Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion will return to northeastern Tennessee in late summer 2022. Set for Sept. 9 to 11, the annual music festival presented by the Birthplace of Country Music museum will include performances by headliners Rosanne Cash and JJ Grey & Mofro.
In addition to Cash and Grey, the festival in downtown Bristol will feature performances by a variety of artists like bluegrass favorites Jerry Douglas Band and Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Nashville pop-rocker Briston Maroney, singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt, and roots-rock band Donna the Buffalo. Also on the bill are Dallas Wayne, Kyshona, Jennifer Knapp, Jake Blount, and Adeem the Artist. Additional artists will be announced over the next few months.
Last August, the festival found itself in a starring role over the debate on Covid safety. When festival organizers determined they could not mandate attendees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test, headliner Jason Isbell bowed out. Singer-songwriter Yola followed suit shortly after, saying, “We are not satisfied the most stringent Covid safety best practices are currently in place.”
Festival organizers cited Tennessee laws, saying their hands were tied. “As it stands, Bristol Rhythm & Roots is prohibited from enacting a vaccination/negative test policy per Tennessee law,” a spokesperson told Rolling Stone at the time. “As a public event that utilizes multiple downtown businesses and vendors rather than a private venue/site, the stipulations surrounding our event protocols are unique.”
Weekend passes to Bristol Rhythm & Roots are available now for $100. Along with the price of admission, attendees will have access to the Johnny Cash exhibit 1968 Folsom Prison Redemption at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.