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Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Virtual only
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please register for the Zoom link HERE
Join us on Tuesday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. for our next Speaker Sessions with author Taylor Hagood as he shares the story of the life and murder of Stringbean.
November 10, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of country music legend, David
“Stringbean” Akeman, and his wife, Estelle. The brutal murder of the beloved couple shook
Nashville and the country music industry to its foundations, changing it in fundamental ways.
Stringbean’s death ended a life that had spanned country music from its beginnings to the Outlaw Country era. Along the way, Stringbean played a foundational role in developing bluegrass music, continued through the honky tonk era, and survived the onslaught of rock-and-roll. He made his mark as a banjo player, singer, and comedian on the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw, forging a persona at once hilariously retro and strikingly ahead of its time. The publication of Taylor Hagood’s book, Stringbean: The Life and Death of a Country Music Legend, coincides with the 50th anniversary of Stringbean’s murder and explores both the myths and facts of the
enigmatic performer and his death. Hagood will offer fresh perspectives on Stringbean’s life and career while revisiting the intrigues of the murder, investigation, trial, and parole that altogether form one of country music’s most tragic stories.
About the Speaker
Taylor Hagood is a writer, speaker, literary critic, musician, artist, and educator. An
internationally-renowned scholar of the writing of William Faulkner, Hagood is the author of
multiple books, including Faulkner, Writer of Disability, which won the C. Hugh Holman Award
for Best Book in Southern Studies. His many articles range from literary criticism to a series of
travel essays for the online journal Throomers. He has lectured throughout the United States and
Europe at universities, institutes, and private clubs. His interest in country music is deep and
lifelong, and he has had a particular fascination with banjo playing, construction, and history. A
native of Ripley, Mississippi, he is currently a professor at Florida Atlantic University.
