NASHVILLE Tenn. (TSU News Service) –Tennessee State University President Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover will continue her scholarship tour by hosting receptions for high school seniors in Davidson and Rutherford counties. President Glover previously hosted a reception for West Tennessee and Northern Mississippi high school seniors on September 11during her visit to Memphis.
The Davidson County reception will take place in Nashville on Thursday, Oct. 3 on the University’s main campus in the Farrell-Westbrook Complex beginning at 6 p.m. The Rutherford county reception will be held in Murfreesboro at the Hampton Inn, Big Blue Tiger Ballroom on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.
“We look forward to continuing to be a leader in providing access to higher education in the state of Tennessee” said Dr. Glover. “We continue to work together with area high school counselors to make sure that we can assist students through scholarships to realize their dreams of higher education, and to help those that need it most as they pursue a path to a better life through education.”
Students receiving the scholarships will have a direct pipeline to the University, and will be provided four years of funding their education. The Office of Admissions and Recruitment at TSU worked closely with high school counselors to identify high-achieving students to receive the scholarship based on grade point average and ACT/SAT test scores.
“Scholarship recipients were recommended by their high school guidance counselors and will be honored along with their families for their academic success,” explained Dr. John Cade, Associate Vice President for Enrollment.”
“Partnering with high school guidance counselor across the state of Tennessee has been a major success and has greatly assisted us with meeting our goals and objective for the recruitment cycle,” said Dr. Sedric Griffin, Director of Admissions and Recruitment.
The Office of Admissions and Recruitment will also be hosting a Fall Preview Day for high school seniors on Saturday, Oct. 5 at noon on the University’s main campus. Please visit students.tnstate.edu/previewday for detailed information.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
Tree Planting and Recognition Ceremony Takes Place Sunday, Oct. 6
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will host a tree-planting event to promote and increase the University’s commitment to building a healthy urban forest by planting trees on the campus.
Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation through the Tree Campus USA program, the event is scheduled to take place Sunday, Oct. 6 when students, faculty and staff, and community volunteers will plant more than 30 Crepe Myrtles, Red Maple and Nuttal Oak trees around campus.
The program, which is funded by Toyota, is planned to commemorate both TSU and Trevecca Nazarene University’s commitment to promoting healthy urban forest management, and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.
The day kicks off at 9 a.m. with an educational workshop sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education in the Farrell Westbrook Complex (Barn). The AASHE will discuss sustainable landscapes on university and college campuses around the country.
A special recognition ceremony takes place at 10:45 a.m. in the Barn Auditorium when TSU and Trevecca will receive the Tree Campus USA distinction. Tree planting and volunteer work begins at 1 p.m.
Now in its fifth year, Tree Campus USA recognizes the best practices in campus forestry throughout the United States. The goal of the program is to honor college campuses and leaders of their surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. TSU and Trevecca will become two of the more than 190 universities taking part in the program.
The Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota have helped campuses throughout the country plant hundred of thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities $23 million in campus forest management last year.
For more information, contact Jen Svendsen, Arbor Day Foundation programs project manager, at 402.473.9574 or [email protected].
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top-20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will revisit one of its most hallowed traditions on Thursday, Oct. 3 when it holds its annual Founders’ Day program to honor all those who have sacrificed through the years to make TSU the leader in higher education that is has become.
The event will take place in the Howard C. Gentry Center beginning at 9 a.m., and is free and open to the public.
The Honorable Harvey Johnson Jr., former Mayor of Jackson, Miss., will provide the keynote address. Johnson served as the first African-American mayor of Jackson from 1997-2005 and again from 2009-2013.
Johnson is a native of Vicksburg, MS., where he graduated from Rosa A. Temple High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tennessee State University in 1968 and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati in 1970. He has done additional study toward a doctoral degree in public administration at the University of Southern California’s Washington Public Affairs Center. Johnson was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters, from Tougaloo College.
In 1997, Johnson made history by being elected Jackson, Mississippi’s first African-American mayor. In 2001, Jackson voters again chose Johnson for a second four-year term as mayor of Mississippi’s Capital City. He was elected to a third term in 2009, making him the longest-serving mayor under the City’s mayor-council form of government, which was instituted in 1985. He left office in June of 2013.
