The music department is greatly saddened to share the news of Ph.D. graduate Travis Stimeling’s passing. Travis received their Ph.D. in musicology from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2007 with an award-winning dissertation under the guidance of Professor Jocelyn Neal titled, “Space, place, and protest: Austin’s progressive country music scene and the negotiation of Texan identities, 1968-1978.”
Every graduate student who comes through our program is woven into the fabric of our intellectual community, and those ties persist after they graduate and move into their next chapters of their careers; we collectively celebrate their many successes, and collectively mourn their passing.
“Travis was a dear friend and colleague of many in the department, an active musicologist, prolific author, beloved mentor, and leader in the fields of country music, bluegrass, and regional music studies,” Professor Neal stated.
Travis was Professor of Musicology at West Virginia University (WVU), where they were also the director of the WVU Bluegrass and Old-Time Bands. Their main area of research was in commercial country and Appalachian traditional music and they played and sang in these areas as well.
Travis published numerous books and articles, including Nashville Cats: Record Production in Music City (Oxford University Press, 2020), The Opioid Epidemic and U.S. Culture: Expression, Art, and Politics in an Age of Addiction (West Virginia University Press, 2020), Songwriting in Contemporary West Virginia: Profiles and Reflections (West Virginia University Press, 2018), Fifty Cents and a Box Top: The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy (West Virginia University Press, 2017), The Oxford Handbook of Country Music (Oxford University Press, 2017), The Country Music Reader (Oxford University Press, 2015), and Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Travis had spoken at UNC in recent years, and stayed in touch with many of the department’s graduate students and faculty throughout their career. “I had the distinct pleasure of working closely with Travis when they were a graduate student here, and will miss them so very much. My thoughts are with their family,” wrote Professor Neal.
When asked in a Faculty Spotlight Interview at WVU about advice they had for students wanting to take their class, they said, “To be successful as students and as creative people, we have to take risks and work hard, but we also have to find joy in the process. In my classes, we do all three.”
This joy permeated through Travis’ work and interactions with colleagues, friends, and family. It is reflected in the outpouring of love and respect following their untimely passing. They are remembered for their incredible academic achievements and scholarship as well as their deep love of music and people. WVU’s College of Creative Arts reflected that “Travis’s office was always a safe haven for those who needed it.”
“Travis was one of the first graduate students I befriended when I arrived at UNC in 2003. Theirs was, I believe, the first dissertation committee I served on at UNC,” reflected Professor David Garcia. “More recently, I worked with Travis when I served as editor of the Journal of the Society for American Music (JSAM) and they as book editor. I nominated them to serve on JSAM’s editorial board, in which they were serving until their passing. My thoughts are with their family and WVU students and colleagues and with all of us who knew, respected, and loved them.”
The department extends its deepest condolences to Travis’ students, colleagues, friends, and family.
To read more about Travis’ life and work, please see their obituary on Legacy.com.