the earliest commercial recordings of Appalachian music two years before any other city. A century ago, in the heart of downtown Asheville, a mobile recording studio was set up at the George Vanderbilt Hotel to capture the voices of a region rarely heard beyond its mountain borders. Known as “The Asheville Sessions,” the 1925 recordings brought together fiddlers, banjo players, guitarists, ballad singers, and family groups. The recordings became one of the first commercial projects to preserve the musical traditions of Appalachia and helped lay the foundation for what would become American roots and country music.
That legacy didn’t fade. Today, Asheville produces stars like country giant Luke Combs and guitar legend Warren Haynes, alongside a burgeoning generation redefining music for the next century.
Explore Asheville is the presenting sponsor of “The Asheville Sessions: Celebrating 100 years of Americana & Appalachia,” a November weekend filled with concerts and events linking the groundbreaking work of 1925 to the city’s thriving modern music scene.
https://www.exploreasheville.com/asheville/events/asheville-sessions-kickoff-celebration
