The Fiddler's Convention

Artist: Community project under direction of Cristy Dunn
Installation: 2017

Location: 127 College Street, Mountain City, TN 37683. On the East side of the Arts Center facing the parking lot.

In the most basic sense this is a mural is a rendering of an old photograph, but in its truest essence it is the soul of Mountain City echoed across the ages and singing to the hearts of its people. The original photograph was of the attendees at the largest Fiddler’s Convention of its time, which was organized by Mountain City in 1925. Among them were individuals who would become some of the most famous musicians of their era, whose legacies would come to influence music on a national level. It is at this Fiddlers Convention that country music was born.

It was held in the Old High School auditorium, local companies donated over $50 in prizes and money. At the time this was an astronomical sum of money. Adjusted for inflation this would have been the equivalent of more than $6,200 in 2021, far more than many families at the time survived on for the entire year. Most importantly Tony Alderman of the Hill Billies set up a mobile radio station to broadcast the event, bringing the music to many in the surrounding areas at a time when radio was a prized commodity and a sign of social stature. Around this time the Ford Motor Company also started sponsoring regional fiddle contests where the winners went on to a national level. This made the fiddle competitions similar in popularity to modern sports events.

After the Fiddler’s Convention many of the musicians went on to receive recording contracts through the Bristol sessions in 1927 and the Johnson City sessions in 1928 and 1929. Many consider this to be the start of modern country music. This photograph was taken in front of the Old High School auditorium where the original performances took place. The mural is directly across the street from the location of the historical photograph. The original auditorium itself was converted into the preforming arts venue Heritage Hall, under the direction of local community leader Evelyn Cook. This mural includes the work of no less than 20 local artists, who worked under the guidance of local community activist Cristy Dunn.