Jason Isbell is coming to Memphis' Rhodes College to talk about his life and career
Multiple Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and former Memphian Jason Isbell will be making a special appearance at Rhodes College in February.
Rhodes announced a Feb. 7 event featuring Isbell, part of the Midtown liberal arts college’s Springfield Music Lecture Series. Charles L. Hughes, music historian and director of The Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center at Rhodes, will moderate a discussion with Isbell about his life and career.
The event is free and open to the public. It will start at 6 p.m. at the McNeill Concert Hall on Rhodes’ West Campus, 613 University St.
Isbell — a four-time Grammy winner, who is up for another three awards this year — has a history with Memphis schools. A native of Alabama, Isbell attended the University of Memphis in the mid-‘90s, studying English and Music, but dropped out a few credits shy of his earning diploma. Last year, Isbell finally completed his degree through the university’s Finish Line Program.
After leaving his studies in Memphis, Isbell would go on to join roots rockers Drive-By Truckers and eventually launch a solo career. Since the release of his 2013 breakthrough album, "Southeastern," he’s won four Grammy awards and become one of Americana music's biggest stars. In addition, he’s written songs for the Bradley Cooper-directed remake of “A Star is Born,” and Isbell made his film debut in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“Jason Isbell is one of the premier artists of this era, whose thoughtful and engaged work has gained him worldwide acclaim," said Hughes, who also wrote the liner notes for Isbell’s “Southeastern: 10th Anniversary Edition” released last year. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Rhodes College and Memphis.”
MUSIC IN MEMPHIS: International Blues Challenge crowns winners. Here's who took home top honors.
As part of his visit to Rhodes, Isbell will also speak to a "Songwriting in Memphis" class taught by John Bass, director of the Mike Curb Institute for Music. In a statement, Bass noted that, “for our students, learning from Jason Isbell, an artist at the top of his field, and hearing about his journey is a tremendous opportunity for them to think critically about their own journeys as they set out to be the next generation of leaders and changemakers in the world.”
Isbell’s visit to Rhodes is sponsored by the Mike Curb Institute for Music, The Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center, and the Springfield Music Lecture Series — the latter was established in 1991 by a bequest from the late John Murry Springfield, a 1951 Rhodes graduate.
Those with questions about the event can contact Rhodes' musical arts coordinator Erika Pope at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jason Isbell coming to Rhodes College in Memphis: Here's what to know
