CMT News

Gays and country music, Charlie Daniels' most famous song and the larger implications of the MuzikMafia are among the topics to be discussed at the International Country Music Conference taking place May 26-28 at Belmont University in Nashville. The scholarly event will feature lectures such as "The Roots and Branches of a Country Music Hit: Folk, Popular and High Cultural Influences on the Charlie Daniels Band's 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' and the Song's Influence on American Culture" and "Gender and Identity Politics in the Margins of Country Music: The Lesbian and Gay Country Music Association and Shadow Dancing as Engendered Political Movement(s)." Conference organizers will also honor writers Jon Weisberger and Tony Russell with the Charlie Lamb Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism.