Donald R. Cusic

Biography

Don Cusic is Curb Professor of Music Industry History at Belmont and a pioneer in Music Business education, having taught courses in the music business since 1982. He is also one of the premier historians of country music, an internationally known scholar and writer. Cusic is the author of 28 books, including biographies of Roger Miller, Eddy Arnold, Gene Autry, Riders In The Sky, James Weldon Johnson and Henry Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point. He is the author of The Beatles and Country Music, Baseball and Country Music, Saved By Song: A History of Gospel and Christian Music, edited The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music and has edited books on the lyrics of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

Don Cusic has had over 500 articles published since he began writing. He has been the Country and Gospel Editor for Record World and Cashbox, a columnist for Music City News, album reviewer and special correspondent for Billboard and book reviewer for Music Row Magazine.  He has worked for the Country Music Association, Monument Records (as head of Artist Development and International Liaison) and, with partner Dan Beck, had a management company that managed Dickie Lee and Riders In The Sky. He is currently the co-host of the International Country Music Conference and editor of the International Country Music Journal.

Cusic has written album liner notes for Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Ray Stevens, Eddy Arnold, Sonny James, Gary Paxton, George Beverly Shea, Sheb Wooley, the Oak Ridge Boys, Jimmy Long, Roy Drusky, Skeeter Davis, Lulu Belle and Scotty and Floyd Cramer as well as the liner notes for two film soundtracks, The Wild Angels (starring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra) and The Trip, which featured the music of The Electric Flag, led by Mike Bloomfield. He worked with Mike Curb for the Sun Records 60^th Anniversary boxed set and produced an album on former American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle on songs written by James Weldon Johnson. He has produced albums on Bobby Bare and Jim Ed Brown.

In addition to his books, articles and liner notes Don Cusic has had songs recorded by Bobby Bare, Jim Ed Brown, Ray Stevens, the Lewis Family, Lynn Morris, Linda Davis, Eve Goldberg, Pam Mark Hall, Carroll Baker, Darrell McCall and Chris LeDoux.

Cusic has appeared a number of times on television, including appearances on The PBS News Hour, a number of CMT programs, including the "Controversy" series, "Greatest Patriotic Songs," "Waiting in the Wings" and others; he appeared on a number of TNN shows, including "Life and Times" of Eddy Arnold" and the A&E Biography Series (on Hank Williams). He also appears on two BBC series, "Lost Highway: The History of Country Music" and “White Gospel” and is a featured guest on “Ray Stevens’ Nashville” TV series.