In this lecture, Dr. Travis Stimeling, author of Nashville Cats: Record Production in Music City (Oxford University Press, 2020), will take us into the heart of Nashville’s Music Row in the 1950s and 1960s through the eyes of the Nashville A Team, an all-star cast of session musicians who played on thousands of classic country hits. Building on original interviews, archival evidence, and careful listening to iconic recordings, this talk will consider the nuts and bolts of record production during this important period in country music history and give new insights into some of your favorite recordings.
Instructor Bio
Travis Stimeling (they/them) is founding director of the West Virginia University Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands and serves as Professor of Musicology in the WVU School of Music, where they also coordinate minors in Appalachian Music and Appalachian Studies. They are the author or editor of several books, including Nashville Cats: Record Production in Music City (Oxford University Press, 2020), Fifty Cents and a Box Top: The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy (West Virginia University Press, 2017), and Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene (Oxford University Press, 2011).