Preliminary Program
The Preliminary Program is also available in portable document format (.pdf).
All conference activities will be held on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in the Tom H. Jackson Building.
| Friday, April 4, 2008 | |
| 1:00-1:30 | REGISTRATION |
| 1:30-2:00 | Opening |
| | Conference Welcome Paul F. Wells, Director, Center for Popular Music, MTSU Kaylene A. Gebert, Executive Vice President & Provost, MTSU |
| Conference Overview: Why We Are Here Stephen Shearon, School of Music, MTSU |
|
| 2:00-3:45 | Session 1 Publishing |
| The R.E. Winsett Music Company: A Case Study in Ma and Pa Publishing Mel R. Wilhoit, Bryan College |
|
| The Church Hymnal: A Legacy of the Convention Song Donald LeRoy, Lee University Special Guest Respondent: Charles Towler, Gospel Heritage Music |
|
| Roundtable 1: Conversations with Publishers Moderator: Stephen Shearon, MTSU Panelists: Eugene McCammon, Cumberland Valley Music Company; Byron Reid, Leoma Music Company; Charles Towler, Gospel Heritage Music |
|
| 3:45-4:00 | BREAK |
| 4:00-5:30 | Session 2 Tradition and Change |
| Varying Degrees of Similitude: Stylistic Homogeneity and Change in the Stamps-Baxter Songs of Luther Presley Gregory Straughn, Abilene Christian University |
|
| Skylite Recording Company: The Legacy of Stamps Theodore E. Fuller, Collierville, Tennessee |
|
| The Gaitherization of Convention Singing Douglas Harrison, Florida Gulf Coast University |
|
| 6:00-7:00 | DINNER |
| 7:00-8:30 | SINGING |
| Free and Open to the Public | |
| Saturday, April 5, 2008 | |
| 9:00-10:00 | Session 3 Higher Ground: Singing on the Cumberland Plateau |
| | "Music is a Science": The Career and Legacy of Shaped-Note Music Teacher W. E. Ledbetter, Overton County, Tennessee Steve Hoskins, Trevecca Nazarene University / MTSU |
| "Who Will Sing One Song for Me": Tracing Shape-Note Singing Traditions in Rural Tennessee Holly Garrett Anthony, Tennessee Technological University |
|
| 10:00-11:00 | Session 4 It All Begins with a Song: Studies of Gospel Classics |
| | Aldine Kieffer, Southern Gospel, and Hillbilly Music: The Case of "The Grave on The Green Hillside" Stephen Shearon, MTSU |
| | From Hartford to Honky-Tonks to the 'Hood: The Continuing Cultural Journey of Albert E. Brumley's "I'll Fly Away" Kevin Kehrberg, University of Kentucky |
| 11:00-11:15 | BREAK |
| 11:15-12:15 | Session 5 Why We Sing: Benefits and Values of Convention Singing |
| | The Reasons We Sing: The Reported Health Benefits of Regular and Active Participation in Southern Gospel Convention Singing Susan E. Abbott, Stephen F. Austin State University |
| | The Family of God: The Transmission of "Family Values" through the Gendered Conventions of Southern Gospel Singing Conventions Suzanne R. Lee, Saint Louis University |
| 12:15-1:15 | LUNCH |
| 1:15-2:30 | Session 6 Gospel Piano: Supporting the Singing |
| | The Art of Convention-Style Piano Accompaniment Tracey Phillips, MTSU |
| Roundtable 2: Conversations with Gospel Pianists Moderator: Eugene McCammon, Cumberland Valley Music Company Panelists: Sue Gray, Rising Fawn, Georgia; Tracey Phillips, MTSU; Sidney Hicks, Jasper, Alabama |
|
| 2:30-2:45 | BREAK |
| 2:45-3:45 | Session 7 Research Resources for the Study of Gospel Music |
| | Digitizing on a Shoestring: The Max Morris Southern Gospel Music Collection Jacquelyn A. Royal, Lee University |
| Southern Gospel Holdings at the Center for Popular Music Paul F. Wells and Grover Baker, MTSU |
|
| 3:45-4:00 | BREAK |
| 4:00-5:00 | Session 8 Community and Family Traditions |
| | Variations in Style and Repertory of Seven-Shape Conventions in Alabama Steve Grauberger, Alabama State Council on the Arts |
| The Speer Family: The "First Family" of Gospel Music Shawn Degenhart, Peoria, Illinois |
|
| 5:00-5:30 | Session 9 |
| | Roundtable 3: Conversations on the Future of Convention Singing Moderator: Robert Bradley, Greeneville, Tennessee Panelists: Dennis Beavers, Blountsville, Alabama; Tom Powell, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Stephen Shearon, MTSU |
