In 1927 Ralph Peer, a record producer with the Victor Talking Machine Company, set up a temporary music studio on this site. Over the next 12 days he recorded 76 songs by 19 artists, including the Stonemans, and the first recordings of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family. These recordings launched the country music industry. In 1998 the United States Congress recognized Bristol as the "Birthplace of Country Music."