Lunch With Books: Songwriting in Contemporary West Virginia

July 31, 2018
12:00pm - 12:00pm

Songwriting in Contemporary West Virginia: Profiles and Reflections is the first book dedicated to telling the stories of West Virginia’s extensive community of songwriters. Based on oral histories conducted by WVU associate professor of music history Travis Stimeling and told largely in the songwriters’ own words, these profiles offer a lively overview of the personalities, venues, and networks that nurture and sustain popular music in West Virginia. Presenting sketches of established personalities like Larry Groce, who oversees WVNPR's "Mountain Stage," and emerging musicians like Maria Allison, who dreams of one day performing there, Stimeling is attentive to the breadth and diversity of contemporary songwriters throughout West Virginia.  

Travis D. Stimeling is associate professor of music history at West Virginia University, where he also directs the WVU Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands. His previous books include Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene, The Country Music Reader, and Fifty Cents and a Box Top: The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy, published by WVU Press.