Johnson led the effort which resulted in the construction of the City’s first Convention Center, located adjacent to a new state-of-the-art, high tech Telecommunications Training and Conference Center. Johnson-created initiatives include: Jobs for Jacksonians, which focuses on finding jobs for local residents; the Equal Business Opportunity Program, established in 1998 to ensure that minority contractors have an equal opportunity in the procurement of City contracts; Fresh Start, a program to assist ex-offenders in re-entry into the community; and monthly ward meetings, where local residents are given the opportunity to meet with City officials, department directors and staff.
Prior to being elected Mayor of Jackson, Johnson assisted economically depressed small towns with minority leadership in obtaining basic necessities such as water and sewer service, as the founder and Executive Director of the Mississippi Institute for Small Towns, a nonprofit agency. His 25 years of professional experience include planning and community development as well as serving as assistant professor of political science at Jackson State University. He is a former member of the Commission on Colleges for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
During his years as mayor, Johnson served on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Council, President of the National Conference of Black Mayors, member of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee, and a charter member of 100 Black Men of Jackson, Incorporated. He was a 1965 initiate into Beta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and he is a life member. Johnson is also a life member of the NAACP. He has served on the Boards of Directors of various private and non-profits organizations, and has received numerous awards, commendations, recognitions and honors.
Harvey Johnson, Jr. is married to Kathy Ezell Johnson, and they have two adult children, Harvey III and Sharla. He is a member of Hope Spring Missionary Baptist Church.
For more information on the event, call 615.963.5331.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is hoping a trip to Colombia, South America this summer by the University’s Collegiate Jazz Band will open doors for both educational and cultural exchange opportunities for students in the near future.
This past August, the 20-piece jazz band was invited to perform at the Flower Festival, Colombia’s largest jazz festival that attracts thousands from around the country. Acting as ambassadors for the University, the band was the only American university to perform, exposing more than 6,000 attendees to their special brand of music and performance style.
“They were basically treated like rock stars,” said Dr. Jewell Winn, TSU Chief Diversity Officer. “They were able to bridge the cultural gap through their music. The band was very well received wherever they went, and not only helped to open doors for other TSU students to travel here, but also students from Colombia to come to Tennessee State as part of cultural and academic exchange programs.”
The trip came about after Dr. Winn gave a presentation last spring on diversity and exchange programs currently taking place at the University. The Director of the Colombo Americano Center of Medellin also presented at the meeting and extended an invitation to TSU, Julliard and the University of Vermont to conduct jazz workshops at local universities throughout Colombia. This initiative was so successful that after the quartet returned to Nashville, Winn received a call not only inviting the Jazz Collegians to perform at the Mardi Gras-style festival, but also inviting her to meet with different universities to discuss exchange opportunities.
(Watch the Tennessee State University’s Big Band Jazz in Medellín, Colombia)
“It was exciting because I was able to meet with university officials one-on-one to discuss study abroad and exchange projects,” she added. “I missed the Education USA conference due to other commitments, so to be given this personal opportunity to meet with university and government officials, and students in Medellin, Bucaramanga, and Choco, was quite exciting.”
During the seven-day trip, Winn met with five different universities including the University of Antioquia, ESUMER University, the Technological University of Choco, EAFIT University and Pontifica Bolivariana University.
During each visit, according to Winn, administrators were interested in exchange programs with TSU faculty to conduct research and teach at their institutions as well as providing opportunities for their students to attend graduate school at TSU.
“It was all about establishing relationships with these sister institutions,” added Winn. “The next step is to sign Memorandums of Understanding. This is the perfect opportunity to recruit high-achieving students from Latin American countries to attend TSU, especially because of the growth of the Latino population in Nashville.”
While Dr. Winn was visiting universities around the capitol city, the Collegiate Jazz Band was busy preforming not only at the festival, but smaller venues such as malls and schools.
“It really was an eye-opening experience for us,” said James Sexton, Director of Collegiate Bands. “It showed that no matter the cultural or language difference, that music really is something that transcends any cultural gap.”
The band played six concerts during their seven-day stay, and according to Sexton, at least 3,000 people attended each.
“It was a thrill to see the audience and their excitement for each of our performances,” added Sexton. “The audiences had never experienced the high-energy type shows we perform and they showed their appreciation through multiple standing ovations. Their love of music definitely showed through.”
Both Winn and Sexton believe the trip was successful as far as planting the seeds of future exchange programs. In the near future, Colombian students will attend TSU band camps to learn the mechanics and performance styles of a marching band, and in an unprecedented move, the entire Aristocrat of Bands has been invited to perform in the 2014 Flower Festival.
