Appalachia on Record – The Rich-R-Tone / Folk Star Story Panel Discussion

Radio Bristol is excited to present the Radio Bristol Record Expo on April 11, 2026, hosted at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in downtown Bristol. This event is a celebration of radio culture, community broadcasting, music discovery, and independent voices. During the event, we will be holding a special panel discussion titled Appalachia on Record – The Rich-R-Tone / Folk Star Story, moderated by Kris Truelsen. Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 Location: Birthplace of Country Music Museum Address: 101 Country Music Way, Bristol, Va. Panel Discussion: 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. Photo courtesy of Bear Family Records. Appalachia on Record will dig into the milestone documentation of The Rich-R-Tone / Folk Star Story, which brings together, for the first time, the complete surviving recordings from two of Appalachia’s most fascinating independent labels – Rich-R-Tone and Folk Star Records. Founded in 1946 in Johnson City, Tennessee, Rich-R-Tone was the first label to release the Stanley Brothers, but its output reached far beyond early bluegrass. From country gospel to hillbilly boogie, from fiddle breakdowns to regional country ballads – these recordings are a treasure trove of musical heritage. About the Panelists: Matteo Ringressi was born in the small town of Forlì, Italy. He has performed in 17 different countries all over the world, from Europe to the USA and even Russia, and played the major festivals and events of the Country and Rock-A-Billy scene. Matt’s interest in mid-century Country music isn’t limited to performing. He has dedicated himself to in-depth research in the field, with a focus on lesser-known, regional Blue Grass bands of the 1940s and 1950s, and the labels that preserved their music. Matt is an avid record collector with one of the most complete collections of small-label Blue Grass 78RPM records in Europe, and he’s in the process of completing a discographical work on the subject. Dr. Ted Olson is a professor of Appalachian Studies at East…