A century after pioneering music producer Ralph Peer set up recording equipment in Asheville, North Carolina, an East Tennessee State University professor is helping bring those groundbreaking sessions back to life.
Dr. Ted Olson, Grammy-nominated professor in ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies, has contributed research, production and writing expertise to “Music from the Land of the Sky: The 1925 Asheville Sessions,” a new album featuring 28 restored and remastered tracks from the historic recording sessions.
The original recordings represent some of the earliest commercial recording sessions conducted on location in the American South – and the first-ever commercial recordings of any music genre made in Appalachia or the Carolinas.
“Reissuing the Asheville recordings from 1925 a century after they were made will help expand our collective understanding of the origins of country music,” Olson said.
Rewriting music history
The 1925 sessions captured influential Appalachian musicians including Ernest Stoneman, Kelly Harrell, Henry Whitter, Wade Ward and Bascom Lamar Lunsford. Vaudeville musician Emmett Miller also recorded his first version of “Lovesick Blues,” a song later made famous by Hank Williams Sr.
“This new project highlights the central role of the Asheville recordings in country music's origin story,” Olson said.
Released on Rivermont Records with Grammy-nominated sound engineer Bryan Wright handling restoration, the album continues Olson's extensive work documenting 1920s-era location recording sessions. He again teamed with veteran old-time music scholar Tony Russell to produce detailed liner notes.
The collaboration has proven successful before. The pair received Grammy nominations and other music industry recognition for their work with Bear Family Records documenting the 1927-28 Bristol sessions, the 1928-29 Johnson City sessions and the 1929-30 Knoxville sessions.
Leading Appalachian music research
As professor of Appalachian studies and bluegrass, old-time, and roots music, Olson represents the kind of specialized expertise that makes ETSU's Department of Appalachian Studies a leading program in traditional Appalachian music study.
His work exemplifies the premier scholarship that contributes to ETSU’s reputation as the flagship university of Appalachia.
To mark the centennial, Asheville will host four days of concerts and community celebrations from Nov. 6-9. The program includes talks by Olson and other album contributors. More information is available at exploreasheville.com/historic-asheville-sessions.
