The Center for Popular Music

06/18/2026

Today was the 1st inaugural Camp CPM staff development day!

The weather was gloomy, but we still celebrated with hot dogs, chips and dips, and yummy S'more brownies from our archivist Olivia.

We also played co****le, Monopoly, and listened to some tunes from our Summer 2026 staff playlist.

06/17/2026

Our CD staff pick this week is from our librarian Logan, and it's the British rock band Blur's self-titled 1997 album.

On this record, Blur goes away from the Brit pop of their previous three albums and embraces American alternative rock on tracks like "Song 2", "Beetlebum", and "On Your Own", which foreshadows Damon Albarn's later music/multimedia project Gorillaz.

But Logan's personal favorite song on this album is the vulnerable acoustic ballad "You're So Great" featuring vocals by lead guitarist Graham Coxon.

06/16/2026

Our staff LP pick this week is from our archivist Olivia!

It's the 1971 album Naturally by J. J. Cale.

JJ Cale was a Tulsa, OK staple, but never really got the recognition he deserved nationally. However, looking at Naturally, you hear his versions of his big hits recorded by others.

Some tracks were “Call Me the Breeze” made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Clyde” recorded by Waylon Jennings, and “After Midnight” made big by Eric Clapton.

This album was recorded in Nashville with some of the best session musicians and even Diane Davidson on backing vocals. Not to mention the fun raccoon cover art!

06/15/2026

This past weekend was Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which featured brilliant performances by The Strokes, Kesha, Noah Kahan, and much more as well as insightful coverage from MTSU Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment students.

But did you know that the CPM has newspaper clippings about each Bonnaroo going back to 2006? Here are some throwbacks from 'Roos past featuring Dierks Bentley, The White Stripes, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss and much more in our collection!

06/12/2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup began yesterday with a match between Mexico and South Africa, but it kicks off in the United States with a much-anticipated game between the USA and Paraguay.

Popular music and the World Cup have been inseparable since the 1990s with iconic songs by K'Naan, Ricky Martin, Shakira, and more, celebrating the diversity of the beautiful game.

The anthem of the 1994 World Cup (Hosted by the United States) was "Gloryland" performed by Daryl Hall and Sounds of Blackness and based on the gospel song "Glory Glory" that was memorably covered by Odetta on her 1956 album Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues.

Who are you supporting in the World Cup?

06/09/2026

Thanks to Mike Doubler to inviting some of our staff members to the Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival press conference today at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.

The festival runs Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13 at Hop Springs and is a celebration of bluegrass, roots, and traditional American music!

The Uncle Dave Macon Collection is housed at the CPM, and you can read more about it at the below link.

https://popmusic.mtsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2024/09/UncleDaveMaconCollection.pdf

06/08/2026

Check out what our staff is listening to this summer!!

We've got everything from Red Dirt Rangers and John Mellencamp to Haute & Freddy and hemlocke springs and Toby Keith and Johnny Cash.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0czLBOPCg2ZTnwNBfsONYj?si=cVl2Gq_AQp-FiyanRRf9ag

What's your go-to summer song?

06/02/2026

06/02/2026

Our staff CD pick this week is from our archivist Olivia, and it's Terri Clark's 2000 album Fearless.

Olivia says that Terri Clark has a special place in my heart. She purchased this CD at Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville in 2003 on a family vacation and istened to it on repeat on her CD Walkman all the way back home to Massachusetts.

Olivia still has this CD memorized, and it has great songs like “Little Gasoline” and “No Fear” on it.

06/01/2026

More International Country Music Conference highlights from this weekend, including our archivist Olivia presenting Don Cusic with the Belmont Country Music Book of the Year Award, our graduate assistant Jon presenting on the connection between punk fanzines and country music fan club magazines, and James and Mickie Akenson receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.