“This is going to allow us to provide cross-cultural experiences to our students so they can appreciate and learn the differences we all have especially now in a shrinking global environment,” said Winn.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Housing discrimination is a serious problem in the United States, and students and professors at Tennessee State University will soon be part of a program to promote fair housing practices in the middle Tennessee area.
As part of a $1.7 million federal grant awarded to Tennessee, TSU will receive nearly $100,000 as a result of a grant proposal submitted by three professors in the College of Public Service and Urban Affairs. The funding will allow TSU to incorporate fair housing education and research into the Urban Studies curriculum, as well as partner with state, local government and nonprofit organizations in promoting fair housing.
According to Dr. Joan Gibran, assistant professor of Urban Studies and principal investigator of the TSU grant, the funding will also help prepare students for future fair housing careers and provide them with internships in organizations involved in battling housing discrimination.
“This will be accomplished through engaged learning, collaborative housing education outreach, research, and knowledge sharing,” said Gibran.
She said “engaged learning” activities will include five paid internships with partner organizations during which interns will develop fair housing professional skills by participating in educational, research and outreach activities, as well as knowledge sharing with the professional community.
TSU faculty and students will also collaborate with partner organizations through workshops and other educational events aimed at reducing the barriers to fair housing choice in Metro Nashville.
“This grant is part of our College mission,” said Dr. Michael Harris, dean of the College of Public Service and Urban Studies. “We at the College are focused on educating learners who lead, serve and make a difference in our communities. This grant will allow us to continue to develop an intentional curriculum in Urban Affairs that will provide our students a meaningful collaborative learning experience.”
He said research from the grant would impact the lives of many in the community through better fair housing policies and implementation.
TSU will collaborate with the Metro-Davison Housing Authority, the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, and the Tennessee Fair Housing Council to identify fair housing learning objectives to be addressed in the curriculum, as well as develop performance measurement for the program, according to Gibran.
“We will be working with the TSU office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement to develop structured service learning activities with our community partners,” she said.
Curriculum changes are expected to begin rolling out in fall 2014, Gibran added.
Assisting Dr. Gibran on the project as co-principal investigators are Dr. Cara Robinson, and Dr. Kimberly Triplett, both assistant professors of Urban Studies.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the $1.7 million is part of a $38.3 million grant awarded to 95 fair housing organizations and other non-profit agencies in 38 states and the District of Columbia, to reduce housing discrimination.
Other agencies in Tennessee receiving funding are the Tennessee Fair Housing Council, which will use these funds to combat housing discrimination in Davidson, Cheatham, Dickson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties.
Also sharing in the Tennessee grant is West Tennessee Legal Services for two separate projects.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University president, Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, will host a Town Hall meeting to present updated information and achievements from the University, as well as future plans and the introduction of new administrators.
The meeting is open to the community and takes place Monday, Sept. 30 beginning at 6 p.m. in Kean Hall.
According to organizers, this special event is designed to allow the University, business and community leaders to interact, and learn more about the wonderful progress and opportunities happening at Tennessee State University.
This will be the second town hall meeting Dr. Glover has hosted since becoming president of the University. The first was held earlier this year in February.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Courtesy of WKRN Channel 2) – The Tennessee State University band is taking their show on the road to be part of a nationally televised game.
The 221-member group known as the Aristocrat of Bands (AOB) will perform during halftime of the Rams-49ers matchup Thursday night in St. Louis.
“We love what we do,” said Head Drum Major Semaj Wansley. “The crowd, they come for a good show, and we give it to ’em.”
The band was already scheduled to be in St Louis for Saturday’s Gateway Football Classic between TSU and Central State University (CSU), when they were given the go-ahead for the NFL gig by a TSU alumnus who works for the Rams organization.
As an Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) marching band, the high-steppers put on a show like no other.
“Doing a halftime show for us is a 40- or 50-minute aerobic exercise, and so we have to first make sure everybody’s in good shape and things of that nature,” said Dr. Reginald McDonald, Director of Bands at TSU.
“Cardio,” added Rocile Cain. “Cardio really helps and once it’s time to perform the adrenaline kicks in. So that helps, too.”
Cain is captain of the Sophisticated Ladies, the dance team that accompanies the instrumental ensemble.
The AOB spent weeks practicing for not only the halftime show, but also two other routines for Gateway Classic events.
