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Gone Country: How Nashville Transformed a Music Genre into a Lifestyle Brand
Gone Country historicizes the country music business from the late 1960s to 9/11, centering experiences of artists and fans of color who were purposefully excluded by the industry. Drawing from industry archives and artist and fan testimonials, it shows how major figures in the Nashville-based country music business crafted the myth of a purely white subculture while intentionally ignoring Black and Latinx country artists and fans. This talk will cover how country music operated as a tool of white grievance alongside the early rise of country’s first Black star, Charley Pride, in a post-Rodney King America.