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Center for Popular Music

The Macon-Doubler Travel Grant Program

The Center for Popular Music is pleased to announce the next cycle of the Macon-Doubler Travel Grant Program, with generous funding from the Macon-Doubler Fellowship. The grant program will provide $1,000 to support travel by an eligible researcher to visit the Center for Popular Music on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to conduct original research using the Center’s Uncle Dave Macon Collection, Uncle Dave Macon Days Collection, and any related materials in the Center’s archival holdings.

The program’s mission is to support research and the dissemination of knowledge that promotes the legacy of country music pioneer Uncle Dave Macon (1870–1952). As an early star of the Grand Ole Opry, a prolific recording artist, and a prominent performer in the early decades of commercial country music, Macon’s influence was lasting and profound. The Macon- Doubler Fellowship, representing Uncle Dave’s descendants here in Middle Tennessee, have generously donated research materials along with the funding to make this travel grant possible. These research collections complement well other materials in the Center’s archive, such as the Charles Wolfe Collections, the David C. Morton Collection, and the Center’s extensive holdings in sheet music, gospel songbooks, minstrel materials, photographs, performance documents, sound recordings, etc.

Eligibility:

Scholars, students, musicians, and other researchers engaged in projects that relate in a substantive way to the legacy of Uncle Dave Macon and related areas of inquiry are encouraged to apply. Related research topics might include early string band music, banjo styles, the Grand Ole Opry, the early country recording industry, the country Vaudeville circuit, popular gospel hymnody, among many other possibilities.

The award is intended to support travel to MTSU, so applicants must reside outside of Middle Tennessee. All applicants, including U.S. residents and foreign nationals, must be eligible to receive payments in the U.S. and will be required to submit a W9 or other appropriate documentation.

Application Guidelines:

In addition to providing contact information, applicants will be asked to indicate their proposed visit dates, to upload a current resumé or C.V., and to provide a brief description (600 word max) of the proposed project and how it relates to the legacy of Uncle Dave Macon and the Center for Popular Music’s research holdings.

To apply, visit the following link: https://forms.gle/wdABP18VTqXo13T46

Application deadline: February 1, 2025
Award notification: March 31, 2025
Travel must be completed between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 202
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Amount: $1,000 USD

Questions: Contact Dr. Gregory Reish, Director, MTSU Center for Popular Music

https://popmusic.mtsu.edu/staff/

Contact Us

Center for Popular Music
Bragg Media & Entertainment Bldg.

Room 140

MTSU Box 41
1301 E. Main Street
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

615-898-2449

popular.music@mtsu.edu