Tennessee--Nashville

Country singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell brings his guitar into the studio and performs songs that relate to his memoir, Chinaberry Sidewalks, about his rough-and-tumble childhood in East Texas.

This interview was originally broadcast on Feb. 9, 2011.

Country music singer and songwriter Rodney Crowell brings his guitar to play some songs that relate to his new memoir, "Chinaberry Sidewalks." Crowell has been successful in the worlds of country music and alternative music. His songs have been hits for many singers, including Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings and Tim McGraw.

Rock Historian Ed Ward on the history of African-American musicians in Nashville. He plays music from Night Train to Nashville a double CD put out by the Country Music Hall of Fame (in conjunction with a Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Show).

Rock historian Ed Ward tells us the tale of Joe Tex, a black man who longed to be a country singer, a preacher who renounced Christianity, and a life-long teetotaler who died of drug and alcohol abuse.

Journalist Bruce Feiler. His new book is a history of country music: "Dreaming out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville (Avon Books). Feiler writes regularly about American music for The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. He's also a frequent contributor to "All Things Considered."

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at how the country music establishment reacted to the burgeoning popularity of rock music in the 1950s and '60s -- sometimes in inept, out-of-touch ways.

The band's lead singer Tracy Nelson made her mark as part of the Berkeley rock scene. She has since moved to Nashville, where she has been exploring her interest in blues, R&B and country music.