“It’s somewhat difficult, but it’s all keeping everything in your head focused,” Wansley said.
“(It’s all about) going over everything more than once, and just making sure we have it and it’s perfected,” said Cain.
The AOB has a history of high-profile performances since its inception in 1946. The group performed during the Presidential Inauguration of Former President Bill Clinton in 1993. In recent years, they have performed at several home games of the Tennessee Titans.
Dr. McDonald told Nashville’s News 2 the band tailors every performance for the specific audience.
While the group marched for News 2 cameras Tuesday morning, the full performance scheduled for Thursday night is top secret until showtime.
“We want to kind of keep some things as a surprise, but we do promise to entertain a national audience,” McDonald said. “And we promise to entertain the people in the St. Louis area that have never seen a band like our band before.”
The AOB is scheduled to leave campus en route to St. Louis Thursday morning.
Thursday night’s game will be televised on the NFL Network.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
The Aristocrat of Bands perform last year during halftime of one of the home football games at Hale Stadium. The Band has been invited to perform a halftime show during the nationally televised game Sept. 26 between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
TSU takes the field Sept. 26 during 49ers-Rams game
NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – They have marched in presidential inauguration parades and thrilled audiences across the country with their showmanship and musical versatility. They have played halftime shows for the NFL in front of thousands of fans from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and in their hometown of Nashville, Tenn.
Now the Aristocrat of Bands from Tennessee State University can add St. Louis to the list of venues played when they march into the Edward Jones Dome Thursday, Sept. 26 and take the field at halftime during the nationally televised game between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams.
“This is a real honor,” said Dr. Reginald McDonald, acting director of Bands. “There are a lot of college bands in the country and only a very few ever get the chance to play in this type of venue. We are excited to perform in a different market and let the Midwest know what TSU is all about.”
The opportunity to play during halftime, according to McDonald, came about because the band will be in St. Louis for the Gateway Classic football game later that week, and he was looking for another venue to play and help spread the TSU name.
While reading the newspaper, he noticed that the Rams were playing a Thursday night game on the NFL Network and jumped on the opportunity to make it happen. The staff contacted the senior director of communications for the team, who just happens to be a TSU alumnus.
“We contacted Artis Twyman who has been with the Rams since 2003 and approached him with the idea,” explained McDonald. “He let us know within two days that we would be performing a six-minute show.”
As soon as Twyman was contacted, he knew it was something he had to make happen. Always looking for new talent, he approached team executives and showed them a YouTube video of a recent performance by the band, and the executives were hooked.
“Everybody thought it was a great idea and excited about the University performing in front of 62,000 fans,” said Twyman. “Not that many people in the St. Louis area have seen a show band like the Aristocrat of Bands. I am excited not only about showcasing them here in front of our fans, but also to a national audience.”
While the students and staff are excited about appearing in primetime and performing in front of a national audience, it won’t come easy and will take a lot of hard work. The freshman band members arrive the beginning of August, with upperclassmen arriving Aug. 18. The band will have two weeks to prepare for the first home game, the John Merritt Classic, on Sept. 1, and then devote practice time to the four performances they have scheduled in St. Louis over a tree-day period.
“We will have 12 days to put together the NFL halftime program, the pep rally for the Gateway Classic and parade, then a separate halftime show for the classic,” added McDonald. “All the performances will be different, and will surprise and thrill the crowds. It will be exciting for everybody.”
The Aristocrat of Bands have been performing NFL halftime shows in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans since the team relocated to the state, playing at one or two home games each season. As ambassadors of the University, the performance in St. Louis, according to McDonald, will enable the band to spread their recruiting reach to the Midwest, especially since many may have not been exposed to the high-energy performance styles of an HBCU marching band.
“This is the first time we have been to the area and people will get to see the showmanship that is the Aristocrat of Bands,” said McDonald. “This is an opportunity for us to recruit in a different area, perform in a different part of the country that we usually don’t get to, and show that TSU is the best marching and performing band in the country.”
The Aristocrat of Bands will perform during halftime, Thursday, Sept. 26. The game between the 49ers and Rams will be televised on the NFL Network beginning at 7:25 p.m. CDT. They will also perform during halftime of the Gateway Classic, Saturday, Sept. 28, beginning at 2 p.m. also at the Edward Jones Dome.
