<h3><img src="http://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/images/bristol-mural.jpg" title="Belmont University " alt="Belmont University " align="right" height="133" hspace="6" vspace="6" width="200" />Tennessee&#8217;s Belmont University honors authors and journalists for outstanding contributions in the study of country music</h3>
<p>Tomorrow the International Country Music Conference will begin celebrating its Silver Anniversary at Belmont University, honoring authors and journalists for outstanding contributions in the study of country music. The event, which runs May 22-24, will host top historians and scholars in country music and include presentations of The Belmont Book Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and The Charlie Lamb Awards.</p>
<p>The Belmont Book Award will be awarded to Holly George-Warren for &#8220;Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry,&#8221; published in 2007 by Oxford University Press. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to the Country Music Hall of Fame Foundation and Library. The Charlie Lamb Awards, given to outstanding country music journalists, will be awarded to Beverly Keel in the contemporary category and Barry McCloud in the lifetime category.</p>
<p>&#8220;At this conference we&#8217;ll have historians and scholars who have collectively written over 50 books on country music,&#8221; said Don Cusic, co-chair of the event. The conference will be held in the Frist Room of the Gordon Inman Science Building at Belmont University Thursday, May 22 &#8211; Saturday, May 24.</p>
<p>The 2008 ICMC Program Schedule can be found here:<br />
http://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/schedule.html</p>
<p>For more information, visit:<br />
http://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/Country Music Photo Gallery</p>