When Big Freedia returns to Nashville Pride this weekend, she’ll add in an element that may seem antithetical to booty-shaking: her version of sanctified gospel music.
jewly hight
Music critic and journalist Jewly Hight has been based in Nashville for two decades. Often, she's interpreted developments in Nashville's music communities and industries for a national audience. Her work has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine/Vulture, The Guardian, Billboard, The Oxford American, Slate and numerous other outlets, and she's lent her expertise to a number of podcasts and documentaries. Hight landed her first book deal while studying religion, gender, sexuality, music and the South at Vanderbilt Divinity School, she was the inaugural winner of the Chet Flippo Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism and she helped launch WNXP as its Editorial Director in 2020. Now Senior Music Writer for Nashville Public Radio, and working with a diverse Nashville audience in mind, she's created the organization's first limited podcast series focused on music, "Making Noise."
Tiny Desk Contest entries come from all corners of the Nashville music scene
Nashville entries into this year’s Tiny Desk Contest paint a varied picture of the local independent music scene.
Mementos of the Black folk revival go on exhibit in Nashville
The Carolina Chocolate Drops propelled a movement to reclaim the Black roots of music — and member Dom Flemons envisioned their impact from the very start.
Mexican-American artist Louie the Singer has his own definition of country success
Louie the Singer is dropping his first major label album with an unwavering sense of self-determination as a Mexican-American artist. “They say I ain’t country,” he sings, “but my people started this thing they call country.”
The new Country Latin Association is already impacting CMA Fest and Nashville’s Hispanic communities
Back in March, Angie K expected it to take awhile to get Nashville’s attention with her advocacy — now she’s already making an impact at this year’s CMA Fest.
As ‘Sinners’ soundtrack puts spotlight on roots music, a grassroots movement is also having its moment
There is a through-line from Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” to the music of the film, “Sinners,” and her name is Rhiannon Giddens.
Carolina to ‘Cowboy Carter’ and back: A celebration of Black roots music finds a home
For musicians like Rhiannon Giddens and Rissi Palmer, trying to break down doors in the folk and country music scenes has been a long road. A festival in Durham this weekend aims to remedy that.
How a century of Grand Ole Opry shows became a 350-page book
As the Grand Ole Opry marks 100 years, a newly released book weaves the live country music show’s entire eventful history into a unified narrative.
As Grand Ole Opry turns 100, it’s the performers who keep it alive — and evolving
At the century mark, a big part of what’s kept the Grand Ole Opry going are the many generations and styles of performers who have been part of the show.
In an era of DEI rollback, Equal Access pushes on with its fourth group
A Nashville program that offers professional mentoring to underrepresented people in the country music industry has just announced the participants selected for its fourth cycle. That’s no small deal at a time when DEI initiatives are disappearing nationwide.
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