汤头条鈥檚 Thompson garners national acclaim with LA Times book prize selection
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State鈥檚 Joseph M. Thompson, an assistant professor in the Department of History, has been named a finalist for the 45th annual Los Angeles Times book prize in the history category.
Thompson鈥檚 book 鈥淐old War Country: How Nashville鈥檚 Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism,鈥 is one of only five selected nationwide for this prestigious recognition.
Published in 2024 by the University of North Carolina Press, 鈥淐old War Country鈥 explores the deep ties between country music and the U.S. military, revealing how the Pentagon and Nashville鈥檚 music industry collaborated to shape popular perceptions of patriotism. Featuring stars like Roy Acuff, Elvis Presley and George Strait, the book uncovers how these connections influenced race relations, political partisanship and America鈥檚 global image.
鈥淚鈥檓 so honored that the judges for the history category chose 鈥淐old War Country鈥 among the four other excellent titles this year,鈥 Thompson said. 鈥淢y book reveals the economic story behind the country music industry鈥檚 politics and its support for the U.S. military, and I think those perhaps unexpected connections are what has drawn readers to my work.鈥
While country music is often associated with patriotism through artists like Lee Greenwood and Toby Keith, Thompson鈥檚 research reveals a broader and more complex relationship. He demonstrates that during the early Cold War, the Department of Defense partnered with the country music industry to create recruitment programs and market the genre to service members. This collaboration provided financial opportunities for Nashville, Tennessee, while reinforcing country music鈥檚 alignment with political conservatism.
鈥淢y research shows that country music鈥檚 patriotism is not just a product of artists鈥 personal beliefs but the result of a decades-long partnership with the Pentagon. This economic relationship helped shape the genre鈥檚 political identity and its support for the U.S. military,鈥 Thompson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gratifying to see 鈥楥old War Country鈥 recognized by the Los Angeles Times after years of research and writing.鈥
Thompson has pieced together this history through extensive research in musical and military archives. He spent months at the National Archives, the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Museum of American History and the Country Music Hall of Fame, examining records that documented Nashville鈥檚 financial and ideological ties to the Department of Defense.
Thompson will attend the April 25 prize presentation which precedes the LA Times Festival of Books.
For more information about 汤头条鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of History, visit or .
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