FRITZ HOFFMANN’S BRADLEY BARN SESSIONS PHOTOGRAPHS
THE BOOK
THE BRADLEY BARN SESSIONS PHOTOGRAPHS
By FRITZ HOFFMANN • Foreword by MARTY STUART
13.5 x 9.5 • 280+ Pages • 160+ Pictures • Fold-out Panoramas
Front Covers Back Covers
THE BRADLEY BARN SESSIONS PHOTOGRAPHS
By FRITZ HOFFMANN • Foreword by MARTY STUART
“These pictures by Fritz Hoffmann of The George Jones Bradley Barn Sessions, I believe, capture the same emotions we did in our songs.” - Dolly Parton
“These are some of the best candid shots of George I have ever seen, and I knew him pretty well.” - Tony Brown
“We just sit around talked, sing songs and talked about this and that and then when we got ready to do one we just jumped up, said who’s next? Let’s do one.”
- George Jones
CURRENT EXHIBIT
The Bradley Barn Sessions, an exhibit of Fritz Hoffmann’s photographs from the sessions.
Now through December 31, 2024, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville
PURCHASE PRINTS
Archival pigment prints of these Bradley Barn Sessions Photographs by Fritz Hoffmann are available for purchase.
Please contact us with your interest
George Jones
John Jennings, Mac McAnally
George Jones 2
THE STORY
Thirty years ago, country and rock music stars traveled to Owen Bradley’s famous studio outside Nashville, Tennessee, to record duets with George Jones for his album, The Bradley Barn Sessions.
The eleven-day sessions were remarkable for the iconic artists who walked through the barn door daily to record with the legendary Jones.
Fortunately, Producer Brian Ahern had the foresight to have the sessions documented in pictures. For that, MCA Records enlisted Fritz Hoffmann, a photographer based in Nashville at the time. Fritz’s exclusive pictures appeared as the album’s art and promotion.
After the album debuted, Fritz packed the negatives away and moved to Shanghai, China. For the next 25 years, fifteen as a National Geographic photographer, China was the focus of his photography. When COVID-19 closed international borders, Fritz dug into his picture library and uncovered the Bradley Barn Sessions negatives.
Reviewing the 1800 images made clear their historical significance. There will be no more pictures of George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Leon Russell, and others at the sessions who have passed on in the years since.
Fritz called on Marty Stuart, who told him, “I always thought those pictures should be a book.”
In the Bradley Barn Sessions book, Fritz unlocks this visual treasure trove to present the collection of negatives carefully stowed away and unseen since 1995.
This collection of pictures includes many cherished artists and musicians who have contributed greatly to the American songbook, and that music resounds throughout the book.
The book design organizes the black-and-white photographs by the guest artists and the eleven songs as they were tracked on the Bradley Barn Sessions record album, plus one chapter with the song “The Great Judgement Morning” recorded but not released on that record.
“One Woman Man” – Marty Stuart
“A Good Year For The Roses” - Alan Jackson
“Why Baby Why” – Ricky Skaggs
“Golden Ring” – Tammy Wynette
“Say It’s Not You” – Keith Richards
“The Love Bug” – Vince Gill
“Where Grass Won’t Grow” – Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris
“The Race Is On” – Travis Tritt
“Bartenders Blues” – Trisha Yearwood
“White Lightnin’” – Mark Knopfler
“Good Ones and Bad Ones” – Marc Chesnutt
“The Great Judgement Morning” – Connie Smith, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter
“A Good Year For The Roses” - Alan Jackson
“Why Baby Why” – Ricky Skaggs
“Golden Ring” – Tammy Wynette
“Say It’s Not You” – Keith Richards
“The Love Bug” – Vince Gill
“Where Grass Won’t Grow” – Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris
“The Race Is On” – Travis Tritt
“Bartenders Blues” – Trisha Yearwood
“White Lightnin’” – Mark Knopfler
“Good Ones and Bad Ones” – Marc Chesnutt
“The Great Judgement Morning” – Connie Smith, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter
Essays written exclusively for the book provide an insightful framework for the visuals and offer essential historical context. In the book’s foreword essay, renowned artist Marty Stuart presents his first-hand account of the sessions. An essay by author David Cantwell establishes the context for the album, shares his close listening to the performances, and tracks the album's impact.
With the loss of several of these esteemed artists and the evolving landscape of country music, this book emerges as a poignant retrospective, reflecting the transformations within the genre and the music industry.