Since its inception in 1946, and subsequently becoming a show band under the administration of second TSU President Dr. Walter S. Davis, the Aristocrat of Bands has been featured at many international and national events, including half-time shows at several NFL games, Bowl games and Classics, and Presidential Inauguration – the latest that of Bill Clinton in 1993.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Lisa Spencer and the 4WARN Weather Team bring “Surviving the Storm” to Tennessee State University Thursday, Sept. 26 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Cox-Lewis Theatre in the Performing Arts Center.
“Surviving the Storm” is a multi-media program where guests learn the “what, why and how” of severe thunderstorms and what they can do to be safe. Participants find out things like what makes a thunderstorm “severe”, when and where tornadoes happen the most, and the safest place to be no matter where they are…at home or out shopping. Come meet the 4WARN Weather Team including Lisa Spencer, Dan Thomas, Paul Heggen and Nancy Van Camp along with the legendary Snowbird.
The doors open at 6 p.m. and the first 50 people to enter receive a free Snowbird goodie. Other door prizes will be given away at the end of the program. There will also be opportunities to ask questions of the team.
Join Channel 4 Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. in the TSU Performing Arts Center. The program is free and open to the public.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Release) – At one time tagged as the hardest working bass player in America, music legend Chuck Rainey will lecture and entertain students, faculty, staff and the community in a one-day appearance at Tennessee State University on Friday, Sept. 20.
As the first guest in the upcoming lecture series, “Music Matters: Hosted by Dr. Rod Taylor,” sponsored by the Department of Language, Literature, and Philosophy, the longtime performer and educator will speak to an English class about music and writing.
Rainey, whose playing on successful television shows, motion pictures and recordings have earned him the title as the most recorded bass player in the history of recorded music, will combine his lecture with a demonstration of his techniques/songs, to be followed by a question and answer period with the audience. The lecture and performance will be held in Poag Auditorium between 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Longtime Rainey collaborator and friend, Dr. Rod Taylor, assistant professor of Literature and Writing, whose English 1010 (Freshman Composition) class will be the subject of Rainey’s lecture, says he expects the music icon to bring a “unique perspective” to his class topic and to the process of writing.
“As a pioneer of both a musical instrument and revolutionary style, Chuck Rainey’s visit offers the students in my class a chance to talk with someone who has played his way across five decades of musical landscape, transitioning from 4-track analog days to the modern Pro Tools digital age,” said Taylor.
A noted bassist himself, Taylor, after whom the lecture series is named, was an associate producer on Rainey’s most recent solo album Interpretations of a Groove, which was partially mixed in Nashville.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio as Charles Walter Rainey III, Chuck boasts a native ‘son ship’ of Youngstown, Ohio, where he was actually raised and educated. Originally trained in the classics as a trumpet player by C.F. Brown, James Ramsey and John Busch, Chuck switched to Baritone Horn while attending Lane college in Jackson, Tenn., and was an intricate part of the school’s well known and traveled ‘brass ensemble’ in the early 60s.
During the early 60s thru the early 70s, Rainey toured and/or recorded with some of the most prominent artist of that era, such as King Curtis, Sam Cooke, Etta James, the original Coasters, Jackie Wilson, Harry Belafonte, Al Kooper, The Supremes, Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and Quincy Jones.
Additionally, his unique style has brought him opportunities in the television and film industries where he has performed on musical themes and in the source music of numerous motion pictures, television series and sitcoms, along with radio and TV advertisements.
“Chuck Rainey’s bass lines have laid the foundation for many of the popular songs in pop, rock, jazz and fusion that emerged from the 60s and 70s,” Taylor wrote about his friend in an article in the Aug. 9, 2012 edition of No Treble, an online magazine for bass players. “From Aretha Franklin to Marvin Gaye to Steely Dan, he’s played an integral part in the music of at least five Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductees. His double stops, slides, and syncopated grooves are legendary, and—alongside James Jamerson, he remains one of the most influential players in our instrument’s history.”
Rainey’s Sept. 20 performance in Poag Auditorium will feature a mixture of music from some of his earlier and most recent recordings. The show begins promptly at 12:30 p.m. It is free and open to all. For more information contact Dr. Rod Taylor at [email protected] or 615-963-4896.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
NASHVILLE Tenn. (TSU News Service) –Tennessee State University President Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover will continue her scholarship tour by hosting receptions for high school seniors in Davidson and Rutherford counties. President Glover previously hosted a reception for West Tennessee and Northern Mississippi high school seniors on September 11during her visit to Memphis.
