Wolfe, Charles K., 1943-2006

Dr. Charles K. Wolfe was born in Sedalia, Missouri in 1943. Wolfe earned his B.A. in English at Southwest Missouri State University and later continued his studies at the University of Kansas in Lawrence where he was awarded his Master’s degree and then his Ph.D. in 1971. In 1970, he began his 35 year tenure as a professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Murfreesboro provided Wolfe with an excellent, centrally located base of operations from which he could easily travel all over the south to meet and interview the pioneers of the gospel and country music he would spend his life documenting and championing.

Wolfe was a highly prolific scholar. During his long career as a writer, editor, lecturer and fan of southern vernacular music, he wrote scores of liner notes for reissue projects, wrote (or coauthored) more than 20 books and appeared as an expert on TV, radio and in documentary films and was also a major supporter of roots music community projects in Middle Tennessee such as Uncle Dave Macon Days in his home town of Murfreesboro. Wolfe was one of the most highly respected people in the field of American vernacular music. He received many honors and awards for his work such as the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award, Association for Recorded Sound Collections’ Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award and he was also a three time Grammy nominee. Wolfe retired from university work in 2005 but continued his studies and writing up until his death in February of 2006.